About Us

Educasting.org adds value and extends the life and reach of our radio programs and other organizations' audio and video productions by re-grouping, re-editing, augmenting them with new narration, and packaging them with customized supplemental resource materials and study guides for distribution and/or download as curricula materials for use in institutions of higher learning, community organizations, NGOs, government agencies, facilitators, distance-learning classes, civic groups, libraries and much more.

Educasting aspires to do more than give people information, but rather to engage them as participants in the process of innovation.  This includes thinking about long-standing problems in new ways, brainstorming solutions, and developing approaches for action, all in the hopes of cultivating a culture of innovation.  Therefore, we construct the study guide component of Educasting packages in a cascade that includes a comprehension component, but more importantly a discussion, analysis, and creative problem-solving component.  The hope is that the guide has enough material to meet any participant ‘where they are,’ but that the guide creates a pathway that spirals from basic knowledge toward critical analysis and ultimately results in creative thinking and innovation.

Feel free to contact us at robin@aworldofpossibilities.org or 707-826-9111 x23

Staff:

Mark Sommer, Executive Director

Mark Sommer is an author, independent journalist, award-winning radio host, and internationally syndicated columnist who has written several books and hundreds of articles on national and international issues for major U.S. and foreign newspapers. His monthly columns on world affairs are syndicated in 12 languages to 100 countries by the Inter Press Service in Rome. In the United States, his articles have appeared on the editorial pages of The Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Newsday. He hosts the syndicated radio program, "A World of Possibilities," which highlights innovative solutions to longstanding societal challenges and is produced from the studios of the Mainstream Media Project. A 1967 graduate of Cornell University, Mark served from 1991-1998 as a program consultant on peace and world order issues for the Compton Foundation.

Robin Pagliuco, Managing and Educasting Director

Robin Pagliuco joined Connexus Communications, a non-profit public education organization, in January of 2008, and brings years of experience in education, event coordination, and administrative and project management.  Robin quickly moved from the role of Executive Assistant to Educasting Coordinator, and is responsible for developing and managing each Educasting module.  Earlier this year, she also assumed the role of Managing Director of the organization.  Robin is fluent in Spanish, and has lived and worked in Belize, Ecuador and Spain.
 

Michael Schwartz, Production Engineer

Tofu Mike, as he is known around town, is the Production Engineer for A World of Possibilities. Starting in 2007, he comes with years of experience in the field of live Sound Reinforcement. He has lived and worked in Humboldt County for more than a decade, as student, tofu maker, forest activist, and at the local recycling center. Music has been an integral part of his life, playing and recording with several different projects. Primarily a percussionist, he also plays guitar and sings, both originals and cover songs. He studied Audio and Radio Production at Humboldt State University.
 

Kristin Smith, Curriculum Designer Food, Sustainability & Society II, Peace & Security

Kristin Smith has been an educator and curriculum designer for eight years and teaches college English and humanities courses at City College of San Francisco. Prior to her professorship with City College, she worked with the North Carolina Community College System in Durham and Wilmington, N.C. Her academic interests include metacognitive theory, learning styles, and personality type as it relates to learning. She holds a Master of Arts in Critical Literacy and lives in San Francisco, Ca.

Kim Bonine, Consultant for Food, Sustainability & Society II

For the past seven years Kim has worked as the Program Director at Conservation Strategy Fund, helping organizations in the tropics use economic tools to conserve natural resources.  She has led training courses and analysis projects in the U.S., Africa and Latin America.  Prior to joining CSF, she was with the Center for Environmental Science and Policy at Stanford University studying natural resource use on Pacific islands.  Kim holds a Master of Science degree in Earth Systems and an undergraduate degree in Human Biology, both from Stanford University.

Lisa Schirch, Phd, Consultant for Peace & Security

Director of the 3D Security Initiative (www.3Dsecurity.org) and professor of peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University.

Janet Hines, Curriculum Developer for "Peace, Justice or Both?" and "Impunity and Accountability in Colombia"

Janet Hines holds an M.A. in Conflict Transformation. Her academic research has included how to practice transitional justice in a more restorative manner, and the effects of transgenerational trauma and beginning the healing process. Janet currently lives in Harrisonburg, VA with her husband and daughter.