Thomas A. Potterfield

Dr. Thomas A. Potterfield is President and C.E.O. of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA. Dr. Potterfield earned a Ph.D. in psychology with distinction from Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center. His scholarship interests include Critical Theory, Socially Engaged Spirituality, Leadership, and Empowerment. Before joining ITP, he taught at Southern New Hampshire University in its Department of Organizational Leadership. Prior to that, Dr. Potterfield had a 13-year career at Velcro USA, Inc. He rose through the ranks at Velcro and eventually became its president. He has applied transpersonal values throughout his corporate career and in his diverse leadership roles.

Dr. Potterfield is the author of “The Business of Employee Empowerment: Democracy and Ideology in the Workplace” (Quorum Books, 1999) and several articles on leadership and management.

Dr. Potterfield earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Saybrook Graduate School and an M.A. in counseling from Seton Hall University. He and his wife, Donna, support a number of charities, including ITP, the Zambian Children’s Fund, an orphanage and school for AIDS orphans in Zambia, and the St. Michael’s Guatemala Project, an organization serving the needs of displaced Mayan populations in Guatemala. He has also served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations.