NAROPA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the ELC
- Vice President for Development, Enrollment, and Student Success
Ann Marie Klotz, PhD, has worked in higher education for the last twenty years, most prominently within Enrollment, Marketing and Student Affairs. Prior to Naropa University, she served in senior leadership roles at The New School, Radford University, and the New York Institute of Technology. She earned her BA from Grand Valley State University (Political Science) and MA's from Michigan State University (Student Affairs Administration) and DePaul University (Women and Gender Studies) respectively. She earned her doctorate from DePaul University where she studied the career trajectory and leadership styles of ten female university presidents. As a first-generation college student from Detroit, MI, she is passionate about helping underserved students find personal and professional success through education. She is a frequent speaker, keynote, consultant, and trainer for universities and corporations on areas of leadership and development. Personal and research interests include women's career development, professional staff recruitment, developing online communities, wellness, and capacity-building. She is a patron of the arts and pursues many athletic interests including hiking, biking, and is a distance runner.
Job Titles:
- STUDENT TRUSTEE )
- Student Trustee, Elected 2022 / Boulder, Colorado
Cam Bottoms grew up across the United States, from East to West coasts with a heavy concentration in the Midwest. Frequent road trips and constant moving gave them wandering feet that eventually led to Boulder.
Currently a Naropa student pursuing a BA in Transpersonal Psychology and minors in Religious Studies and Visual Arts, with an anticipated graduation in spring of 2023, Cam is an enthusiastic believer in the value of interdisciplinary understandings and work.
Before coming to Naropa, Cam spent nearly a decade in Information Technology. During this time, they gained valuable communication and organizational skills acting as a cross department liaison.
Cam is passionate about lifelong learning and growth, making the student trustee position an exceptional opportunity to support and share this passion with fellow students. They are dedicated to change and to enabling Naropa to better embody its values, resourcing students for success, and transforming the world into a place we want to live in.
Job Titles:
- PRESIDENT
- President ( July 2012 ) Boulder, Colorado
Charles G. Lief (President, July 2012) has been an active part of the Naropa community for thirty-nine years, having participated in some of the earliest discussions that culminated in the creation of the Naropa Institute in 1974. An early North American student of Naropa's founder, the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, he was an original member of the Nalanda Foundation board of directors (Naropa's nonprofit home for its first decade). He has been a member of the board of trustees since its formation in 1986. Lief was elected as chair of the board of trustees in May 2011.
Charles G. Lief was named the 7th president of Naropa University in 2012 after a deep forty-year affiliation with Naropa-first as a student of Naropa's founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, then as a lawyer for the university, and later as chairman of the board.
Dr. Jeremy Moore has worked as an administrator and educator in higher education for fifteen years. As a first-generation college student from Dayton, Ohio, Dr. Moore was the first from his family to attend college at Wright State University, which is also located in Dayton, OH. While at WSU, he pursued a degree in liberal studies with a minor in marketing. It was during his time at WSU that he found a passion for student leadership, having been involved as a Community Advisor in a residence hall, Vice-President of the University Activities Board, President of the National Residence Hall Honorary, and others. Following completion of his undergraduate studies, Dr. Moore relocated to the Chicago area and attended Northern Illinois University, where he completed a Masters of Science in Adult and Higher Education while working as a Residence Hall Director. Following completion of graduate study, he worked at both Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL and the University of Colorado Boulder as a Hall Director before transitioning into work with off-campus, commuter, and transfer students, also at CU Boulder. In 2020, Dr. Moore completed his doctoral work, which focused on better understanding the diverse and unique needs of commuter students within a residential campus and the development of an evidence-based peer mentoring program to aid in student retention.
