GREG WHITT

TEACHING ARTIST, TEAM BUILDER, & WELLNESS FACILITATOR

GREG WHITT facilitates workshops and retreats designed to connect people to one another and to the world around them. He’s interested in ontological design: creating a culture that in turn creates us. He studied holistic lifestyle practices in graduate school, with a focus on wisdom traditions to benefit modern society. This supporst his work leading interactive and experiential education programs for others.

Greg is an award-winning teaching artist and edutainer. He has received four competitive professional development grants from the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County. In 2011 he studied folkloric music in Cuba. In 2015 he again traveled to the Caribbean, this time to study Garifuna drumming in Belize. In 2018 Greg received funding to purchase specialized instruments to meet the ever-growing need for wellness drumming in healthcare settings. In 2022, he wrote a collection of essays to share accessible music-based wellness practices for these crazy times.

Greg grew up in rural Orange County, near Hillsborough, North Carolina. In his youth, he was active as a scouter and member of Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity where he developed strong values of selfless service to others. He earned two A.A.S. degrees from the Community College of the Air Force, a B.A. in Communication from NC State University, and a graduate certificate in Transformative Leadership & Social Change from the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Greg was a non-commissioned officer the US Air Force, where he served eight years as both police officer and paralegal. He worked ten more in higher education at NC State University. He began leading facilitated interactive rhythm experiences in 2002 and founded the still-strong Raleigh Drum Circle community group then. Greg launched Drum for Change as a full-time business in 2009.

Since 2004 Greg has been affiliated with the Drum Circle Facilitators Guild, an international membership association committed to professionalism in the industry. During those years he served as their Treasurer, President, and Executive Director and is presently on their advisory board. Greg joined the North Carolina Storytelling Guild in 2021 and currently serves on their board of directors. He tells a mix of folk stories and travel adventures to convey life lessons from people far and wide. In 2022, Greg was nominated by the mayor and appointed by city council to the City of Raleigh Arts Commission.

Through this diverse background in leadership and service, Greg’s programs use music as the metaphor for life in rhythm and harmony. Fusing positive psychology, applied philosophy, and folk wisdom, his programs highlight common values that serve as positive examples for healthy, happy, and productive living. His real work is to share and strengthen the understanding and practice of these timeless principles.  

Greg digs hammocks, thrift shops, mid-century modern design, stand up paddle boarding, Vespa scooters, vintage hi-fi, iPhone photography, and great stories. He enjoys travel for cultural understanding.  Greg loves global cuisine and great coffee.  When he's really still and quiet, he sometimes manages to write interesting narratives and a bit of poetry. Through a partnership with PeopleFirst Tourism (a sustainable venture between NC State University’s graduate program in tourism and the Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau), Greg leads downtown tours focused on the city’s coffee culture.

Greg's happy place is near the sea, surrounded by great music, his sweetheart Annelies nearby, and a tasty beverage in hand.