(from official bio): Sir Ken Robinson, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in the
development of education, creativity and innovation. He is also one of
the world’s leading speakers with a profound impact on audiences
everywhere. The videos of his famous 2006 and 2010 talks to the
prestigious TED Conference have been seen by an estimated 200 million
people in over 150 countries.
He works with governments in Europe, Asia and the USA, with
international agencies, Fortune 500 companies and some of the world’s
leading cultural organizations. In 1998, he led a national commission on
creativity, education and the economy for the UK Government. All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education (The
Robinson Report) was published to wide acclaim in 1999. He was the
central figure in developing a strategy for creative and economic
development as part of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, working
with the ministers for training, education enterprise and culture. The
resulting blueprint for change, Unlocking Creativity, was
adopted by politicians of all parties and by business, education and
cultural leaders across the Province. He was one of four international
advisors to the Singapore Government for its strategy to become the
creative hub of South East Asia.
For twelve years, he was professor of education at the University of
Warwick in the UK and is now professor emeritus. He has received
honorary degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design, Ringling
College of Arts and Design, the Open University and the Central School
of Speech and Drama, Birmingham City University and the Liverpool
Institute for Performing Arts. He was been honored with the Athena Award
of the Rhode Island School of Design for services to the arts and
education; the Peabody Medal for contributions to the arts and culture
in the United States, the LEGO Prize for international achievement in
education, and the Benjamin Franklin Medal of the Royal Society of Arts
for outstanding contributions to cultural relations between the United
Kingdom and the United States. In 2005, he was named as one of Time/Fortune/CNN’s
‘Principal Voices’. In 2003, he received a knighthood from Queen
Elizabeth II for his services to the arts. He speaks to audiences
throughout the world on the creative challenges facing business and
education in the new global economies.
His book The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything (Penguin/Viking 2009) is a New York Times best seller and has been translated into twenty-one languages. His latest book is a 10th anniversary edition of his classic work on creativity and innovation, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative
(Capstone/Wiley). Sir Ken was born in Liverpool, UK, as one of seven
children. He is married to Therese (Lady) Robinson. They have two
children, James and Kate, and now live in Los Angeles, California.