Job Titles:
- Professor
- Trustee, Elected 2021
Dr. Stephanie Kaza is Professor Emerita of Environmental Studies, University of Vermont, where she taught classes on religion and ecology, environmental justice, ecofeminism, and unlearning consumerism for 24 years. She served as Environmental Program director from 2008-2015 and Faculty Senate vice-chair from 2011-2015. She co-founded the UVM Environmental Council in 1996 and served as the faculty advisor for the Office of Sustainability from 2005-2015. She also chaired the President's Commission on the Status of Women and served on the executive councils for the U.S. Council for Environmental Deans and Directors and the U.S. Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences. In 2011, she was honored with the university's highest teaching award, the George V. Kidder award for Excellence in Teaching award, and in 2015, was chosen for both the Outstanding Faculty Woman Award and the President's Distinguished University Citizenship and Service award.
Dr. Kaza is the author of Green Buddhism: Practice and Compassionate Action in Uncertain Times; Hooked! Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume; and Conversations with Trees: An Intimate Ecology. She co-edited with Kenneth Kraft, Dharma Rain: Sources of Buddhist Environmentalism and recently edited the tribute volume: A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and the Work of Our Time.
Dr. Kaza is a long-time practitioner of Soto Zen Buddhism, lay ordained by Kobun Chino Ottogawa in the late 1980s, with training at Green Gulch Zen Center, California, and additional study with Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy, and John Daido Loori. In her academic work, she has been a member of the International Christian-Buddhist Theological Encounter group, the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies, and the American Academy of Religion, and continues to write and lecture widely on topics of Buddhism and the environment. She currently works on climate issues in Portland, Oregon, where she pursues her love of trees, tides, and deep time.
Holly Kreidler is a passionate, dedicated, and skilled educator, academic and non-profit administrator and strategist, project manager, and collaborative thought partner and leader with nearly 30 years of experience. She has served Naropa University as Director of our Title III Grant Project: Leveraging Educational Technology for Student Success, since October 2021. A deeply mission-driven person who began incorporating contemplative learning practices in her classes several years ago, Holly has witnessed first-hand how they inspire safe vulnerability and open spaces for creativity and expression, healing, wellness, and good. Her senior-level experience at social service organizations and higher learning institutions also includes fundraising and resource development, strategic planning, employee development and recruitment, and her successful track record in program development, management and assessment will greatly enhance her service to NCGC and Naropa.
Holly was born in Kansas and raised in Oklahoma before moving to the metro Denver area in 2013. She is a first-generation college graduate from a low-income, single parent family. She earned a BA and MA in English from the University of Central Oklahoma, a Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Oklahoma, and a PhD from Swansea University in Wales, United Kingdom. Her doctoral thesis, titled "John Milton's Poetry: A Textual Cure for Melancholy," explores the history of emotions, medical humanities, and philosophy and their influence on Early Modern, Renaissance, and seventeenth century British history and literature including Milton's poetry; methodologies include assemblage theory and queer theory.
Dedicated to student success and welfare and an advocate for faculty life and professional development, Holly is experienced as a fully functional faculty member and has taught residential, hybrid, and online English Composition, Literature, and World Religions courses at many universities and community colleges in Oklahoma and Colorado, including Metropolitan State University of Denver and, most recently, at Front Range Community College (FRCC). Nominated by a former student, Holly received a Teaching Excellence Award from FRCC in 2021. Throughout her professional career, she has served on numerous boards and organizations, focused primarily on education, leadership, civic service, nonpartisan state policy, advocacy for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and youth mentorship and development.
Job Titles:
- Author of Striven, the Bright Treatise
Jeffrey Pethybridge is the author of Striven, The Bright Treatise. His work appears widely in journals such as Chicago Review, Volt, Poor Claudia, Best American Experimental Writing, The Iowa Review, LIT, New American Writing and others. He teaches in the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University where he is Director of the Summer Writing Program. He is also the North American Editor for Likestarlings, a web-archive of collaborative poetry and poetics.
He lives in Denver with the poet Carolina Ebeid and their son Patrick; together they curate and host the Lord Weary's Reading Series, and edit Visible Binary. He's currently at work on a documentary project centered on the recently released torture memos entitled "Force Drift, an Essay in the Epic." He grew up in Virginia.
