DONALD PROFFIT

After retiring from a successful career in education, Donald Proffit has devoted himself to promoting arts, ethics, and leadership. A certified World Café facilitator, Don is also a certified trainer for the Institute of Global Ethics and an active participant in global dialogues on peace and justice.

Donald has served as a consultant, artist, teacher, and workshop facilitator for local, state, and national arts and education agencies and organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Guam Department of Education, Utah Arts Council, and the University of Wisconsin, among others. Additionally, he has presented workshops, clinics, and original performance pieces in Australia, France, Israel, and Italy. Of particular importance was his work in Israel as part of the Harmony Project with the Institute for Arts and Humanities Education. For this project Don brought together a group of Israeli, Palestinian, and American youth, using the arts as a vehicle for meaningful understanding and conversation. This experience reaffirmed his belief that meaningful and life-changing engagement is always possible when you establish a safe and honest environment for conversation and collaboration.

Donald is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Teaching Fellowship, a New Jersey Governor's Award for Arts in Education, and a D. Bennet Mazur Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Fund of the New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Coalition.

NPD is delighted to have Don on board to facilitate our opening session using the World Café model.