:Title: Sometimes "Legitimate" seems a little over the top... :Author: Arthur Brock (CCAL30) :Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 01:37:06 PDT :URL: http://www.omidyar.net/user/u250717916/news/1/ I feel quite comfortable talking about ideas. I'm even quite comforatable sharing intimate and personal information about myself. But for some reason I'm not nearly as comfortable talking about myself to purposely impress. To appease a committee reviewing a proposal of mine to speak on the topic of Targeted Currencies at an Economic Development Conference, I recently struggled to write a personal profile which makes me sound very professional and "legitimate." It was a slow and bothersome process that I hope I don't have to repeat in the near future. But now that I've done it and somewhat embraced it, it seems appropriate to make it available to people who are trying to find out who I am, what I'm doing and understand the connections of all of it... So I'm posting it here. -------------------------------------------------------- Arthur C. Brock - Career Highlights ------------------------------------ After he designed an interdisciplinary degree in Artificial Intelligence at Michigan State University, Brock began his career in the corporate world with General Motors in their Advanced Engineering Systems area working in Artificial Intelligence. In this department he tutored colleagues in linguistics, established the research library for that department, and designed their criteria for Natural Language Processing software evaluation and processes. He went on to work with Chrysler in Expert Systems and later brought his technical experience to Hughes Aircraft in Colorado. Seeking to break out of the bounds of corporate culture, Brock started his first business, Artful Solutions. This computer consulting and software design firm developed custom financial software for investment companies and process management tools for small businesses. However, his passion for design did not stop at software or business processes; during this time Brock also invented a highly-efficient, multi-fuel turbine engine, fluid dynamic drag brake and an ergonomic multi-position chair. He also put his hand to graphic design and layout in publishing (and sometimes writing for) the Journal for Integral Living serving the growing holistic health community in Michigan. Brock’s ongoing involvement with youth, through the local youth group he ran, began to draw his interests toward education and community. For Landmark Education he served on a local advisory board, as well as their national technology committee and their operations redesign committee. He co-founded the Foundation for Inventive Learning which sponsored educational programs for youth as immersive learning communities where the students designed their own studies as well as participated in managing the real-world affairs of the community. The Foundation also sponsored a whole school which operates on this model – the Alpine Valley School, which inspired Brock’s move to Colorado to get it off the ground. Brock became intrigued by the possibility of applying this model of a “learning community” to the realm of business and gathered together key people with whom he wanted to create and work – his “dream team.” They founded Dream Team Technologies as the flagship organization to demonstrate the viability of this participatory business model. Later they established Dream Team Enterprises as an umbrella to foster a network of such award-winning organizations. His experience in business along with exposure to emerging ideas in economic development led him to seek new ways of overcoming the persistent financial limitations and constraints which seem to plague entrepreneurs, non-profits and community builders. Brock began to design innovative “currency” solutions to stimulate the flow of resources in businesses and communities. His newest addition to the Dream Team business family, Targeted Currencies Network, has developed the flowSpace™ process to identify key success factors in implementing currency solutions. Soon TCN will be launching a configurable technical infrastructure to support businesses and community leaders in the efficient launch and management of these systems for unlocking the latent wealth in our organizations and communities.