REV. MICHAEL BERNARD LATTIMORE, MA

 

Please meet our Spiritual Director/Senior Minister, Rev. Michael Bernard Lattimore, MA!

​

A Heart-Centered Leader Who Walks His Talk

​

Rev. Michael holds a degree in Spiritual Psychology and has devoted 26 years of sacred service to the Ahiah Community. A lifelong student of world religions and a former Catholic altar boy once destined for the seminary, he has walked with the Sufis, practiced Islam, and chosen Buddhism as his life path since the 1980s. He draws on this rich, diverse spiritual experience as the foundation for his wisdom talks, classes, experientials, and ceremonies. Known for his empathy, compassion, and kindness, Rev. Michael is a heart-centered leader who lives these values in service to our community and to the incarcerated of California's prisons.

​

Proven Leadership Skills

​

As a former diversity trainer for one of the world's largest utilities, Rev. Michael developed the resilience and heart needed to serve our diverse Ahiah Community. He is well-versed in organizational change, having spent years in the corporate world as a cybersecurity awareness evangelist, driving culture change for 25,000 employees and contractors at Southern California Edison.

With a wide range of technical, interpersonal, and emotional intelligence skills, Rev. Michael is, by nature, a "wounded healer." He celebrates 39 years of long-term recovery and has supported 12-step programs throughout the nation. As he says, "My wound is my gift to the world." Rev. Michael's business background brings a wealth of experience that will serve Ahiah well. His multifaceted career spans corporate management, game show contestant coordination, casting, public speaking, and cybersecurity and leadership consulting. Highlights include:

• Managing an enterprise-wide organizational culture transformation for a company of 25,000

• Co-founding the International Association of Security Awareness Professionals, training Fortune 100 companies in cybersecurity best practices worldwide

• Serving 30 years on numerous Pasadena and national nonprofit boards, leading strategic planning and finance committees

• Facilitating cybersecurity awareness training and career coaching for hundreds of students and candidates

• Facilitating Diversity@SCE training for thousands of SCE employees over more than 10 years

• Facilitating compassionate experiential education as a volunteer in California prisons since 2009

Rev. Michael graduated from Agape's University of Transformational Leadership in 2008 with a dual bachelor's degree in religious studies and Ministerial Studies. He earned his MA in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica in 2009. He is also a certified Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and an Associate Certified Coach (ICF) with Heart Based Coaching, based in the Philippines. Rev. Michael maintains social service ministries in Guinea-Bissau, home of his Balanta ancestors, where he installs solar lights in villages, supports sustainable farming projects, and sponsors youth education initiatives.

​

In 2023, he co-founded the People Segment of LivingCities.earth, (LCE) a global leadership organization helping people worldwide learn to "human well" together. The LCE network is an agent of our planet's essential cultural evolution, helping leaders around the world discover how to create this shift most effectively at a planetary scale. Sacred Service is the guiding theme of Rev. Michael's ministry. As he puts it, "We are each other's medicine." Rev. Michael affirms that his secret to heart-centered living is loving God in the form of each person he meets. He is also a former foster parent, father, grandfather, loving husband, and living ancestor to his community. His favorite scripture, from the Sanskrit, reads:

"One single human being, awakened to the reality of their own life, will create a similar awakening in another human being."