Collaborative Leadership Team Bios

Abigail (they/them) is a junior at Fordham University double majoring in Humanitarian Studies and Theatre Performance (yes, it’s a very long title). As an active part of the theatre community, they’ve spent much of their college career acting, assisting designers, and agonizing over the next set to build in the scene shop. They’ve also worked to bring their activism into theatre: as a co-chair of the Fordham Theatre BIPOC Alliance, Abigail has worked for the past year to hold Fordham Theatre accountable to its stated anti-racist values as well as create a community for other BIPOC students.

Outside of theatre, they’ve taken on many leadership positions at Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning, and they love tutoring math so they can finally put those high school calculus classes to use. Abigail is also looking forward to attending their fifth and final Inward Bound retreat in December 2021 — without Inward Bound, they could never be where they are today. Their dreams for the future involve off-Broadway acting, working at an NGO for transitional justice, or moving to Sorrento, Italy and eating gelato by the ocean.

Adrienne Scott is currently the curator at the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology at California State University, Chico. She holds a BA in anthropology from Indiana University, Bloomington and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from CSU, Chico. Originally from St. Louis, MO, Adrienne left the Midwest to work on the East Coast in her early museum career at the Smithsonian Institution and the Miami Museum of Science, coordinating public programs and exhibitions. In 2016 The Smith Museum received the California State Superintendent’s Award for Excellence in Museum Education for the Museum-in-the-Classroom Project created by her.

She has also been part of the Still Point Meditation Center founded by Bill and Nancy Martin in Chico, CA. She has led meditations, held space, as well as served on the Still Point’s board. Adrienne tries to find time each day to recharge in nature, either with a dawn or dusk walking meditation. Being present and awake to what life brings forward is essential to being a better educator and human. She is energized by the practice of interconnecting mindfulness, education, and antiracist work. These interwoven threads seem like the natural way forward.

Brian Galla, Ph.D., is an assistant professor and research scientist at University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education and Learning Research and Development Center. He holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame, Syracuse University, and a Ph.D. from UCLA. Brian’s research combines laboratory and field research to better understand motivational factors that support academic achievement and mental health. He focuses in particular on the study of self-control. Known colloquially as willpower, self-control refers to the mental process of pursuing enduringly valued goals despite conflicting impulses. Brian also has a strong interest in mindfulness-based approaches to enhancing self-control and their potential to improve health and academic achievement.

Chas DiCapua started practicing meditation in the Soto Zen tradition in 1989. He sat his first Vipassana retreat at IMS in 1995. Since then he has practiced in both the US and Asia. A recent graduate of the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training Program, Chas is currently the Resident Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. He also teaches regularly at various sitting groups and centers.

Dawn Scott has been practicing meditation and mindfulness since 2008 and now serves as the Family Program Coordinator at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Dawn coordinates classes, daylongs, benefits, and residential mindfulness retreats in which the practice and teachings of mindful awareness are offered in order to support the development of wisdom and compassion for children, teens, whole families, and the wider community.

Diana Winston has been the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA Semel Institute’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (www.marc.ucla.edu) since 2006. She is the co-author (with Susan Smalley, Ph.D.) of Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness, the author of Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens, and the CD, ‘Mindful Meditations’. She is one of the early teachers and developers of the Teen Retreats at Insight Meditation Society. She has also founded and developed UCLA’s Training in Mindfulness Facilitation, one of the leading mindfulness teacher training programs, and is the founder of the Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPs curriculum).

She has been teaching mindfulness nationally and internationally since 1993 and has brought mindful awareness into schools, hospitals, businesses, and nonprofits, as well as to leaders, educators, adolescents, and health professionals in the US and Asia. Her work has been mentioned in the New York Times, Newsweek, O Magazine, Women’s Health Magazine, CBS and ABC News, and the LA Times, among others. She has been called by the LA Times: ‘one of the nation’s leading mindfulness teachers.’ She is also a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and the mom of a first grader.

Dori Langevin began the study and practice of meditation in 1997 with Tara Brach and the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, where she served on the Teachers Council from 2003-2007. In 2007 she and her husband Ted moved to Spokane Valley, WA, where she now teaches classes and retreats (www.mainstream-mindfulness.com). Dori teaches residential retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center (Young Adult Retreat) and Insight Meditation Society (Family Retreat) and completed the centers’ four-year teacher training program in Meditation. She has also taught dozens of retreats elsewhere.

