About Us

Wendy and Thaïs have worked with international social and environmental impact organizations, in both governmental and non-governmental sectors, at the local, state, and federal levels including: International Workgroup for Indigenous Affairs, Mediators Beyond Borders International, The Parliament of World’s Religions, The Center for Dispute Resolution, The Compassion Institute, Ocean Conservation Research, The World Missions Council, Bioneers, Food Policy Council, Housing First, Indivisible Project, Aha Makhav Tribal Council, Gaden Shartse Tibetan Monastery, Friends of Tibet, The Mind & Life Institute, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Action Network, Fukushima Kids Project, The Peace Gong, Impact Foundry, Amnesty International, Child Trauma Academy, The Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Environmental Network, Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Bat Shalom, International Coalition of Women for a Just Peace, The Garden Project, Resologics, Young Women’s Leadership Conference, Hua Nani Partners, Brave New Us, Democracy Politics and Conflict Engagement Initiative, Omni-Win, the Human Science Institute, and prominent academic institutions.

Wendy Wood, PhD—is an international consultant, conflict engagement professional, mediator, social scientist, narrative researcher, and author. She works internationally on the local, state, and federal level, leading efforts with a range of organizations and communities in the areas of social and environmental justice, political and social impact, public policy, and disaster relief and adaptation. Wendy specializes in resolving and transforming complex high conflict multi-party disputes, dialogue and facilitation, strategic systems assessment and design, conflict coaching, mediation, and trauma-informed practices. She is the co-founder and leader of  an international network of conflict engagement practitioners and social impact advocates committed to enhancing the capacity of social, environmental, political, and communities impact spaces to engage with conflict creatively and constructively, strengthen democracy and create a more just society.

Thaïs Mazur, PhD—is an international consultant, professor, social scientist, narrative researcher, and author.  She works with communities and organizations on environmental and social justice issues through leading efforts to build cooperative problem solving, facilitate community engagement, and support integrative equity and inclusion. Thaïs has developed and implemented innovative projects, strategic designs, and policies for restorative and collective impact around issues of water rights, climate change, food security, and indigenous and tribal sovereignty. She works on the federal, state, and local level, designing and implementing strategies for a regenerative-living economy, affordable sustainable housing, community health care, clean renewable energy, and ecosystem restoration, blending practices for transformative systems change with local and global resilience.

Current Projects and Partners

Environmental Justice and Public Policy

The Karuna Center is partnering with a number of regional and national stakeholders to facilitate reflective and transformational dialogues with multiple stakeholders, — environmental justice advocates, tribal representatives, local businesses, public policy decision makers — to design and implement collaborative, sustainable climate change efforts. We are also working closely with indigenous communities around issues of environmental justice, climate crises, and health equity in California and the Alaskan Territory.

Resilient Rural Communities 

The Karuna Center is implementing Community Resilience and Engagement dialogues designed to create a critical mass of neighborhood and regional leaders with the capacity to effectively advocate for practices, programs, and policies that strengthen the resilience of communities in Northern California. We are helping to facilitate ongoing convening of key stakeholders and community representatives, build communities of practice, and advocacy supporting multi-sector intersections of all ages and cultures.