CEO, Human Energy
Professor of English, former Dean of Liberal Arts Saint Mary’s College of California
Sheila Hassell Hughes has served as CEO of Human Energy since 2025, subsequent to serving as the organization’s first COO in 2024. Previously, she served on the Human Energy Advisory Board, chaired the organization’s Education Steering Committee, and co-chaired the organization’s 2023 and 2024 N2 Conferences. Sheila is a Professor of English and the former Dean of Liberal Arts at Saint Mary’s College of California. As a scholar, teacher, leader, and writer, her personal and professional mission is to “see, speak, and stitch connections.” Her research has focused on the intersections of Indigenous American women’s literature, gender, and religion, and on holistic, transformative education. She holds a BA (UBC) and MA (University of Toronto) in English and was among the first cohort in the US to earn an interdisciplinary PhD in Women’s Studies (Emory University).