Cassidy was named the Assistant Vice President for Economic Development in 2018 at College of DuPage and has received the Illinois Performance Excellence (Baldrige), Star Performer award and a Certificate of Commendation from Illinois State Governor, Pat Quinn for his support of the 2012 NATO Summit. He earned his Doctorate of Education in Higher Education and Organizational Change from Benedictine University in 2021. He also has an MBA in Marketing Management as well as a BA in English Education from Northern Illinois University.
Under his leadership, College of DuPage Continuing Education has launched numerous career training programs such as Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assistant, Veterinary Assistant, Massage Therapy, Truck Driving (CDL) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) as well as an Aviation degree program.
Cassidy is an intrapreneur, leading rapid program development through Continuing Education, expanding economic development through the Business Development Center and now Innovation DuPage, a 501c3 business incubator/accelerator founded in 2018, where he serves as President and Chair. Cassidy also serves as Treasurer for the Regional Workforce Board, as a board member for Choose DuPage and as a trustee for the National Council for Continuing Education and Training. You can find Joe on LinkedIn, College of DuPage and Innovation DuPage.
Job Titles:
- Special Advisor to the President
Joy Valania has served as the Special Advisor to the President at Naropa University since 2012. As Special Advisor, Joy oversees institutional policy development and interpretation, manages university compliance with federal and state regulations, directs risk management programs and consults with campus leadership, faculty and staff regarding legal and risk management best practices within their functional areas. Joy serves as a member of the President's Cabinet, the Student of Concern and Threat Assessment teams, and the Exception to University Policy Committee. She is also the Secretary to Naropa's Board of Trustees. Raised in Pennsylvania, Joy holds a BA of Journalism from The Pennsylvania State University and a JD from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, DE. Joy is happily married and, together with her husband, is busy raising three daughters.
Job Titles:
- Trustee, Elected 1986 / Boulder, Colorado
Job Titles:
- VICE - CHAIR
- CEO of SSLLC
- Trustee, Elected 2021 / Denver, Colorado
Today, Kendra is the CEO of SSLLC and is an accomplished one-of-a-kind program and campaign strategist and Consultant. In 2020, she wrote and published the book Rest, Listen, Love - Learn to Live Joyfully With Chronic Pain, describing her fifteen year journey with bone on bone arthritis with which she created a seven practices program she uses for motivational online coaching. Kendra lives with her husband near Denver, Colorado. She loves hiking, camping, swimming, reading and traveling with her friends and family. You can find Kendra on Linkedin, Facebook, or at restlistenlove.
Kenneth C. Gotsch has over twenty-five years of senior education administrative experience as the chief administrative official leading the non-instructional business services areas. He was hired by Naropa University in early October 2022 to be the Interim VP for Operations (CFO/COO). Previous higher education experience includes Vice President of Administrative Affairs at the College of Lake County, Vice President of Business Affairs/CFO at Columbia College Chicago, and Vice Chancellor of Finance/CFO for the City Colleges of Chicago. He also served in leadership roles in K-12 education as Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance/CFO for the Seattle Public Schools, CFO at the Los Angeles Unified School District, and CFO at the Chicago Public Schools.
He as extensive volunteer experience as board member and treasurer of Lake County Community Foundation, the Supervisory Committee member at the School Employees Credit Union of Washington, and the board member at the Chicago Municipal Employees Credit Union. He also participates in peer financial/operational reviews of large urban school districts for the Council of Great City Schools.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Marquette University and his Master of Arts degree in Public Finance from the University of Chicago.
