Quick Facts
Biography
James O'Dea is an Irish-born activist, author and educator. He is a past president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences and a former faculty member of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. James trained over 1000 Peace Ambassadors during the Shift Network's Peace Ambassador Training. He co-directed the Social Healing Project with Dr. Judith Thompson. He is an adviser to The Peace Alliance and KOSMOS Journal and is former executive director of the Seva Foundation and a former Director of the Washington, DC office of Amnesty International. He is also a member of the Evolutionary Leaders Group.
Early life and education
Born in Ireland, O'Dea attended Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Grammar School for Boys in London and Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College. He received his B.A. from the University of London, and his M.A. from the School for International Training in Vermont.
Career
O'Dea served as the Head of English at Tarsus American College in Turkey. He founded the Ecumenical Travel Office of The Middle East Council of Churches in Beirut.
He has received numerous awards for his published works, including the 2015 COVR Award for Best Conscious Living Book for The Conscious Activist: Where Activism Meets Mysticism; and the 2012 Nautilus Book Award for Cultivating Peace: Becoming a 21st Century Peace Ambassador. He is an active contributor to major blogsites and print publications such as Huffington Post, Reality Sandwich, Awakin.org, Daily Good, KOSMOS Journal, Light of Consciousness, Spirituality & Health, and international publications Athanor: Una puerta al nuevo paradigm, Odyssey and Kindred Spirit
O'Dea has lectured worldwide on global healing, evolutionary change, consciousness, and science and spirituality. He has been co-leader of international social healing dialogues and core faculty of three international conferences, entitled "Engaging The Other: The Power of Compassion".
O'Dea has been a keynote speaker for many conferences including Language of Spirit, Living in the Fire of Change: Sacred Action and Social Transformation and Leaders Causing Leaders, Peace Alliance, Science and Consciousness Conference, Alliance for a New Humanity, Goi Peace Foundation and others.
He recently launched an internationally-accessible telecourse, "Path of the Peacemaker", which has attracted people from over 20 countries worldwide. The course, hosted by the Shift Network, provides individuals a solid understanding of the art, science, and practices behind personal and planetary peacemaking.
Awards
- "Champion of Peace, Reconciliation and Forgiveness" by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance.
- 2015 COVR Award for Best Conscious Living Book for The Conscious Activist: Where Activism Meets Mysticism
- 2013 Nautilus Book Award for Cultivating Peace: Becoming a 21st Century Peace Ambassador
Works
O'Dea has written many essays on peace and social healing, evolutionary trends, and science and consciousness in numerous books and articles.
- The Conscious Activist: Where Activism Meets Mysticism. Watkins. 2015. ISBN 978-1780288437.
- Cultivating Peace: Becoming a 21st-Century Peace Ambassador. Shift Books. 2012. ISBN 978-0984840717.
- Creative Stress: A Path for Evolving Souls Living through Personal and Planetary Upheaval. Pioneer Imprints. 2010. ISBN 978-0-9818318-6-2.