Margaret Paloma Pavel
Margaret Paloma Pavel (1951–) is a psychologist, educator, and author. She is the Founder and President of Earth House Center, and co-founder and co-director with Carl C. Anthony of Breakthrough Communities. She also served as Director of Strategic Communications for the Sustainable Metropolitan Communities Initiative at the Ford Foundation.
Dr. Pavel holds degrees from the London School of Economics and Harvard University. Her book, Breakthrough Communities: Sustainability and Justice in the Next American Metropolis (MIT Press, 2009) is nationally recognized. She is the co-author of Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty (New Village Press, 2016). The 30th Anniversary Edition of Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty (New Village Press, 2024) contains the late peacemaker Desmond Tutu’s foreword as well as Mayumi Oda’s full-color illustrations.
Dr. Pavel continues to write, speak, consult, and organize on behalf of these issues. Her research today centers on biological web models for organizational development and restoring sustainable communities. She lives in Oakland, California.