Advisory Council

Jude Addo

JA Group & Co

Founder and CEO of JA Group & Co, an alternative investment firm with global interests in financial services, technology, real estate, and natural resources.

Abeer Al Saud

Dinar

Abeer is a peace and sustainability professional with many years of experience in multilateral organizations. She is the founder and chair of The Sustainable Development Association (Talga), and the boutique advisory, Dinar.

Izzeldin Abuelaish

Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

Dr. Abuelaish is a passionate proponent of peace between Palestinians and Israelis. His work interests include global public health, women’s health in countries in conflict, hatred as a contagious disease, and the impact of conflict on social indicators of health in the Middle East.

Saadiah Ali

International Healthcare Management

Saadiah is an International Healthcare expert with over 20 years of Operations Management, Marketing, Business Development and Strategic planning.

James Baraz

Awakening Joy

James has been a meditation teacher since 1978. He is creator and teacher of the Awakening Joy course (since 2003). He leads retreats, workshops and classes in U.S and abroad.

Christina Bethell

Johns Hopkins University, Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative

Dr. Bethell is a Professor at Johns Hopkins University where she advances a new integrated Science of Thriving and Prioritizing Possibilities to lift family and community voices and translate of the science of relational health and attuned presence.

Bhante Buddharakkhita

Uganda Buddhist Centre

Founder and Abbot of the Uganda Buddhist Center in Uganda, Bhante is a Visiting Professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York, USA.

Vidyamala Burch

Prudence Margaret Burch OBE, known professionally as Vidyamala Burch, is a mindfulness teacher, writer, and co-founder of Breathworks, an international mindfulness organization known particularly for developing mindfulness-based pain management.

Imee Contreras

Mindfulness Asia

Founder of Mindfulness Asia and a co-founder of Philippine Insight Meditation Community. An affiliate teacher at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center and Cross-Cultural Mindfulness Teacher and Board Member of Braided Wisdom.

Margaret Cullen

Compassion Corps

Margaret Cullen is a licensed psychotherapist and was one of the first ten people to become a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher.

Simon Cohen

Event host and keynote speaker

Simon is a peace activist, keynote speaker and communications specialist who purpose is to spread messages of hope.

Haifa Dia Al-Attia

Harvard University

Haifa Dia Al-Attia is an Advanced Leadership Initiative Senior Fellow and a firm believer in the power of education to transform lives, livelihoods and the world into a better place for all, providing opportunity and hope in all contexts.

Andrew Dreitcer

Claremont School of Theology

Professor of Spirituality in a Christian seminary that focuses on inter-religious, multi-cultural engagement.

Gaylon Ferguson

Naropa University

Gaylon is a faculty member in the religious studies and interdisciplinary studies departments at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.

Andrew Flather

INSEAD

Andrew is a multidisciplinary fundraiser with over a decade's experience in the education sector. He is based in Europe, and specialises in raising support at all levels from philanthropic individuals.

Anna Friis

Anna is a psychologist specialising in compassion-based therapy and a teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion.

Michael Gayner

Michael was the Executive Director of Drala Mountain Center from 2012 to 2023, and has been practising meditation since the mid-1980s. He has a Ph.D. in Education with a focus on holistic education, and the intersection of teaching and meditation.

Ananta Kumar Giri

Madras Institute of Development Studies; Vishwaneedam

Ananta Kumar Giri is a Professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai, India. He has been a Visiting Professor and Researcher at many universities in India and abroad.

Tony Fernando

Practice92

Senior Lecturer in Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland from 2000 to 2020. PhD in Compassion in Medicine, University of Auckland. Author of several publications on compassion in medicine since 2014.

Liz Grant

University of Edinburgh

Liz is Professor of Global Health and Development and Director Global Health Academy at the University of Edinburgh

Hailan Guo

Hailan Family Well-being

Hailan is an ophthalmologist-turned-into-psychologist with 20 years experiences in medical sector and 23 years in mental health and well-being. In 2015, she founded Hailan Family Well-being.

Lori Gottlieb

Atlantic Magazine

Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist, New York Times bestselling author, TED Speaker, co-host of the popular “Dear Therapists” podcast, and “Dear Therapist” columnist for The Atlantic.

