Betty Ray
Founder of the Center for Ritual Design
A 2020 Mira Fellow, Betty Ray is the founder of the Center for Ritual Design where she works with individuals, communities, and organizations to facilitate meaningful self-designed rituals for major transitions. She has developed a series of evidence-based models that use human-centered design to help young people navigate through an uncertain future, including a contemporary rite of passage program for youth between the ages of 13-25. Previously, she spent the better part of a decade heading up editorial and community initiatives at Edutopia.
A sought-after speaker, Ray leads workshops and presentations and has shared her ideas on ritual design and DIY culture at Design-ED, Learning and the Brain, World Maker Faire, The Hero Round Table, ASCD, and ISTE. She has published articles on Edutopia and the Greater Good Science Center. She has a Masters in Psychology in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and lives in Oakland, CA with her husband, tween daughter, and four cats.