She has special interests in the dance between mindfulness, addiction recovery and emotional healing, grounded in the sacred feminine and embodied presence, and integrating creative expression and relationships into retreats. Dori also volunteers at Airway Heights Corrections Center (men’s medium security) teaching a weekly mindfulness meditation class through the Religious Activities Center.

Ever since Erik (he/him) started out as a high school history teacher in San Francisco, he has consistently supported inner-city youth in overcoming their challenges to succeed in school, work, and life. From the Bay Area to New York City to San Fernando, he has connected with students, parents, teachers, and administrators to provide quality youth programs that make a difference.

In recent years, Erik has played a pivotal role in incorporating mindfulness into a college access organization, addressing the unique pressures faced by first-generation college students. Recognizing that these students often struggle with more than just financial or academic challenges, he has championed mindfulness as a tool to help them navigate feelings of isolation, the complexities of college life, and the balance between work and school. Mindfulness helps students cope with all the uncertainties and proceed more effectively, one challenge at a time.

Erik graduated from UCLA with a BA in political science and an MA in education from San Francisco State. He currently lives in the Los Angeles area with his OB/GYN wife, two teenage daughters, and squirrel-chasing dog.

Frances (she/her) has dedicated her career to serving mission-based organizations ranging in social justice, wellness, and sustainability causes. Joining the Inward Bound Collaborative Leadership team in the Brand, Marketing, Content role further intensifies her passion to make the world a more mindful and compassionate home for all. She holds Bachelors in Design and Business Management from Juniata College and a Certificate in Communication Design from Pacific Northwest College of Art, contributing skills in graphic design, content marketing, and brand strategy to the workplace. Frances spends her time with her partner, Chris, and pups, Barry and Ginkgo, in England and the States. She values her family, learning about her heritage, cooking Chinese + Taiwanese food, practicing sustainable habits, growing tiny vegetable gardens, fostering animals, and, most recently, running for fun. Her 10-year plan includes building an Earthship and starting an animal sanctuary.

Gretchen Rohr’s first trainings in meditation were in 1994 while working alongside formerly imprisoned activists who developed techniques to liberate their minds from conditions of solitary confinement. These teachings in interdependent awakening supported her professional life restoring justice within communities in need of healing; they ultimately led to her appointment to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Rohr has lectured extensively across the country on effective workforce and leadership development for incarcerated youth and adults, reconciliation and restorative practices for building safe communities, and trauma-informed police, correctional and judicial crisis responses.

In her free time, she supports integration of contemplative practices while teaching at Georgetown University Law Center, hosting educational exchanges for local restorative justice practitioners and helping facilitate Insight Meditation Community of Washington’s People of Color (POC) and Insight on the Inside(incarcerated people’s) Sanghas. She participates in the Community Dharma Leadership training program and was one of 120 Buddhist leaders nationwide called to participate in the first Whitehouse Buddhist Leadership Conference in 2015.

Since 2013, she has been leading IMCW’s creation of accessible spaces in D.C. where meditation practitioners can take refuge after exiting jail and prison and train to become the next generation of teachers. Her work, in partnership with organizers in the reentry community, has culminated in a meditation and reconciliation series integrated within DC neighborhoods experiencing a spike in gun violence. Justice in Balance is a free monthly event where community members share meditation and mindfulness practices to restore personal balance and open-hearted healing. Each forum is co-facilitated by a survivor of violent crime, of incarceration, or of other contacts with law enforcement.

Hassan Rostam (he/him) is an accounting and finance professional with over 25 years of experience. Throughout his career, he has been focused on helping entrepreneurs make better decisions and grow more profitably. Before joining MontPac as a consulting CFO, Hassan worked in various industries including healthcare, technology, property management in addition to CPA and valuation firms. He has developed and led world-class finance departments with teams of diverse and dedicated professionals in both large and small organizations. Hassan has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. He is an MBA candidate at Boston University.

“I believe businesses can and should consider the impact of their decisions on profit, people, and the planet. We must build regenerative businesses that create value and an economy that provides opportunity for all and protects the planet for future generations.”

