Dr. Jean Houston is a scholar and researcher in human capacities who has co-directed the Foundation for Mind Research with her husband, Dr. Robert Masters, for the past 40 years, focusing their work on understanding latent human abilities and developing methods for increasing physical and mental skills, learning, and creativity. Founder of cross-cultural mythic and spiritual studies programs dedicated to empowering change agents worldwide by teaching history, philosophy, new physics, psychology, anthropology, myth, and the many dimensions of human potential, Houston has also created training programs in social artistry that enable leaders to extend their development to more adequately address today’s social challenges. Having presented her work through 26 books and speeches at educational institutions and business organizations in over 100 countries, Houston is often invited to work personally with leaders of groups and heads of governmental and non-governmental agencies to assist them in rethinking their goals and agendas. Currently serving as Senior Consultant to the United Nations in Human Development, she and her team train leaders in developing countries to develop their human capacities in light of social change while inspiring and invigorating people with her vision of the finest possible achievement of individual potential. Houston and her associates have created the International Institute for Social Artistry, implementing training programs worldwide and developing a Master’s program in Leadership and Social Artistry, with their new foundation directed toward training thousands of trainers in social artistry methods who will, in turn, train millions globally.
Why their voice matters: Houston demonstrates how developing human capacities and consciousness is an essential foundation for addressing global challenges, providing practical frameworks for what she calls “social artistry”—the ability to catalyze positive change through integrating personal development, cultural wisdom, and systemic transformation in service of planetary healing and human evolution.