Staff & Board of Directors
Our Staff & Board of Directors is comprised of professionals from many fields, all of whom practice meditation. They abide by our Ethical Guidelines and support IDP's strategic activities and monitor the direction and mission of our organization.
Staff
Nandini Naik she/her
Executive Director
Nandini was born and raised Hindu in India. Her formal practice of mindfulness started over two decades ago with Zen meditation when she was 16 and a High School student at UWC. She had the good fortune of taking classes from His Holiness the Dalai Lama while living for months in a monastery in Dharamsala teaching Tibetan monks and refugees English. Nandini graduated from Colby College after studying Theatre & Religion and later attended NYU for a Masters in Teaching. A founding member at Emma Lazarus School for English Language Scholars, Nandini taught with the DOE in NYC for 6 years. She then worked with the Internationals Network for Public school as an instructional coach for 3 and was on their DEI committee for 2. She is honoured & delighted to be IDP’s ED; IDP has been home to her since she took her first classes there in 2009. Secretary to the Board for 6 years, Nandini also graduated from the first IDP MTT cohort of 2011 and co-taught classes & Training’s for several years.
Beth Clifford she/her
Marketing Strategist
Beth is an avid learner and lover of life. During the lockdown period of Covid-19, she decided it was time to try out meditation, and soon enough she found herself at IDP participating in the TMTC Program and preparing to become a lifelong mindfulness educator. Part of her current preparation looks like substitute teaching in NYC public schools. She is also a masters student at Teacher's College studying the social construction of education.
Seanan Forbes they/them
Community Partner and Curriculum Designer
Seanan is a queer disabled storyteller, writer, poet, photographer, restorative justice worker, and trauma-informed meditation teacher. Seanan has lived in two countries, worked in six, and done research and created art in more than forty, learning again and again there are far more bridges than barriers between us, and that kindness can change worlds. Their focus has been on kindness, stealth meditation, trauma-informed practices, neurology, and countering our species’ negativity bias.
Andrew Tomasulo he/him
Community Outreach Director
Andrew Tomasulo is a certified mindfulness teacher (class of 2022 IDP MTT), artist, father, and lifelong student of communication systems. He was drawn to meditation about 20 years ago, after a personal crisis led him to realize that his thinking was making him crazy (well, it still does). In 2004 he enrolled in a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program at the University of Pennsylvania, which began his journey. Following that, Andrew studied in the Dzogchen, Thich Nat Hanh, and Shambhala traditions. He’s also completed trainings in Non-Violent Communication, Systems Centered Trainings, and the Art of Hosting which are all designed to explore our habits, personal and collective styles of communication.
Ayoni Jeffries she/her
Administrative Assistant
Ayoni Jeffries is an Indigenous and Jamaican-American interdisciplinary artist, mindfulness teacher, traditional herbalist and cultural organizer.
A citizen of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, one of the eight recognized Native American tribes in North Carolina, A.yoni co-founded Handèwa Farms, an Indigenous teaching farm located on land originally stewarded by her tribe. A musical storyteller and trained vocalist rooted in ancestral traditions, A.yoni imagines a future that transcends known nomenclatures. A.yoni’s art seeks to amplify the sounds of her cultures and energetically shift her audience's consciousness through music, dance, literary works, mindfulness and holistic health practices.
Board of Directors
Kat Hendrix, JD she/her
Board Chair (2022-Present)
Kat has worked on behalf of children and youth for 16 years. She is currently the Statewide Partnerships Manager at Oregon Child Abuse Solutions, located in Portland. Kat has been a meditator for 17 years and has practiced a broad range of techniques and approaches. She recently completed the two-year Contemplative Studies Immersion Course: An Interdisciplinary Deep Dive into Tibetan Buddhism as well as the Lam Rim Meditation Series: Practice and Application of the Gradual Path of Tibetan Buddhism. She loves spending time camping, hiking, and paddleboarding, along with her four precious cats and her partner. More recently, Kat is the recipient of the 2021 PRSA Oregon Ron Schmidt Community Service Award.