Linda L. Black has been a professor of Counselor Education and Supervision for 24+ years at Northern Illinois University and then University of Northern Colorado. From 2000-2011, at UNC, Linda served as counselor education program faculty, doctoral research advisor, Professional Counseling and then Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral program coordinator, department chair, and extended-campus coordinator. External to UNC, Linda served as the co-editor of Counselor Education and Supervision journal (2008-2011), is a member of the Colorado Coalition for Children's Mental Health and the Colorado Crisis Education and Response Network (CoCERN). From July 2011 through July 2019 Linda was the Associate Provost, Dean of the Graduate School and International Admissions and Assistant Vice President for Research. In this capacity she supported 200+graduate faculty, 2800 graduate students, over 100 graduate programs and certificates. Linda's scholarly work focuses on counselor education, oppression and privilege and mentoring. Her peer reviewed presentations and publications are at the national and international levels. In 2020 she published her first book with her co-author, Crisis, Trauma and Disaster Counseling: A Clinician's Guide. Linda is an active member of the American Counseling Association, Rocky Mountain Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, American School Counselor's Association, the Western Association of Graduate Schools, the Council of Graduate Schools, and the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals. |Linda and Kay live on the high plains of Colorado. Linda enjoys a good, deep laugh, stargazing, gardening, chasing her dogs as they chase jackrabbits and hanging out with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of Juniper Communities of Bloomfield
- Trustee, Elected 1997 ( Secretary ) Bloomfield, New Jersey
Lynne Katzmann, Founder and CEO of Juniper Communities of Bloomfield, NJ, a privately held, long-term care company, has been President and CEO throughout its twenty-five years. Ranked #12 by Crain's New York Business on its Top 50 listing of women-owned businesses for the New York tri-State area, Juniper is the only women-owned company among the largest 40 US assisted living companies, with revenues currently $65 million. There are 20 Juniper Village communities in four states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and Colorado. Katzmann launched the company with six years of business experience and a PHD in health economics from the London School of Economics, following receiving her BA from Tufts University.
Katzmann, then 32 years old, initially raised $440 thousand from investors and had a plan to build her company with a triple bottom line: a purpose-driven business, a socially responsible organization and a profitable company. Today, with these goals achieved, the company employs 1,200 people and during its first quarter century has worked with over 10,000 families in senior living including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care.
Innovation has been a hallmark of Juniper's leadership in the industry including the first LEED-certified assisted living facility and multiple Spirit of Innovation Awards. Lynne names her biggest award "the letters that come in every day, each one a detailed story from a family member of a Juniper resident, telling of remarkable personal care, beyond expectations." Lynne cites her "wonderful values-driven employees at every level" as the key to Juniper's success.
"Today's society seeks longevity but fears old age, and is caught in a debilitating contradiction. Aging is not a disease in search of a cure; it is a stage, a normal life event in search of respect and understanding. The physical and mental limitations of the elderly should not be looked upon as failures to be fixed; but limitations and challenges to be faced and accommodated," says Katzmann.
Katzmann serves on the boards of several for-profit and nonprofit organizations including Senior Care Centers LLC of Dallas, Naropa University, ArtsConnection and Social Venture Network; and is a member of the Committee of 200. She is a New Jersey native raised in Cedar Grove, where her mother, Laurie Katzmann still resides and where Lynne attended Memorial High School. She lives in Montclair with her partner Ed Goodell and is the mother of Andrew Katzmann, a college student.
Job Titles:
- Advisory Council of Education Reimagined
- Executive Director of PassageWorks Institute
- Trustee, Elected 2014
Mark Wilding is the Executive Director of PassageWorks Institute, a nonprofit that supports K-12 educators with professional development, publications, and curriculum resources. In addition to his administrative duties, Mark teaches courses, facilitates conferences and dialogues, and presents keynotes and lectures. He is the co-author of The 5 Dimensions of Engaged Teaching (2013), a book for K-12 teachers.
Before joining PassageWorks in 2008, Mark was a staff and adjunct faculty member of Naropa University. Mark joined Naropa in 1994, and served as Administrative Director of Environmental Studies, Human Resources Officer, and Director of Advancement. In 2001, Mark helped found and direct Naropa's Marpa Center for Business and Economics. Mark participated in the startup of a public computer software company in 1985 and served on the board and in several roles until he left as President and CEO in 1993.
Mark is a member of the Advisory Council of Education Reimagined, a national organization committed to accelerate the growth of a transformational, learner-centered education movement.
Marty Janowitz has been affiliated with Naropa since its inception in 1974 when he was invited by its founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, to serve as its first chief administrative officer (then titled executive director). He was a founding member of the Board of Trustees and served as chair from 2000-2011.
