Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Javier is an international educator, entrepreneur, developer of critical thinking methodologies and climate activist. With a Bachelor's degree from Harvard College in Government and Philosophy, a diploma from the Johns Hopkins University Bologna Center, and an MBA from Stanford University, he developed a first career in international business. He was a consultant for McKinsey and Company and the Boston Consulting Group. He was then International Product Manager, Latin American Marketing Manager, and Senior Manager of Corporate Development and Strategic Investments for Apple Computer, based first in Cupertino and then in Paris, France. He subsequently founded and managed a Paris-based educational new media company, Hérisson, Fox & Co., and did educational strategy consulting for clients including Oracle's and Cisco's educational divisions in California. In 2001 he became a full-time teacher, and taught International Baccalaureate History, Global Politics, and Theory of Knowledge at Wilmington Friends School, one of the ten oldest schools in the USA, from 2002 to 2022. During 2018-19, he visited IB schools in eight European countries and Ghana, exploring best practices in integrating TOK into the school curriculum. Javier was selected as the 2018 History Teacher of the Year for Delaware by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. He was also chosen as one of Delaware's Top Teachers of 2022 by Delaware Today. Now based in Berlin, Javier writes Light Not Heat, a Substack newsletter that cuts through the noise of the "polycrisis" — the web of interlinked global crises unfolding simultaneously — to help readers understand, plan, and act. Drawing on backgrounds in philosophy, history, strategy, and education across three continents, he is passionate about furthering our public discussion with the clear, integrative thinking needed for all of us to become effective "changemakers". He has been Changemaker Leader at Sustainability Education since 2023.
Supported students and student groups in diverse initiatives to address the multiple crises facing the world, with an eventual primary focus on climate change. Provided them with a broad array of tools, perspectives, information, conceptual frameworks, methodologies, skill trainings and personal encouragement. Student accomplishments included a multiple-school march to a nearby partner school for climate teach-in which attracted 80% of the school, a similarly successful drive to collect individual student commitments to support a climate emergency, a multi-school competition to stimulate individual climate accomplishments, numerous informational an consciousness-raising events, and support for the school’s high-achieving Eco-Team in its campaign to progress within the National Wildlife Federation Eco-Schools program. Over two decades, developed a highly successful set of techniques to carry out hard-hitting but mutually respectful debates about controversial social and political issues, organized and carried out by students, during the lunch period, which regularly attracted the entirely voluntary attendance of half the school.
Taught Topics in World History, History of Europe and the Mediterranean, History of the Americas, and Global Politics, all courses in the International Baccalaureate curriculum. Also Theory of Knowledge, the capstone course in the IB Diploma Program, a course to relate and unify the learning that occurs in the other school disciplines, and in other walks of life. Member of Stewardship Committee.
Taught the regular U.S. History to 11th and 12th graders. Also taught Western Civilization, to the accelerated section of 10th graders.
Co-taught in the Contemporary World History Project, a multischool international negotiations simulation targeting at-risk schools, carried on primarily over the Internet.
Company based in Silicon Valley and Guadalajara, Mexico, providing surplus asset liquidation services. Attracted investment of Compaq Computer, and strategic backing from UPS, Banamex, and Terra. Customers included Compaq, Cemex and El Camino Resources.
Carried out development and planning projects for companies active in adult and interactive learning: - For Oracle Education, advised on the development of the 1999 divisional plan and several new educational product lines, including a web-based training service “Oracle Learning Service”, an Internet-focused curriculum and an integrated training program. - For Cisco Worldwide Learning, advised on the development and marketing of its company-wide Internet-based online learning infrastructure and services, the Cisco Learning Network - For the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, developed a business plan which was the basis for its long-term funding - For Cubico, acted as provisional CEO during the planning of this Internet-based services and community site for U.S. Latino youths