Riane Eisler, J.D.

Riane Eisler's Key Accomplishments Include . . .
Riane Eisler's story begins in Vienna, Austria, where as a small child she and her family had to flee from the Nazis. They emigrated to Cuba and eventually to the U.S. Riane Eisler has said that this trauma could have destroyed her, but instead, it led to her life-long quest to understand why horrible things like the Holocaust can happen - and what we can do so they do not happen again. Riane Eisler has become an eminent social scientist, attorney, author, and social activist. She is best known for her international bestseller The Chalice and The Blade: Our History, Our Future now in 23 languages. Renowned for her innovative perspectives on relationships, education, sex and spirituality, she addresses the need for a "more equitable and sustainable economic system" based on the "essential work of caring for people and nature."

Riane Eisler's book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics- hailed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as "a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking," by Peter Senge as "desperately needed," by Gloria Steinem as "revolutionary," and by Jane Goodall as "a call to action" - proposes a new approach to economics that gives visibility and value to the most essential human work: the work of caring for people and nature. Riane Eisler emphasizes that specific actions can change one's life and help one to see in a new way because all change begins with the individual. Her work gives people grounded hope that change is possible and that we are not doomed to despair and destruction.

Riane Eisler has garnered powerful responses from very diverse groups around the world, as her common theme of caring helps people "connect the dots." She is a sought after keynote speaker to conferences worldwide, and is a consultant to both business and government on applications of the partnership model introduced in her work. Riane Eisler's international appearances have included: Germany at the invitation of the former President of the Bundestag (the German Parliament) as well as the Chair of Volkswagen International, Colombia at the invitation of the Mayor of Bogota and the Czech Republic at the invitation of Vaclav Havel, the former President.

More About Riane Eisler . . .
Riane Eisler's other books include the award-winning The Power of Partnership and Tomorrow's Children, as well as Sacred Pleasure, a daring reexamination of sexuality and spirituality, and Women, Men and the Global Quality of Life, which statistically documents the key role of the status of women in a nation's general quality of life.

Riane Eisler holds degrees in Sociology and Law from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Ms. Eisler taught pioneering classes on women and the law at UCLA and is a founding member of the General Evolution Research Group (GERG), a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science and World Business Academy, and a commissioner of the World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality, along with the Dalai Lama and other spiritual leaders. Riane Eisler is also co-founder of the Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence (SAIV). Ms. Eisler is president of the Center for Partnership Studies, dedicated to research and education.

Riane Eisler's compassion for people has led her to pioneering work in human rights that has expanded the focus of international organizations to include the rights of women and children. Ms. Eisler's research on systemic cultural transformation has impacted many fields, including history, sociology, economics, psychology, and education. Riane Eisler is the author of over 200 essays and articles in publications ranging from Behavioral Science, Futures, Political Psychology, and The UNESCO Courier to Brain and Mind, Yes!, the Human Rights Quarterly, The International Journal of Women's Studies, and the World Encyclopedia of Peace.

Riane Eisler has been honored with the Humanist Pioneer Award and the first Alice Paul ERA Award. Riane Eisler is the only woman among twenty great thinkers, including Hegel, Adam Smith, Marx, and Toynbee, selected for inclusion in Macrohistory and Macrohistorians in recognition of the lasting importance of her work as a cultural historian and evolutionary theorist.

A true believer in great partnerships, Riane Eisler has been happily married for 30 years to the eminent social psychologist and author David Loye. Ms. Eisler attributes her clear head and vibrant health to daily walks, to all the love in her life, and to the excitement of joining with others to build a better future.

• Transformative Leadership
• Caring Economics
• Education for a Culture of Peace
• Women and Leadership
• Systems Change for the Postindustrial World
• The New Political Agenda
• The Chalice and The Blade
• The Real Wealth of Nations
• The Power of Partnership

"Riane Eisler, long a voice of sanity and clarity in an increasingly confusing world, does what has been desperately needed for a long time: bring back a human- and nature-centric perspective to economics to show how ends and means can be integrated. We had better get this right, because time is running out on governing our societies by rules and institutions that lack any real sense of what truly matters."

---Peter Senge, author, The Fifth Discipline, Senior Lecturer, MIT

Riane Eisler spoke to the hearts and the heads of the top women at Microsoft. She was compelling not only in her compassion and humanity but even more so with her strong logic and sense of urgency. She is a wonderful, inspiring speaker!

Alex Loeb, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Corporation

Thank you for your inspiring and provocative presentation at our Executives Leading Sustainable Change program ...Your vast knowledge of the history of humanity coupled with a deep conviction and guidance on what is needed in today’s corporations to bring about real social change left a deep impact on all of us. You provided us with a new context for thinking about how one person can make a difference and together we can change the world.

Rayona Sharpnack, President, Institute for Women’s Leadership

You changed my life. Thank you ever so much, you made a profound change for me. Your storyteller technique is warm, personal, poignant and far reaching. Your powerful message about the ideas and visions about the future for a partnership modeled world met my own thoughts about our presence in our world today.

Dennis Jorst, President, ICF Nordic