Thupten Jinpa

Compassion Institute

Thupten is a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, former monk and an academic of religious studies and both Eastern and Western philosophy.

Carson Kelly

Compassion 2.0 / Benevolently

Carson is an entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in technology startup management, enterprise software sales, and civi engagement.

Donna Kerridge

Ora New Zealand

Donna Kerridge (Ngāti Tahinga, Ngāti Mahuta) is the founder and director of Ora New Zealand and a rongoā Māori practitioner, trainer and advisor of 20+years.

Jack Kornfield

Spirit Rock Meditation Center

Author, Buddhist practitioner, Spirit Rock Meditation Center founding teacher, and one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West.

Olga Klimecki

DZNE Dresden

Olga Klimecki, PhD, is a researcher and meditation teacher. Her research focuses on promoting the sustainable development goals.

Arlene MacDougall

Global Minds Collective

Arlene is an accomplished psychiatrist, researcher, educator and innovator who has successfully secured over 6 million dollars CAD in grants for health research and innovation over the last 6 years. As a visionary global health systems leader, she has led the development of transformative systems initiatives for mental health.

Julie Matthaei

Wellesley University

Marxist-feminist-anti-racist-ecological economist, specializing in women, gender, feminism, and work, and involved in research about and promotion of the emerging solidarity economy.

Myriam Mongrain

York University

Myriam is a clinical psychologist and Full Professor of Psychology at York University.

Deogratias Niyizonkiza

Village Health Works

Deogratias Niyizonkiza is a Burundian-born American who founded and leads the organization Village Health Works in Kigutu, Burundi.

Loyce Ong'udi

Mwanzo

Loyce is Founder and Director of Mwanzo works to create sustainable rural communities in her home village in Rabuor and neighbors in Kenya.

Vasimalai Marimuthu Paramasivam

DHAN Foundation

Over years, DHAN has facilitated about 500 thousand families to come out of poverty thru a self-declaration process.

Leah Penniman

Soul Fire Farm

Leah is Co-Founder of Soul Fire Farm and the author of Farming While Black and Black Earth Wisdom. Farmer, soil nerd, mother, and Earth devotee.

Lakiba Pittman

Menlo College

Lakiba is a Senior Adjunct Professor at Menlo College and Notre Dame de Namur University.

Sharon Salzberg

Insight Meditation Society

Sharon is a central figure in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher and NY Times bestselling author.

Judith Simmer-Brown

Naropa University

Judith is a Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies Emerita at Naropa University.

Jeff Snipes

Millennium.Org

Founder & Chairman of Millennium.org, a non-profit lab school and teaching institute advancing human well-being through greater awareness, compassion, wisdom and purpose.

Lauren Sunshine

Gender Healed World

Lauren Sunshine is a digital strategist, heart-centered entrepreneur, and advocate in the gender-healing space.

Ha Tran

Authentic Live and Learn (Vietnam)

Ha Tran is Director of Authentic Live and Learn and a self-compassion trainer.

Katherine Trebeck

Edinburgh Futures Institute

Katherine is a political economist, writer and advocate for economic system change. She co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and also WEAll Scotland, its Scottish hub.

Barbara Doeleman-van Veldhoven

BFC Compassionate Care & Mindful Medicine

Barbara is an expert in integrating and putting into practice the connection between healthcare, compassionate leadership, teamwork, science, mindfulness and spirituality.

Michael West

Lancaster University

Michael is Visiting Professor at the King’s Fund, Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University, Visiting Professor at University College, Dublin, and Emeritus Professor at Aston University.

Christine Wamsler

Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS)

Christine is Professor of Sustainability Science and Director of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Programme.

Ruby Wax

Oxford Mindfulness Centre

Ruby is an American-British actress, comedian, writer, television personality, and mental health campaigner.

Magdalena Whoolery

Breastfeeding International

Magda is a Nurse with a PhD. She is the founder of Breastfeeding International®, fighting for Women & Children’s Human Rights by promoting health, nutrition & breastfeeding.

Monica Worline

University of Michigan, Center for Positive Organizations

Monica holds a lectureship at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and is part of the core faculty at the Center for Positive Organizations.

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