Rebecca D. Costa

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Rebecca D. Costa
BornRebecca Dazai Costa
(1955-04-11)April 11, 1955
San Mateo, California, United States
OccupationSociobiologist, Futurist, Author
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Website
www.rebeccacosta.com

Rebecca Dazai Costa (born April 11, 1955) is an American sociobiologist,[1] futurist,[2][3] and author.[4] She is expert in the field of fast adaptation.[4] Costa is widely known for her controversial book, The Watchman's Rattle, which offers an evolutionary explanation for modern problems such as government gridlock, terrorism, addiction, a decline in education, etc. National Public Radio's EarthSky said, "Rebecca Costa is a sociobiologist who spots and explains emerging trends in relationship to human evolution, global markets, and new technologies."[5] Her work has been featured in The New York Times,[6] USA Today,[7] Washington Post,[8] and Larry King Live,.[9] Costa is the recipient of the Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Award.[10]

The Watchman's Rattle[edit]

On October 12, 2010, Vanguard Press, a division of Perseus Books Group, Inc., published Costa's book: The Watchman's Rattle.[11] Acclaimed Harvard University naturalist, Edward O. Wilson, contributed the foreword to the book.[12] The Watchman's Rattle received critical acclaim from Richard Branson,[13][14] Dr. James Watson,[14] Donald Trump,[14] Bill Bradley,[14] and others.[15] The book earned a "Highly Recommend" by the New York Journal of Books,[16] and The New York Times speculated whether Costa would be "Oprah's Next Star."[6] Media Partner of ABC Television Group, GreenRightNow.com recognized The Watchman's Rattle as one of the best "green" books of 2010.[17] Bart Alexander, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer for Molson Coors, said that The Watchman's Rattle "is a wakeup call book about what political, economic, and social challenges the world may be facing."[18] Inc. Magazine said The Watchman's Rattle is "a fascinating study on how the brain works and how, in the face of complex challenges, our society can survive despite our intelligence being outpaced by our problems."[19] The book was distributed in 20 countries. In November 2012, the paperback edition of The Watchman's Rattle was released by Perseus Books Group, Inc.[20]

Costa is represented by the Scott Meredith Literary Agency in New York City.[21]

On the Verge[edit]

On September 6, 2017, Costa's book On the Verge was published by RosettaBooks.[22] The book examines the role predictive analytics and human foresight play in "pre-dapting" to future events. The book received critical reviews from Jim Lehrer,[23][24] Alan Dershowitz,[23][24] Senate Majority Leader, George Mitchell,[24] John Sculley,[23][24] Christine Todd Whitman,[24] Tom Daschle,[24] Craig Newmark,[24] Governor Bill Richardson,[24] and others.

The Costa Report[edit]

The success of The Watchman's Rattle led to a nationally syndicated weekly radio news program called The Costa Report in 2011. The program was praised for its nonpartisan coverage. Newsmakers ranging from Vice President Walter Mondale [25] and theoretical physicist Michio Kaku,[26] to former Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta,[27] Bob Woodward,[28] George Schultz,[29] and Steve Forbes [30] appeared as guests on The Costa Report. The program was syndicated by the Genesis Communications Network (GCN)[31] and VoiceAmerica.[32] The final episode of The Costa Report aired January 4, 2018.[33]

Television[edit]

In 2011, Costa agreed to host an internet television program on the emPOWERmetv Network.[34] The program was titled Countermeasures, with host Rebecca Costa, and was loosely based on The Costa Report radio show. Following an 8-episode pilot, Costa was offered a contract for a full season, but declined stating "The time needed to research, write, and oversee a weekly television program is more than my schedule can accommodate."

