Maria has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Southampton University, UK. She grew up in the international environment of the United Nations, living in Congo, Guinea, India, Nepal, and the United States. Maria’s work focuses on creating participatory processes that invite people from all backgrounds to have conversations that matter. She designs gatherings, trainings, and longer-term initiatives that provide the opportunity for public engagement, organizational development, systemic change with long-term impact. Her focus, at this time of world wide crisis, is on we fundamentally reframing our leadership, governance and systems in order to create new ways of living and working. Maria has diverse experience such as working as a Corporate Director in Local Government in the UK, founded her own successful consulting company since 2002, co-initiated the Art of Hosting, and works world wide & in Greece for European Institutions, local government, private and non-profit organizations, as well as in local social innovation initiatives. Maria has an enterprising spirit with a social consciousness that researches new ways of living and working. She has co-founded the Living Wholeness Institute, the SIZ in Greece, AoH Athens and Axladitsa-Avatakia a place of learning with nature in Pelion, Greece.

Vanessa is a pioneering practice leader, social innovator, participatory process consultant who brings her unique leadership and artistry to the field of civil society innovation. She was executive director of Santropol Roulant, a vibrant organization founded by young people in Montreal that uses food as a catalyst for social change, environmental sustainability and inter-generational community. Ever since, she has been immersed in creating personal, organizational, societal cultures that are alive and deeply aligned with the natural cycles and transitions of living and dying. Vanessa is active in local & global networks and movements that are creating new systemic change initiatives that work with the inner and outer, the visible and invisible, and the individual and collective. This includes creating the practice ground for social labs like the Finance Innovation Lab-UK, and working with the Truth and Reconciliation process in Canada, as well transforming the “no” of protest in Greece to the “yes” of collective entrepreneurship. She is a co-founder of both the Living Wholeness Institute and the AoH-Athina. She has a Masters in Architecture and a Masters in Process-Oriented Psychology and Deep Democracy and so brings the essence of participatory design to create collective spaces of inner and outer transformation. As a writer and former publisher of the award-winning ascent magazine, she brings a depth of reflective, body and awareness practices.

Yitzhak has lived in Jerusalem in the past of 43 years and is part of the professional psychotherapist landscape of the city. Since 2008 he is pioneering a new field of practice of “protection” which has emerged during his clinical practice, vie dialogue groups between Palestinians and Israelis, as a co-founder of Art of Protection, and most recently as a psychologist and member of intercultural community created in Jerusalem after the National Protest in Israel in 2011. With his Jewish and Mexican identity, he has developed mastery in intercultural relationships. In the last three years he has developed theoretical and practical tools for a better understanding of the essence of relationships, in particular those between victims and perpetrators, people and groups, as well as conflictual relationships. Yitzhak is an Elder of Living Wholeness Institute, a founding Steward of Axladitsa-Avatakia and a proud grandpa of Danielle, Jonathan, Itamar, Shira, Nadav, Ruth, Eran and Ido.

Kieron Concannon (MA) is a multi-instrumentalist Musician, Martial artist, Ethnomusicologist, Sound Healer, writer, composer and founder of the Irish Harmonic Ensemble. Kieron is also a co-founder, and CEO, of one of the UK’s most influential Independent Record labels (FDM Records) and has worked with some of the biggest selling artists on the planet today. He is an active member of the international Art of Hosting community and is also a Flow Game host and facilitator. He is nearing the completion of his book about his time in the music business ‘A Hero’s Journey Through the Music Industry’. He lives at the top of an Irish mountain – and does his best to live an intentional life.

Marianna is a psychologist working in the field of mental health for the last 20 years. Since 2008 she also works as adult trainer and group facilitator. She is currently working at Babel Day Centre a mental health service for refugees and immigrants. She likes working with people from different cultural backgrounds and she is open to new challenges and experiences in her work. Marianna is a newcomer to Art of Hosting and she believes strongly in the idea of participatory leadership.

Stella has lived an international upbringing living in Africa, Asia, North America and Europe. For the past 40 years she has been living in Athens, Greece with a short period of living in the United Kingdon. Since a child, Stella has loved nature, animals and being outdoors. Stella’s creativity has been expressed through her marriage and bringing up her son. She has an artist’s heart and lives this daily through whatever she is doing. Stella is a passionate cook, experimenting and creating meals that nourishes both the body and soul. This allows her to offer her hospitality and caring skills in hosting others to be in full enjoyment and relationship whilst eating amazing meals.

Dimitris, is a young Greek who carries a dream for change. This dream comes from what his heart and mind has not been able to bear, having lived the recent economic and migration crisis in his country. Soon, he came to the realisation that trying to offer to others, when you, yourself are struggling for survival, can only be done by working collectively and not individually. Since discovering the Art of Hosting practice in 2015, Dimitris has found his calling and has become an active practitioner, embracing this as his way of living and making a living. He has since worked on several small and large scale projects in Greece and within Europe, co-designing and co-hosting different participatory processes which bring diverse stakeholders together.

Dimitris has a Bachelor Degree in International and European Studies and a Masters in Peace and Development Work. He initially cultivated his facilitation skills through training in Community Mediation and Public Dialogues Facilitation. Dimitris has been volunteering and working since 2008, holding positions in the organisation and coordination of workshops, trainings and conferences on behalf of the Greek and International Civil Society.

Dimitra Gavriil is a conflict resolution practitioner. She is collaborative lawyer with the Athens Bar and a certified mediator, specializing in restorative practices and ADR. Since 2015 she has been working with prisons in Greece and California, where she facilitates peacemaking and mediation trainings with inmates and / or prison personnel. She is a JAMS Weinstein International Senior Fellow and the Director of European Programs for Prison of Peace. She is based in Athens, Greece, and her working languages are Greek, English and French.
Dimitra views the Art of Hosting as a life philosophy enabling us to see the world as a whole, while comprised of unique individuals.