Jen (she/her) feels grateful to have been involved with Inward Bound since 2015, serving as a retreat manager, mentor, and Health Coordinator for Northeast and online retreats before becoming a full-time staff member in 2021. Jen is a passionate public health leader with 20+ years of experience in policy, advocacy, facilitation, and project management in the non-profit sector and academia. She has spent her career focused on sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice and adolescent health and wellbeing.

As an independent consultant, Jen is Managing Director for the Future of Sex Education (FoSE) Initiative and for the Sex Education Collaborative. Before joining Inward Bound as full-time staff, she served as Director of Special Projects in the Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Prior to that, Jen was Director of Public Policy at SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change and State Policy Coordinator at Advocates for Youth.

Jen holds an MPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, with a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and a BA in International Affairs and a concentration in International Women’s Studies from George Washington University. She is also a recent participant in Inward Bound’s Teacher Training Program. Based in Harlem, New York City, Jen’s happiest places are dance floors and oceans. She regularly volunteers with Free Food Harlem.

Jessica Morey began practicing meditation at age 14 in the Insight Meditation Society teen retreats. She returned every year for 6 years and then participated for 10 years in an IMS young adult mentoring group. Jessica has attended longer (1-3 month) retreats in Asia and the US and is a founding board member and lead teacher for Inward Bound teen retreats. Before joining Inward Bound, Jessica worked in clean energy and climate policy and finance. She holds a BA in Environmental Engineering from Dartmouth and Masters degrees in Sustainable Development and International Affairs. She wrote an article in the February 2014 Mindful Magazine, “Finding My Way,” about her experience learning and benefiting from mindfulness throughout her young adult years. She is an avid yoga practitioner and skier and loves dancing in any form.

JoAnna Hardy is an insight meditation (Vipassanā) practitioner and teacher; she is on faculty at the University of Southern California, a meditation trainer at Apple Fitness+, a founding member of the Meditation Coalition, a visiting retreat teacher at Insight Meditation Society, and a collaborator on many online meditation programs. She was born into a Catholic family and has early memories of being drawn toward contemplation, quietness, and inner reflection. All the while externally rebelling and pushing up against societal norms that keep many oppressed, marginalized, and excluded. Her inner turmoil led to causing external pain for herself and others. To help lessen her suffering she went on a search for some kind of peace. For years at a time she visited many different spiritual traditions, eventually finding her home in Buddhism and Vipassanā meditation.

She teaches: silent meditation retreats, social justice based meditation classes and workshops, youth work, online courses, and works with private students. She coauthored Teaching Mindfulness to Empower Adolescents alongside Matthew Brensilver and Oren Jay Sofer. Her greatest passion is to teach meditation in communities that are dedicated to seeing the truth of how racism, gender inequality, and oppression go hand in hand with the compassionate action teachings in Buddhism and related perspectives to social and racial justice. She is the grateful mother to CJ and Harris and happily married to Andre.

John Braman was a U.S. Air Force Survival Instructor during the Viet Nam era, an experience that turned him into an anti-war activist. Since that turn of events, he’s been dedicated to youth leadership development, interfaith understanding, and developing the interior life. From 1979 to 1989 he was director of the department for experiential education at Albuquerque Academy, leading hundreds of wilderness solos for teens, while teaching tracking, ecology, and creative writing – for which he was awarded the Klingenstein Fellowship for excellence in teaching. Later, was appointed as the Heinz Fellow for Ethics at Polytechnic School in California.

In 2003, as president of the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), he created Global Youth Leadership Institute (GYLI), a three-year sequence of learning with wilderness solos in northern New Mexico. He is past vice president of Thompson Island Outward Bound and past executive director of Upaya Zen Center, where he co-taught the famous 10-day wilderness quest. He also founded Global Leadership Forum of the United World College-USA, which incorporates yogic practices.

He maintains all these commitments to social progress through Braman Group International, working with schools and colleges dedicated to making the world a more sane and safe place. John is a student of Henry Shukman of the Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Brown University with a masters degree in educational administration from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Jose Shinzan Palma was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He is a Zen Buddhist Priest. He has been practicing Zen since 1996. He did a residential training for 4 years at the Zen Buddhist Temple in Toronto, Canada. He lived and trained in Upaya Zen Center for over 8 years. He is a Dharma Successor of Roshi Joan Halifax. He has taught Zazenkais and Sesshins at Upaya and has staffed Teen Retreats for Spirit Rock Center and Inward Bound. He is a guest teacher in a Zen Buddhist Temple in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Shinzan left the residency of Upaya to return to Mexico and start a community spreading the Dharma in Mexico. His vision is to work with youth and also create a Zen Hispanic community in the USA and Mexico.