Public speaking[edit]

In 2012, Costa joined the American Program Bureau (APB).[35] She is a popular public speaker at business, healthcare, education, government and technology conferences. Executive Director of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security said "Rebecca Costa blew us away with her socio-biological explanation of how our complex environment drives humans into gridlock and indecision. She artfully connects the dots from genetics to complexity to evolution to gridlock."[36] Executive Vice President of Abbott Laboratories, John Landgraf said, "(Costa) really made me stop and think about our business in a different light."[36] Costa has been a speaker at Dole Food Company, IBM, Walmart, NASCIO, Abbott Laboratories, Big Data Alliance, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Tableau Software, National Retail Federation, G20 Summit, North American Spine Society, Colorado Health Symposium, etc.[37]

Personal life[edit]

Rebecca Costa lives on the coast of the Pacific Northwest. She has two children by marriage. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the Boys and Girls Club, American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Costa, Rebecca (12 November 2010). "Sociobiologist Rebecca Costa". PBS (Interview). Interviewed by Tavis Smiley. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. ^ Kadlec, Dan (4 October 2011). "Can Entrepreneurs, Stuck On An Island for a Few Days, Solve the World's Biggest Problems?". TIME. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  3. ^ "Rebecca Costa biography". Rebecca D. Costa. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b Perseus (12 October 2010). The Watchman's Rattle: Thinking Our Way Out of Extinction: Rebecca Costa. Hachette Books. ISBN 978-1593156053.
  5. ^ "Rebecca Costa on EarthSky". EarthSky. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  6. ^ a b Rosenbloom, Stephanie (12 November 2010). "Who Will Be Oprah's Last Star?". New York Times. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  7. ^ Costa, Rebecca (29 January 2013). "Losing the will to live". USA Today. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  8. ^ Costa, Rebecca (14 December 2012). "A fiscal cliffhanger? Of course, it's in our nature". Washington Post. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  9. ^ Costa, Rebecca (19 October 2010). "An Oppositional Society". Larry King Live. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Ten pioneers in technology, biodiversity to receive Stibitz, Wilson awards Oct. 1". Montana State University. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  11. ^ Costa, Rebecca (12 October 2010). The Watchman's Rattle: Thinking Our Way Out of Extinction. Perseus Books Group. ISBN 978-1-59315-605-3.
  12. ^ Costa, Rebecca D. (13 November 2012). Foreword by Edward O. Wilson. Hachette Books. ISBN 9781593156862. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  13. ^ "Richard Branson Likes Costa's Book". GoGoMix. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  14. ^ a b c d "Praise for the Watchman's Rattle". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  15. ^ Kaplan, Isabel (19 October 2010). "Portrait of an Artist: Rebecca D. Costa". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  16. ^ Spieler, Geri (12 October 2010). "The Watchman's Rattle: Thinking Our Way Out of Extinction". New York Journal of Books. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  17. ^ "The Watchman's Rattle Named One of Best "Green" Books Of 2010". 9 January 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  18. ^ "10Q: Brewing Well by Brewing Good". Bloomberg. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  19. ^ "Review: The Watchman's Rattle". Inc. Magazine. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  20. ^ Costa, Rebecca D. (13 November 2012). The Watchman's Rattle: A Radical New Theory of Collapse: Rebecca Costa. Hachette Books. ISBN 978-1593156862.
  21. ^ "Clients - Rebecca Costa". The Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  22. ^ "RosettaBooks to release On the Verge by Rebecca D. Costa". RosettaBooks (Press release). 12 July 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  23. ^ a b c Costa, Rebecca D. (6 September 2017). On the Verge: Rebecca Costa. RosettaBooks. ISBN 978-0795350573.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h Costa, Rebecca D. (6 September 2017). Praise for On the Verge. RosettaBooks. ISBN 978-0795350573. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  25. ^ "Walter Mondale interview on The Costa Report". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  26. ^ "Michio Kaku interview on The Costa Report". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  27. ^ "Leon Panetta interview on The Costa Report". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  28. ^ "Bob Woodward interview on The Costa Report". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  29. ^ "George Schultz interview on The Costa Report". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  30. ^ "Steve Forbes interview on The Costa Report". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  31. ^ "The Costa Report". Genesis Communications Network. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  32. ^ "The Costa Report". VoiceAmerica. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  33. ^ "The Costa Report". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  34. ^ "Countermeasures". emPOWERme.tv. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  35. ^ "Rebecca Costa, Sociobiologist & Author of The Watchman's Rattle". American Program Bureau. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  36. ^ a b "Rebecca Costa: Public Speaking". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  37. ^ "Rebecca Costa: Public Speaking Videos". Rebecca D. Costa. Retrieved 9 January 2018.

External links[edit]