Who is Aliman?

Aliman Sears, born in 1961 in Detroit, Michigan, graduated from Churchill High School (Livonia, Michigan) in 1979, and worked various entry-level jobs in the late 1970′s and early 1980′s. In 1983 he entered the US Army. Throughout the 1980′s he was a student of the New Age, Human Potential and Self-Help movements. He studied and took various courses in psychology, religion, history, transpersonal psychology, and philosophy. His Army enlistment ended in 1986, and in that same year he had a spiritual awakening when he was initiated into an international spiritual and charitable association called Subud. He has been active in the association for the past 25 years. He took his first social services position in the late 1980′s.

Karinah & Aliman, both very tired, at the National Congress 2006:

In 1996 he earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from California State University, Chico, and in 1999 a master’s in Philosophy (focus on Process Philosophy) from Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium.

Minus a short break to obtain his master’s degree in Europe, he has worked for public and private human services providers on the US mainland and in Hawaii for the past 22 years. He has worked with various populations: the physically handicapped, under-privileged children, the Developmentally Disabled, and the Mentally Ill, as well as Substance Abuse and dually-diagnosed populations. He has held positions from direct service provision to statewide program implementation and management.

Since 2000 he has been a member of the Adjunct Teaching Faculties of TransPacific Hawaii College and Chaminade University in Honolulu, where he teaches Philosophy, Ethics, and Critical Thinking in the Bachelor’s degree programs.

In 2004 he was amongst the first candidates ever in Hawaii to receive the CPRP (Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner) awarded by USPRA (the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association), and was active in HIPRA (the Hawaii branch of that organization). His earlier study in the Human Potential and Self-Help movements prepared the ground for him to have keen insight into the Recovery Model as it relates to persons diagnosed with Mental Illness. For this reason, and for his work in placing the mentally ill in jobs, he is also recognized as an expert in the arena of Supported Employment for the mentally ill.

2000 to 2006 he ran the largest ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) teams in the history of the state of Hawaii, for the private non-profit Helping Hands Hawaii, and managed a statewide Supported Employment Program for the mentally ill for Steadfast Housing Development Corporation, both under contracts with the Hawaii Adult Mental Health Division.

He is currently co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Community Empowerment Services, in Honolulu, a private not-for-profit which provides case management and psychosocial rehabilitation services to the mentally ill homeless population on Oahu. Community Empowerment Services is becoming a major service provider for the mentally ill in Hawaii.

The Interfaith Blessing of CES, July 2007 (Link to Article in Honolulu Star Bulletin)

QUICK HISTORY OF ALIMAN:

 1961: Born in Detroit, MI
1979: Graduated from Churchill High, Livonia, MI
1979-81: Attended Eastern MI University, Ypsilanti
1981-1984: Worked various entry level jobs in MI
1984-1987: US Army Infantry, Ft. Riley, KS
1986: Opened in Subud
1987: Army enlistment ended
1987: Changed name to Aliman
1987-1989: Natural Beef Farms, Washington, D.C. (marketing/inventory organic foods)
1989: Toured in Sydney, Australia and Jakarta, Indonesia
1989: Moved to Monterey, CA
1989: First Social Work job (worked with children at Salvation Army)
1989-2007: Social work positions in various areas with various populations
1990: Went back to college at Monterey Peninsula College, CA
1992: AA degree
1992: Karinah and Aliman married at Chico, CA
1995: BA degree, Philosophy, Chico State University, CA
1999: Master’s degree in Philosophy from KUL in Belgium
1999: Moved to Honolulu, Hawaii
2000: Began teaching in Bachelor’s degree program at Chaminade University
2000-2003: Team Leader of a Psychiatric social work team transitioning mental health patients from state psychiatric hospital into the community (Assertive Community Treatment model)
2003-2007: Statewide Program manager for Steadfast Supported Employment Program
2007: Started Community Empowerment Services

2006-2008: National Vice Chairperson Subud USA