Upcoming Program
Principles of Insurance
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Upcoming Program
Raymond B. Eby, JD Corporate Development Manager, 3M Finance
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
Upcoming Program
Thomas Rockwell Mackie, PhD, Co-Founder & Chairman, Tomo Therapy, Inc.
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
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Faculty & Staff
Derek Cabrera, PhD
Derek Cabrera is nationally recognized expert in thinking skills. A scientist, researcher, and educator, Derek has held appointments at Cornell University, Santa Fe Institute, Regis University, and Edgewood College. An inspirational speaker and workshop leader on topics concerning education, thinking, and learning, he was awarded the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ K. Patricia Cross Future Educational Leaders Award.
His research focuses on critical, creative, and systemic thinking which is informed by his interdisciplinary work in nonlinear and systems sciences, evolutionary biology, cognition, human development, and education to develop a better understanding of patterns that underlie human thought.
Derek is Founder and CEO of ThinkWorks, a company that develops thinking skills through products and workshops for educators, parents, and organizational leaders. He holds a US Patent for the revolutionary thinking method that underlies the design of ThinkBlocks, an educational toy that teaches advanced thinking skills to children and adults.
Derek is a research fellow at the Santa Fe Institute for the study of complex systems. He was Visiting Fellow at Cornell University where he taught the graduate-level course on systems thinking. Derek was a National Science Foundation Post Doctoral Fellow and Co-Investigator in the College of Human Ecology. He was also a National Science Foundation IGERT Fellow in Nonlinear Systems at Cornell.
In addition, Derek is the author of the book, Remedial Genius, and has been published in numerous journals and book chapters. Most recently, Derek co-authored with Laura Colosi, a children’s book called, Journey to Planet Knowledge.
For 14 years prior to founding ThinkWorks and his Cornell appointments, Derek worked nationally and internationally as an educator and mountain guide with Outward Bound and other organizations. He has led high-altitude climbing expeditions to the world’s most remote mountain regions and is an avid adventure traveler. As a social entrepreneur, Derek led fundraising efforts to establish the Aceh Relief Fund for victims of the Indian Ocean Tsunami and co-founded Children of Rural Africa to develop schools in Nigeria. He has also founded or led several successful for-profit and non-profit ventures and held several board of directors seats.
Derek holds a Ph.D. in Education from Cornell University. He lives with his wife, son, and dog in Ithaca, New York.
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