Meet the Team
Fritjof Capra, Ph.D.
Lead Teacher
Fritjof Capra is the lead teacher of the Capra Course and Systems View LAB. Fritjof is a scientist, author, and environmental educator who has written and lectured extensively about the philosophical and social implications of modern science. He was a founding director (1995-2020) of the Berkeley-based Center for Ecoliteracy and serves on the faculty of the Amana-Key executive education program in São Paulo, Brazil. He is a Fellow of Schumacher College, an international center for new-economics and ecological studies in the UK, and serves on the Council of Earth Charter International.
Capra is the author of several international bestsellers. including The Tao of Physics (1975), The Turning Point (1982), and The Web of Life (1996). He is coauthor of the multidisciplinary textbook The Systems View of Life (2014).
More information about Fritjof's work can be found at fritjofcapra.net
Silvia Di Blasio
Course Coordinator
Originally from Argentina, Silvia is our new course coordinator. Silvia loves being behind the scenes to provide support and improve the experience for learners and as a former Capra Course participant, she is a #1 fan of the course. Silvia has worked in the educational, non-profit and sustainability fields for over 20 years, with experience as a K-12 teacher, computer-science instructor, adult educator, career counsellor, online instructor specialist and facilitator, Silvia is also a gifted permaculture and sustainability design consultant and mentor. Apart from her work at the Capra Course, Silvia splits her time as an eLearning and academic coordinator for Gaia Education and as a co-coordinator for the Work That Reconnects Network, where she is also a facilitator member. Silvia holds a degree in Psychopedagogy and certificates in online instruction and sustainability design, speaks English and Spanish fluently and loves gardening and hiking in the wonderful landscapes of BC, Canada, where she lives with her husband and two sons.
Della Duncan, M.A.
Course Development Manager
Della Duncan is the Course Development Manager for the Capra Course and the Systems View LAB and is responsible for alumni network support and course promotion. Della is a Renegade Economist who facilitates transformative courses and retreats, supports individuals working to better align their values with their work as a Right Livelihood Coach, offers consulting to organizations contributing to sustainable and equitable systems change, and hosts the Upstream Podcast challenging traditional economic thinking through documentaries and interviews. Della is also a Senior Fellow of Social and Economic Equity at the International Inequalities Institute in the London School of Economics, a Gross National Happiness Master Trainer, a member of the 36x36 project (36 femxle change makers rethinking global economic frameworks), the Community Leader of Ingleside Community Power (community-owned solar-power cooperative), a founding member of the Doughnut Economics California Coalition (DECC), and a former faculty member of Ecological Economics at Schumacher College and current senior lecturer at the California Institute of Integral Studies and Gaia Education. She holds an MA in Economics for Transition with Distinction from Schumacher College, a BA in International Relations and Sociology with highest honors from the University of California, Davis, a graduate certificate in Authentic Leadership from Naropa University, and has completed Joanna Macy’s Work that Reconnects Intensive Program.
Jen Mason, Ph.D.
Consultant, Educator Systems View LAB
Blending over 20 years of experience as an educator with insights from her Ph.D. research about the role of listening in building resilience in complex, adaptive systems, Jen works as an independent consultant to support learning and harness the collective intelligence of groups. Prior to her role as consultant, Jen worked as an educator in a variety of K-12 settings supporting young people in bolstering their connection to the natural world, developing ecoliteracy and systems thinking skills, gaining proficiency as effective communicators and participatory decision-makers, and building their agency as change-makers. She has a Ph.D. in Sustainability Education and an M.A. with a focus in Ecology-Based Education from Prescott College, as well as a B.Ed. in Experiential Education and a B.A. in Political Science from Queen’s University.