Joseph (he/him) joined the Inward Bound board in 2024. He’s a member of sanghas at East Bay Meditation Center and the Berkeley Alembic. He loves optimism, surfing, his family, and lives boldly lived. Joseph has worked in policy, politics, philanthropy, and clean energy – in the Office of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, on the Obama 2008 presidential campaign and as a White House-appointed spokesman, and as the President of a private philanthropic foundation responsible for over $1 million in annual grants.

Joseph lived and worked in India and Indonesia for 5 years, where he was a trainer to over 100 non profit leaders and social entrepreneurs, and the founding Executive Director of the Annika Linden Centre (www.annikalindencentre.org), a World Economic Forum-recognized incubator for impact-driven organizations home to 4 organizations and 50 staff that serves more than 10,000 visitors and clients every year.

Joseph is currently on sabbatical from his job as Chief of Staff to Tesla’s global in-house battery technology organization. Joseph is from, and lives in, Oakland, California. He holds an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a graduate researcher in the MIT Media Lab, and a BA in International Development from UCLA.

Linda Lantieri, MA has been in the field in education for over 40 years in a variety of capacities: classroom teacher, assistant principal, director of a middle school in East Harlem, and faculty member at Hunter College in New York City. She is a Fulbright Scholar and internationally known speaker in the areas of Social and Emotional Learning and Mindfulness in Education. Currently she serves as the Director of The Inner Resilience Program whose mission is to cultivate the inner lives of students, teachers and schools by integrating social and emotional learning with contemplative practice. Linda is one of the co-founders and presently a Senior Program Advisor for the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL). She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department of Columbia University, Teachers College. Linda is the author of numerous articles and book chapters and coauthor of Waging Peace in Our Schools (Beacon Press, 1996) editor of Schools with Spirit: Nurturing the Inner Lives of Children and Teachers (Beacon Press, 2001), and author of Building Emotional Intelligence: Practices to Cultivate Inner Resilience in Children (Sounds True, 2008, 2014).

Mark (he/they) is deeply grateful to be working with Inward Bound. Mark has been a sincere student of many meditative arts for the last 15 years. He has worked for Yoga International, The Himalayan Institute, and Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He recently completed his 500-hour yoga teacher certification through Spirit Rock’s Mindful Yoga and Meditation Training.

Nikki (she/her) comes to Inward Bound with a decade’s experience in various education and people-centered roles. As a Director at Teach For America, Nikki innovated recruitment practices, created a curriculum as a member of the DEI council, and worked on the people team to create a more welcoming environment for all. As an employee of the New York City Department of Education, Nikki hosted regular DEI sessions regarding recruitment practices for high schools and supported recruiting BIPOC teachers. Upon hiring, she facilitated growth and development sessions, emphasizing mental wellness and CRE practices in her work for the New York City Teaching Fellows and New York City Men Teach programs.

Nikki was a Competency Collaborative (formerly Mastery Collaborative) Mentor Teacher for teachers across New York City. As a mentor, she guided teachers in creating supportive classroom environments grounded in mindfulness, social-emotional learning, and culturally responsive texts/activities. After receiving her yoga certification in 2018, she created and taught yoga & mindfulness courses for high school students & implemented a morning/afternoon course for staff in the building. These courses evolved into mindfulness tools/exercises shared with teachers throughout NYC as part of her work with Competency Collaborative. Outside work, Nikki enjoys dancing in the rain, spending gentle days at the beach, annual time in France, and traveling with her husband.

Patricia Broderick, PhD, is a Research Associate with the Prevention Research Center at Penn State University and former director of the Stress Reduction Center at West Chester University of PA. She holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from Villanova and a Ph.D. in School Psychology from Temple University. She is a licensed psychologist, certified school psychologist (K-12), certified school counselor (K-12). and certified teacher. She was trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the Center for Mindfulness (CFM) at UMASS Medical Center and has taught MBSR since 2003. Her developmental psychology textbook, The life span: Human development for helping professionals is now in its third edition. She is also the creator of Learning to BREATHE, a school-based mindfulness curriculum for adolescents. Visit her website at learning2breathe.org.