Marty has been a senior teacher within the Vajradhatu and Shambhala Buddhist community for many years. He served as a senior member of Trungpa Rinpoche's staff and as a member of the boards of Vajradhatu, Nalanda Foundation and Shambhala International. In 1986 he and his family immigrated to Nova Scotia with Rinpoche. In 1998 Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Trungpa's spiritual heir as leader of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, appointed him Warrior General, responsible for advancing Shambhala's commitment towards the emergence of transformative enlightened societies and more recently he was appointed as an Acharya, an empowered teacher within his lineage.
He served as executive director of The Clean Nova Scotia Foundation, Atlantic Canada's largest environmental education organization, and as chair of the Authentic Leadership in Action (ALIA) Institute, president of the Nova Scotia Nature Trust and Genuine Progress Indicators Atlantic. He's involved in diverse initiatives focused on an environmental and sustainable future both locally and internationally. Marty is currently Chair of the Nova Scotia Round Table on Environment and Sustainable Prosperity (the highest advisory body to government on these topics) and serves on the Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Board (hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Design). He is Vice President of Sustainable Development for Stantec, a leading global provider of environmental, engineering, design and planning services where he leads emerging initiatives focused on integrated sustainability for both public and private sector clients.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the President
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Mission, Culture & Inclusive Community
Regina Smith, MFA, MA, is a spirited educator committed to serving the Naropa community in a way that is inspired by poetic vision and grounded in heart-and-body-centered clarity and compassion. She currently serves as the Vice President of Mission, Culture, & Inclusive Community and teaches in both the undergraduate and graduate psychology programs.
Job Titles:
- President of Sirius Business Corporation
Said Josh Mailman, President of Sirius Business Corporation, "I was Juniper's first investor. I remember well Lynne's passion to build a company that would provide the elderly with the highest quality long-term care. Twenty-five years later, Lynne has delivered double digit returns on the investment, while succeeding brilliantly with the standard of excellence that stayed true to her social mission."
Job Titles:
- Trustee, Elected 2017 / Boulder, Colorado
Samantha Sanderson grew up in Boulder, CO in the 1970s when Naropa was founded and began to develop into a university.
She received a BA degree in English Literature from Kenyon College in 1991, and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 1997. She moved back to the Bay Area in 1997 and worked for several years as a High School Counselor at Marin Academy in San Rafael, CA.
When her first child was born in 2001, she was able to stay at home to raise him along with her second son born in 2005. For the past sixteen years she has been active on the Board of Trustees and Parent Association (as Secretary, Vice President and President) of St. Paul's Episcopal School. She also served for ten years on the Board of River of Words, serving as Board President for three years, during which time she helped navigate the transition of the organization from an independent 501C3 to a vital program of St. Mary's College in Lafayette, CA.
She recently fulfilled a long-time wish to work in an independent bookstore. She enjoys discussing literature, recommending books and brainstorming creative ways to keep independent bookstores alive and well. She also pursues many artistic interests including painting, clay and fiber arts. She is in the early planning stage of a new venture that will combine her passions for books and the creative arts by creating spaces that bring people together for experiences that inspire them, expand their thinking and wake them up!
Job Titles:
- Chief Academic Officer
- Chief Academic Officer and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Sue Hammond West, MFA, is the Chief Academic Officer and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and also a Professor of Visual Arts at Naropa University. West has taught at Naropa for over 26 years, has been the Dean of the School of the Arts for 8 years with oversight of Visual and Performing Arts Programs, Undergraduate Art Therapy, the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, and Education. As Chair of Visual Arts 2002-2018, West taught leadership, business, career and life skills within the innovative studio based curriculum. She expanded the art galleries, facilities, and lead ArtTank, an art making open studio, which she hosted for over 10 years.
