Brian Henning

Background

About Brian Henning

I am Professor of Philosophy and of Environmental Studies & Sciences at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington where I serve as Founding Director of the Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment. I was born in Twin Falls, Idaho and was raised in Boise, Idaho, where I graduated from Boise High School. I received my B.A. summa cum laude from Seattle University and my M.A, M.Phil, and Ph.D. in philosophy from Fordham University in New York City. Philosophically, I am interested in the intersection of metaphysics, aesthetics, and ethics. At this rich crossroad I find inspiration from the 20th century's most important systematic philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947). I work to advance the study of his philosophy of organism as Executive Director of the Whitehead Research Project, Founding Executive Editor of the Edinburgh Critical Edition of the Complete Works of Alfred North Whitehead, and Founding Co-Editor of Contemporary Whitehead Studies book series. I have authored or edited 14 books and more than 35 articles, including the award winning book The Ethics of Creativity: Beauty, Morality, and Nature in a Processive Cosmos. I have had the pleasure of delivering more than 190 talks to both general and academic audiences in North America, Europe, and Asia. My service to the community focuses primarily on climate change. I helped found and lead the Gonzaga Advisory Council on Stewardship and Sustainability (2008-2015). From 2015-2020 I served as Gonzaga's Inaugural Faculty Fellow for Sustainability, focusing on the creation of a sustainability across the curriculum initiative called the Cataldo Project. Since 2015, I have served as the faculty mentor to the student-led campaign for fossil fuel divestment at Gonzaga University. In 2017, I helped to found 350 Spokane, a local branch of the international grassroots climate action group 350.org and served as Co-Chair from 2017-2020. I am a founding member (since 2019) of the Spokane Climate Project and also of the Spokane City Council Sustainability Action Subcommittee (2019-2024). In 2025, I was appointed by Spokane City Council to the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board, which I currently Chair. Since 2021, I have served as Founder and Director of the Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment.