Denise Rushing

"Give me a lever long enough and a
fulcrum on which to place it
and I can move the world.”

- Archimedes

Denise Rushing

Author - Speaker - Entrepreneur

Even at a young age, as she transplanted pumpkin seedlings into her Grandfather’s garden, collected rocks, and observed tree frogs in the woods behind her home, Denise Rushing found the planet's ecosystems enchanting. She devoted her early career to environmental stewardship through science and technology--earning a degree in environmental engineering from Stanford University and furthering clean technology through her pioneering work in the energy industry including the launch of award winning energy efficiency and technology initiatives adopted by utilities around the world.

Business success notwithstanding, she recognized that humanity’s relationship with Earth’s living systems requires a deeper response. After earning her Masters Degree in Culture and Spirituality, she co-founded Rockhaven Ecozoic Center, where she developed an ecologically-inspired approach to transforming human systems that she later documented in her bestselling book: Tending the Soul's Garden: Permaculture as a Way Forward in Difficult Times.

In 2006, she was elected to public office in her local community and served two terms, where she was best known for her environmental advocacy and community revitalization efforts. In this role she was recently named Women of the Year in the third Congressional District and led her county to two State environmental leadership awards, and one of the largest public solar energy installations in the western United States.