Sue Hammond West, MFA, is the Interim Chief Academic Officer and Vice President for Academic Affairs as well as a Professor of Visual Arts at Naropa University. A painter and mixed media artist, West has been faculty at Naropa for more than twenty-six years, teaching leadership, business, career and life skills, as well as mixed media and contemplative art-making within the innovative studio-based curriculum. As Dean of the School of the Arts, a position she held for eight years, she oversaw the Visual and Performing Arts programs, undergraduate Art Therapy, Education, and the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. As Chair of Visual Arts (2002-2018), West expanded the art galleries and facilities, and led ArtTank, an art-making open studio, which she hosted for more than ten years.
West's leadership experience began in roles at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as Assistant Director of Ox-Bow and the Registrar/Bursar of Extended Studies. She came to Naropa in 1995 to create the School of Continuing Education. Additional leadership positions include the Director of Education at the Rolf Institute and Operations Manager at Maruca Design.
Lama Tharchin Rinpoche was West's contemplative practice mentor from 1996 onward. Contemplative leadership training includes Acharya Dan Hessey (2014), Center for Positive Change (2016), Non-Dualism with Rupert Spira (2019), and Malidoma Somé (1997) in holding one's seat. West emphasizes a holistic view for organizational change, balancing reality with energetic presence. A transformative leader and builder of creative teams and inventive systems, West employs a human approach where relationships and truth come first. She is a fierce advocate for social justice and strives for excellence for all. Her ultimate goal is to ignite the lived experience and be a zeitgeist to create an exquisite future.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Swift Foundation
- Trustee, Elected 2020 / Boulder, Colorado
Suzanne Benally is Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa. She grew up in the community of Shiprock, New Mexico on the Navajo Nation.
Suzanne is the Executive Director of the Swift Foundation, a foundation dedicated to protecting biocultural diversity, regenerative land practices, local economies, and advocating for systemic changes to address the root causes of our ecological crisis.
Suzanne has worked in higher education and the non-profit sector for 35 years. She served as the Executive Director of Cultural Survival, an international Indigenous rights advocacy organization that works to support and advance Indigenous Peoples' rights, self-determination, land, language, culture, and political resilience. Formerly, she served as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Naropa University, and was a core faculty member and previous chair of the environmental studies department. Her extensive experience spans positions devoted to social justice, diversity, and equity.
Suzanne currently chairs the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples. She is a cohort member of the Rothko Chapel's Spirituality and Social Justice initiative to further contemporary understandings about spiritualty and social justice.
Deeply committed to social, environmental and climate justice, her work, passion, and interests center on relationships and interconnectedness between land, spirituality, culture, and people as reflected in narratives and stories past and present. In her work, she draws on her professional experience and cultural background advocating for transformative practices that address issues of racism, equity, justice, and Indigenous Peoples' rights; and, most importantly, engaging work that draws hope now and for new generations to come. Suzanne lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the BOARD
- Trustee, Elected 2013 / Oakland, California
Tyler Norris, MDiv, is a social entrepreneur and trusted advisor to philanthropies and partnerships working to improve the well-being of people and place. For more than four decades, he has shaped health and development initiatives in hundreds of communities in the U.S. and around the world, and built over a dozen business and social ventures.
Tyler serves as board chair of Naropa University; co-chair of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health; and as a board member for Mindful Philanthropy, the National Academies of Sciences' Child Well Being Forum, Build Healthy Places Network, the Fireside Project, and the Global Flourishing Study. He was recently named as Visiting Fellow of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Until recently, Tyler served as founding CEO of Well Being Trust for its first 5½ years was an impact philanthropy with a mission to advance mental, social and spiritual health of the United States. In this period, Well Being Trust invested over $65 million in 200+ initiatives and helped build a portfolio of sustaining organizations to accelerate the social movement for mental health and well-being. Previously, Tyler led Total Health at Kaiser Permanente, applying system payroll, purchasing, and investment portfolios to benefit the economic, social, and environmental contributors to health.
Over the decades, Tyler helped start Step Denver; facilitated the opening of the Abraham Path through the heart of the Middle East; and led the Kuhiston Foundation to help establish the national park system and micro-finance in Tajikistan.
