Founder &
Chief REImaginelutionary
David W. Robinson-Morris, PhD
David W. Robinson-Morris, PhD is a visionary systems thinker, administrator, educator, author, scholar, and catalyst for institutional transformation. He is the Founder & Chief Reimaginelutionary of The REImaginelution, a strategic consulting and thought partnership firm dedicated to reimagining leadership, organizations, and the world through the power of imagination, equity-centered design, and transformative inquiry. At the heart of his work is a bold premise: that imagination—not power, policy, or profit—is our greatest tool for systemic transformation and collective liberation.
Dr. Robinson-Morris has spent two decades working across higher education, healthcare, philanthropy, and social justice ecosystems, grounding his leadership in the philosophies of Ubuntu and Buddhism, which frame his belief in shared humanity, relational ethics, and deep transformation. He is a national thought leader in educational equity, contemplative education, institutional transformation, and values-aligned systems redesign.
In 2024, Dr. Robinson-Morris was named the inaugural Executive Director of the Institute for Black Intellectual and Cultural Life at Dartmouth College, an interdisciplinary research and convening space advancing the scholarly, aesthetic, and political contributions of the Black diaspora. There, he created and led initiatives that elevate diasporic brilliance and foster a renaissance of Black knowledge, creativity, and culture.
In 2023, he launched The Center for the Human Spirit and Radical Reimagining—a public dream-think tank that activates the social imagination of individuals, organizations, and systems to envision and build new futures. The Center integrates research, critical analysis, equity strategy, healing justice, and contemplative practices to reimagine public policy, practice, and civic life.
Previously, Dr. Robinson-Morris served as Executive Director of The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society (CMind), where he helped usher the field of contemplative education toward a more justice-centered, equity-focused framework. In that role, he led the 31-year-old internationally acclaimed organization through a thoughtful sunset after fulfilling its mission and stewarded its global legacy.
His leadership includes past roles as Regional Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Ochsner Health, Assistant Vice President of Development and Assistant Professor of Education at Xavier University of Louisiana, and Founding Director of The Center for Equity, Justice, and the Human Spirit, which under his leadership raised nearly $2 million for racial equity, public health, and educational justice initiatives, including the Gilead Scholars for Equity and the Black Male Teacher Pipeline Program.
An accomplished academic and contemplative scholar, Dr. Robinson-Morris is the author of the monograph Ubuntu and Buddhism in Higher Education: An Ontological (Re)Thinking (Routledge, 2019) and co-editor of Contemplative Practices and Acts of Resistance in Higher Education: Narratives Toward Wholeness (Routledge, 2025). His work has appeared in Lion’s Roar, peer-reviewed journals, and multiple book chapters on equity, curriculum theory, and public imagination.
As a professor and educator, he has taught doctoral and graduate-level courses at Xavier University of Louisiana, Tulane University, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, and the University of New Orleans in educational leadership, research methodology, and systems change.
David’s public leadership extends far beyond academia. He has served on over 25 local, regional, and national boards, including the New Orleans African American Museum, The Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, Teach for America Greater New Orleans, Invest Louisiana, and The Forum for Equality Foundation, among others. He has also held civic appointments including the Louisiana Climate Initiatives Task Force Equity Advisory Group, the City of New Orleans Street Renaming Commission, and the Human Rights Campaign Louisiana Political Action Committee.
Recognized for his community impact, David has been named a YLC Role Model (2021) and a Gambit 40 Under 40 honoree (2021). He continues to lend his expertise to transformative efforts in philanthropy, education, racial justice, and cultural curation—including serving as guest curator for the 2021–22 Contemporary Arts Center Open Call exhibition Behind Every Beautiful Thing.
Dr. Robinson-Morris holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Research (Curriculum Theory & Higher Ed Administration) and an Educational Specialist Certificate from Louisiana State University; a Master of Public Administration from the University of New Orleans; and a B.A. in Communications (Public Relations) from Loyola University New Orleans.
A proud native of Galveston, Texas, Dr. Robinson-Morris remains steadfast in his mission: to activate the collective imagination in service of building equitable, inclusive, and life-affirming institutions and systems. David resides in New Orleans, Louisiana with his four-legged Golden-doodle son, Coltrane Monk.
A more comprehensive biography may be found at www.drmphd.com.
"I have fallen in love with the imagination. And if you fall in love with the imagination, you understand that it is a free spirit. It will go anywhere, and it can do anything."
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—Alice Walker