Susan Skinner she/her
Board Member | Grant Writer
Susan works to empower individuals and organizations as a therapist, coalition builder, program developer and grant writer. She has a private clinical practice and is currently developing Hope Springs Healing Arts Studio, a curated online space offering clinical and creative opportunities for personal work. Susan holds a PhD in Psychology from Walden University, an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Union Institute and University and a BA in Political Science from St John Fisher College.
Ian Davis he/him
Board Member
Ian leveraged his gifts, took his passion for helping creative artists and combined it with his professional experiences and a vigor for results to serve emerging to Award-winning creatives and brands through creative consultancy, Age of The Creative. Also as an IMTA Certified Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher engaging creatives with tools and resources to integrate or elevate consistent mindful practices into their daily lives and creative processes to tap into the highest version of themselves through AOTC’s resource platform, Creative Vibes Only®.
Rashidah Ali they/them
Board Member | Web Maintenance
Rashidah is a queer Black nonbinary parent based on the indigenous land of Bulbancha, which is has been colonized and known now as New Orleans. The First Peoples of this indigenous land are the Chitimacha, the Houma, the Chahta Yakni(Choctaw) and the Atakapa Ishak Chawasha tribes. They have lived and been in community with this place since 2017. Rashidah is a writer, yoga and meditation practitioner, lactation counselor and doula in training. Their experience moving through the world is shaped by ancestral wisdom, devoted spiritual practice, social activism, and being committed to mutual aid. Rashidah aligns their teachings with the practice of mindfulness, compassion, unlearning societal conditioning and embodying authenticity as they hope for well being for all beings.
Gala Narezo she/her
Board Member
Gala is a mother, artist, educator, activist and meditation teacher, who started practicing meditation through martial arts in her twenties to help her manage symptoms from depression and hormonal imbalances. Now, Gala shares these practices in many ways, including curating art and mindfulness lessons for students of all ages. Currently, Gala works with schools and educational spaces to incorporate mindfulness and meditation into curriculums.
Evy Fung she/her
Board Member
Evy has been fascinated with spirituality and wellness since she was a teenager. After a difficult time in her life, she began meditating in 2010 and in 2018 received certification as a meditation teacher. Having mixed Caribbean ancestry, she is dedicated to inspiring more representation of BIPOC and LGBTQIA folks in the wellness field. She is the co-founder of a startup called Uniformed Meditation, a convenient meditation experience for Frontline workers and First Responders. In her spare time, she enjoys the arts and being a mom and partner.
Hannah Moon she/her
Board Member | Secretary
Hannah is a certified mindfulness/meditation and yoga teacher, visual artist, and founder of Soul In Training (SIT). She came to her practice in 2014, while she was transitioning from being a working actor in NYC for 15 years to being a new mother. She is passionate about teaching mindfulness practices to kids, entrepreneurs and creatives, and emphasizes cultivating compassion, intuition and creativity. Hannah also works with the AAPI community to help navigate the challenges of the rising violence against Asians, and the ongoing work for greater awareness and inclusion. She is an IDP MTT cohort of 2020. She teaches yoga weekly online and offers workshops, courses, and classes. To learn more: www.soulintraining.com & hannahmoon.com
Heidi Marben, PsyD she/her
Board Member
Heidi has worked with children, caregivers and teachers for over four decades. She has a MEd. in Elementary and Special Education and a Doctorate from NYU in School and Child Psychology. Heidi recently retired from Trinity School where she worked for the past 19 years as the psychologist in the Lower School. Beginning in 2009, she developed and taught a mindfulness curriculum. In addition, Heidi maintained a private practice located on Washington Square Park. She has studied and practiced Buddhism for more than 20 years and is interested in the exploration and application of Western and Buddhist psychological theory and practice.