Founder- Experience

Jon Rubenstein, Immanent Leadership’s founder, has coached executive directors, developed community engagement strategies and consulted on complex, large-scale initiatives for over 21 years—reflecting his passion for supporting transformative change within individuals and communities.

Jon’s innovative coaching approach has supported the transformation of many leaders and organizations. These include supporting:

  • The executive director of PICO California in his leadership role as the head of a network of 19 local PICO affiliates across California.
  • The Executive Director and top management staff of Team Works Cooperative Network in building a transformative leadership culture as an essential component of their nationally-recognized network of worker-owned businesses.
  • Staff organizers of San Jose’s People Acting in Community Together (PACT) in becoming more effective leaders in their work, which gives everyday San Jose residents a powerful voice for change on the issues critical to them.
  • Church leaders of Westminster Presbyterian in Tiburon, CA, in establishing a personal faith development process to encourage expression of faith values through leadership roles in congregations.

Jon-ExperienceJon’s approach to coaching and constituency building is influenced by over ten years of combined community organizing experience with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) and the West End Community Center, where he led community- and faith-based organizing efforts in multi-ethnic communities in North Carolina and Texas. As an organizer with Communities Organized for Public Services (COPS) and the Metro Alliance (San Antonio’s local IAF affiliates), he helped these organizations secure $2 million in annual funding from the city government to support a citywide after-school initiative for 28,000 students in 161 schools. At The Metropolitan Organization (TMO)—Houston’s IAF affiliate—he led an expansion effort, which doubled the organization’s membership base and tripled its membership dues base. This expanded constituency organized forums attended by as many as 2,500 local leaders.

Jon has also consulted on large-scale multi-stakeholder initiatives across the country. In Lakewood, CO, he assisted with a year-long strategic planning process that included the major political, business, and civic leaders in the city.  In California, Jon supported the California Institute of Mental Health’s leadership training for diverse groups of leaders from all 63 California counties, who were implementing strategic plans in accordance with the California Mental Health Services Act.

Jon is a graduate of Duke University and holds an MA in Philosophy & Religion from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He is also certified in Internal Family Systems and Integral Coaching through New Ventures West, and has spent over 10 years studying the personal development teachings of the Diamond Approach.