Marv Thomass roots run deep in the strong farm family values of hard work and mutual support that were the backbone of his upbringing in the Pacific Northwest. Originally trained as an auto mechanic he started his early career building racing cars, became a skilled metal worker and eventually worked as a carpenter. At college he received a degree in Engineering after which he worked in the aerospace industry as a part of the team that sent the men to the moon. In 1966 Thomas earned a degree in Social Work and began practicing as a psychotherapist, group leader, organizational consultant, educator and personal growth trainer. In his nearly four decades in practice, Thomas noticed that many… of the people who came to him probably would not need therapy if they had been connected with a strong personal circle of supportive people. It was this revelation that led him to focus his attention on the challenges of helping people create personal communities as a means of leading a more productive and fulfilling life. In addition to his commitment to psychological research and practice, Thomas has studied history, sociology, religion, philosophy, social psychology, and urban design. By l980 he had coalesced all these interests into the development of a practical working model for community. Since that time he has been at the forefront of community and communal studies, writing about, lecturing and presenting workshops on the enhancement of what he calls the Personal Village. Marv is well known as a teacher, lecturer, psychotherapist and group dynamics trainer. He can be serious, funny, engaging and is ever committed to leading his students to a deep understanding of how to be fully alive. Marv lives in Seattle with his wife of 43 years and has two grown sons.