Pioneering New Technology and Web 2.0

At The FutureWork Institute since 2003, Bill has helped to pioneer new consulting and educational strategies in the emerging technologies of Virtual Reality and Web 2.0. He has pioneered the concept of Photo-Realism in Second Life, building reproductions of historic and real-world sites in the Virtual Metaverse, and has created interactive training modalities in the Virtual World and “Green Training,” conducted solely within the new electronic media. He leads CNDG, The FutureWork Institute’s collaboration partner in creating virtual environments for the increasing numbers of large clients who seek to move efforts in training, learning and collaboration on to a more immersive three-dimensional platform.

Developing Creative Approaches to Education

Throughout his career, Bill has been interested in issues surrounding access to information and creative approaches to education. He was one of the original developers of the Peace Curriculum pioneered at Swarthmore College in the 1970s, and in 1971 he brought the Swarthmore team to UCLA where he was Chair of the UCLA Center for the Study of Nonviolence. While a graduate student at UCLA, he founded and directed the Intra-Personal Communications Center in Los Angeles, which was one of the first consulting firms to train educational institutions in the implementation of peer group counseling for students and faculty.

He continued his interest in consensual peacemaking as a member of the board of directors of the Camphill Foundation of America, the Camphill Association of America, and Camphill Village USA, where he pursued the study and application of the principles of consensus building as a means of decision making in organizations.

In 1996, he assumed the position of Associate Professor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and Director of the Graduate Program in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY. He pioneered the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture into the basic service provision of Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester, where he served as Chief of Service for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for three years.

In 2001, he retired from Mercy College and continued his activities in integrating traditional Chinese thought into the normative curriculum as Adjunct Associate Professor of Asian Studies at The City College of the City University of New York.

He was also Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Columbia University Teachers College, where he taught graduate students the relationship of traditional Chinese medicine to our psychological and physiologic understanding of emotion.

Integrating Diverse Voices in Healthcare

Bill has spent much of his career working to integrate diverse voices in health care towards the development of a new and complementary health care model for the US. He has been a pioneer in consensus building within health care and educational institutions and has led diverse work-teams towards consensus through a variety of models. At The FutureWork Institute he has worked to help develop visionary plans for companies interested in the future of health care as well as developing consensus building governance models for organizations throughout his field.

Bill received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in psychology from UCLA. He received a Doctor of Acupuncture from the Institute for Taoist Studies, a diploma in acupuncture from the Hong Kong Acupuncture College and a Doctor of Oriental Medicine (OMD) from the California Acupuncture College.

Bill was the first American licensed acupuncturist. He is one of the original diplomates of the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists, is a Diplomate in Chinese Herbs of the NCCAOM, and Chairman-Emeritus of the Acupuncture Society of New York (ASNY). He served as President of the National Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and was also the founding Chair of Oxford Health Plans Acupuncture Advisory Board, helping to design the Alternative Medicine Program at Oxford Health Plans.

In 2006, the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine honored Bill as a “Founder of the Profession.”

Business Executive

After moving to New York City, Bill continued to work towards recognition and licensure for acupuncture and oriental medicine. During that time, he also served as president of Harry Gitlin, Inc., a well-known lighting design and manufacturing company in New York City. In this capacity, he was the Chair of the Small Business Council of the New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he worked to add numerous programs in consensual and participatory management to the educational offerings of the Chamber. This included programs in quality circles and continuous improvement, skills honed by his helping to organize and participate in a fact-finding mission to Japan to study these processes. The New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry awarded him the Small Businessman of the Year Award in 1980 and the David Benetar Award for Leadership in Small Business in 1981. He also served as a member of the board of birectors of the New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry for two years.

Today at The FutureWork Institute, Bill serves as an example of a “career blender” as he uses his skills and experience in technology, business management, education and healthcare to help clients succeed in the current and future workplace and marketplace.