Tyler is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Executive Leadership Program, earned a Master of Divinity from Naropa University, and has a bachelor's degree in World Political Economy from Colorado College. He lives and serves in the communities of the Wood River Valley of Idaho and Oakland, California. See www.tylernorris.com.
Job Titles:
- Trustee, Elected 2023 / Brooklyn, New York
Vanessa is a lawyer, disability advocate, speaker, and writer who practices narrative advocacy in the belief that sharing our stories is a change catalyst.
Vanessa is a corporate lawyer and senior counsel in-house at a global investment bank. Her practice ranges from advising on private debt and equity transactions, broker-dealer and securities regulation, municipal offerings, and restructuring and bankruptcy. Throughout her career, she has also held compliance, business selection/conflicts, and chief operating officer roles.
Deaf since birth, Vanessa serves in several disability-related leadership roles. She is the co-head of her employer's Disability Network, where she creates educational programming and training, participates in disability recruiting initiatives, and implements disability-inclusive policies and procedures. Vanessa serves on the Hearing Loss Association of America New York chapter Board of Directors where she is also an active chapter member and featured speaker. She mentors professionals with disabilities and was recently selected to be a mentor in the Lime Connect Foundation Program for Young Professionals. Vanessa is a regular panelist and speaker at corporate and non-profit disability-related events. She served on the faculty for the Practicing Law Institute's Diversity & Inclusion in Law Practice 2022 symposium. Vanessa has been featured on NPR and in other media publications. She is currently featured in the Center for Hearing and Communication and NYU's Cochlear Implant Center's marketing campaigns.
In addition to disability advocacy, Vanessa is dedicated to meditation and environmental conservation. She is a certified teacher of mindfulness meditation, contemplative nature practices, and Kripalu yoga. She teaches meditation in corporate and Buddhist retreat environments as well as at the Nalanda Institute where she serves on the Board of Directors and equity leadership team. She has completed the two-year Socially Engaged Buddhism training program with Upaya Zen Center. Vanessa is currently completing the three-year contemplative psychotherapy program with the Nalanda Institute and the two-year Margha program with Natural Dharma Fellowship. Vanessa is a Level Two Mindful Outdoor Guide through the Kripalu School of Outdoor Leadership and a New York State volunteer Master Naturalist. She is certified in wilderness first aid and is a Leave No Trace trainer. She is proud to serve on the Board of Directors at Wonder & Grow, a West Virginia nonprofit providing immersive and educational nature experiences for children and their parents through curiosity-driven exploration and mindfulness practices. Vanessa works to make meditation, mindful movement, and the outdoors more accessible to the disability community.
A Minnesota native, Vanessa now calls Brooklyn and upstate New York home along with her beloved partner, animals, and books. She honors her Irish heritage by supporting the Irish Arts Center and the Irish Repertory Theatre, as well as Irish authors and artisans.
Job Titles:
- Trustee, Elected 2007 / Burr Ridge, Illinois
Vijay Singh is a Naropa parent and business professional based in Burr Ridge, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Singh hails from the Punjab region of India and immigrated to the U.S. upon completion of high school. He has attended several U.S. higher education institutions, including Ohio State and Iowa State, earning at least two MA degrees in science and technical fields.
He has worked in a variety of corporate settings and sectors during his business career, (e.g., Teradyne and Texas Instruments), and is currently involved in building his new business, Med Support, Inc., which offers health care consulting. He serves on a number of nonprofit organizations, including Governing Council of South Suburban Hospital, Development Council Christ Hospital and Medical Center, and the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ELC
- Associate Vice President for Budget and Financial Affairs
Yvonne Gates comes to Naropa University with 28 years of budgeting and finance experience coupled with policy development and administrative expertise. Yvonne previously served as Deputy Executive Director at the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach (Trio programs) for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Yvonne has obtained a BA in political science and journalism, a Master of Public Administration, and a PhD in public affairs from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Yvonne is excited to be a part of Naropa; she sees Naropa University as a unique institution of higher learning that enhances students' educational experiences to make a difference in today's society and centered on global sustainability.