I’ve been a community organizer and leadership development professional since the late 1980’s. I recall the feeling of gratitude at having discovered my “life’s calling” at a fairly young age. I’ve been blessed with mentors along the way, from college days and my first “real job” as a professional in my field to meditation instructors and dharma teachers lighting the pathway forward.
I’ve worked with nonprofits, neighborhood and youth groups, community coalitions, faith-based organizations, and government. My experience includes urban and rural community organizing, as well as month-long meditation retreats and seminary. I strongly believe in the power within all people, and the power of community.
I’m a 2-time breast cancer survivor. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer the first time, in 2005, my oncologist suggested I might try meditation to relieve anxiety. While I’d always been interested in meditation, I’d never received instruction. I attended a meditation retreat with Pema Chodron, and I was hooked. The first benefit I noticed was that I slept through the night for the first time since my diagnosis. I went on to find a meditation group near me and over time became authorized as a meditation instructor.
My aspiration is to be of benefit to others, especially those working to improve their communities and those facing health challenges of their own. I bring together the gifts of community leadership development and meditation to help people access their own power within – the power to walk the path to recovery from illness; the power to lead communities and organizations; the power to transform our world!
Really, I just want to make the world a better place for all of us. Whether you’re a nonprofit director or community leader wanting to improve how your team works together, or an individual looking for ways to be more present and mindful in your daily life, let me help YOU make a difference!
Qualifications
Degrees:
- MS in Community Leadership Development, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- BS in International Agriculture, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Studied Industrial Psychology and International Relations at Kennesaw State College, Georgia
- Studied Computer Science at United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
Work Experience:
- Community Consulting Services – Founder/Director
- Berkshire Interfaith Organizing – Founding Lead Organizer
- Northern Berkshire Community Coalition – Northern Berkshire Neighbors Coordinator
- Berkshire Prevention Alliance – Director
- City of St. Louis – Neighborhood Planning and Development Specialist
- Berkshire Area Health Education Center – Coalition Coordinator, Community Organizer
Meditation Experience and Authorizations:
- No Time to Lose Retreat with Pema Chodron, 2005
- Completed Shambhala Guide Training and one-month long dathun (retreat), 2008
- Assistant Director (2009) and Meditation Instructor (2010) Trainings
- Applied Mindfulness Conference Planning Team and Governance Academy, 2008-2012
- Sutrayana (2010) and Vajrayana (2011) Seminaries
- Rigden Abhisheka and Scorpion Seal (w/Assemblies) practitioner, 2012-2018
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with East Coast Mindfulness, 2020
- Natural Dharma Fellowship – Wakeful Body, Margha, Dzogchen, Vajrayana Programs, now