Philip Murphy is a founding principal of the Commonwealth Mindful Philanthropy Group, a philanthropic advisory firm that provides institutional advancement solutions for nonprofit organizations in the US and the UK, with an emphasis on serving organizations in the contemplative sector. Following a successful tenure as an independent music record label executive, Philip embarked on a career in the advancement field and has served in senior leadership positions at several research universities including the University of Southern California, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he directed the $500 million Campaign for Students fundraising initiative. Philip earned a degree in social and behavioral sciences from Johns Hopkins and also hold a professional designation in authentic leadership from the Authentic Leadership Center at Naropa University. He is certified as a mindfulness facilitator by the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. Philip currently serves on the board of directors of the Insight Meditation Center of Pioneer Valley (Easthampton, MA) and the Hope House recovery home (Boston, MA), and is a former board member at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center. He resides in western Massachusetts with his wife Anne, and their four rescue greyhounds.

Spring Washam has practiced meditation in various traditions since 1997. She is a founding teacher of the East Bay Meditation Center, located in Oakland, CA. She is a graduate of the Community Dharma Leaders program and is in teacher training with Jack Kornfield. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to inner city communities. She currently leads retreats and workshops throughout the US and teaches a weekly sitting group in Oakland, CA.

Steph (they/she) is a highly accomplished professional with a strong background in program development, leadership development and nonprofit marketing. They have a proven track record that includes relaunching experiential outdoor learning programs for teens in Montana, where they spearheaded curriculum development, cultivated team leadership, and fostered strong relationships with donors and funders.

Throughout their career, Steph has demonstrated a passion for business and program start-ups. At Montana State University, they played a pivotal role in launching a support and mentorship program for Horatio Alger Scholarship recipients, followed by the successful establishment of the Hilleman Scholars Program. Furthermore, Steph has dedicated 10 years as a volunteer with Hugh O’Brien youth, taking on various key roles such as director of staff, program, and recruitment. Steph holds a B.S. in Business Management and Marketing from Montana State University, where they also minored in Entrepreneurship and Mathematics.

In their free time, they enjoy baking, reading, and making the most of the short Montana summer season by spending ample time outdoors with their dog. With their extensive experience in program startup and nonprofit marketing, combined with their strong leadership skills and ability to cultivate meaningful relationships, Steph is dedicated to making a positive impact on the organizations and communities they serve.

Tara Brach, PhD, is a beloved dharma teacher and the founder and senior teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, and teaches Buddhist meditation at centers in the United States and Canada (such as Kripalu and Omega). A clinical psychologist and author of Radical Acceptance, Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha. She has taught extensively on the application of Buddhist teachings to emotional healing. Visit her website at tarabrach.com.

Tempel Smith has been practicing mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation since 1989. Tempel launched the West Coast teen retreat program and helped to launch the teen retreats in Virginia. He is a graduate of the teacher-training program at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California and regularly leads teen and young adult retreats in California and Virginia.

Vijay Sinha holds an MBA in Business Strategy and Analysis and Organizational Development from Boston University Questrom School of Business and BS in Electronics Engineering from Bangalore University, India. He is a strategy consultant with Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, providing strategic advice and direction on Information Technology to customers based on their organization’s IT business strategy. Vijay is a strong believer in the power of meditation, as it helped him to become more self-aware and to advance in his own life. Realizing the benefits of meditation, Vijay got involved with Inward Bound to help them promote their mindfulness educational programs to help improve the lives of many other individuals. Vijay lives in Massachusetts with his wife and teenage daughter.

Willoughby Britton holds a B.A. in Neuroscience and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Public Health at Brown Medical School and Research Director of the Brown University Contemplative Studies Initiative. She received sleep/EEG training at Harvard Medical School and was a Research Fellow at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA/NIH) and Andrew Weil’s Program in Integrative Medicine. She spent several years in Asia studying meditative techniques and received her mindfulness instructor certification training at the Center for Mindfulness at the UMASS Medical School. With the aim of investigating the link between contemplative practices, brain function, sleep, attention and affective disturbances, she has conducted federally funded RCTs on the neurophysiological effects of MBCT in depression; and education-based mindfulness training in middle school and university students in comparison to music and dance.