Michael A. Raffanti has a varied professional background in education and social justice.  A California native, he completed his Bachelor of Arts in History and Philosophy at the University of Portland, and his Juris Doctor at Boston College Law School.  He also holds a Master in Teaching from The Evergreen State College where he focused on multicultural and anti-racist education. He earned his Doctor of Education degree from Fielding Graduate University. Michael became interested in an educational career while practicing poverty law in San Francisco. His involvement in developing a law academy at an urban high school precipitated Michael’s movement from law to education. While earning his teaching license, he directed the education department of an AIDS service organization and developed HIV prevention programs for adolescents, gay and bisexual men, and communities of color. Michael has taught third grade in urban settings and served in a variety of educational leadership roles.  He also taught at-risk high school students in a weekend community college program. Michael has online university teaching experience at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at Western Governors University, Fielding Graduate University, and CIIS.

A scholar-practitioner, Michael’s research interests are transdisciplinary, with particular emphases on action-oriented research, grounded theory, transformative leadership, diversity dynamics, spirituality in organizations, systems change, anti-bias education, and human rights law. Michael is an avid tennis player, world traveler, and animal rescuer.

1. Transformative Leadership