Board and Team

Mandar Apte is the Founder and Executive Director of Cities4Peace, the Producer/Director of From India With Love, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). Mandar has studied, practiced and taught meditation practices for the past two decades.

Claudio Araya is a clinical psychologist and PhD in Psychotherapy Research, and is working towards developing an enacted and relational perspective of mindfulness, together with the application of mindfulness and self-compassion in different context, especially in psychosocial vulnerability context.

Michael Yellow Bird, MSW, PhD, is Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba. He is a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Nation in North Dakota, USA. His research focuses on decolonization, neurodecolonization, Indigenous mindfulness and contemplative practices, and the cultural significance of Rez dogs.

Yi Heng is a senior consultant to international financial institutions in clean coal technology and hydrogen production, as well as carbon neutrality strategy. He is also Asia Deputy Director of the International Ecological Development Union (EDUI) and a fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Science. Yi Heng is a practitioner of Information Healing.

Diana Divecha, Ph.D. is a developmental psychologist and Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center and Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. She writes about children and families for the general public and consults with organizations on matters of developmental science.

Daniel Ellenberg, Ph.D. is the founder of the Men and Boys Compassion Coalition (MBCC), a group seeking to educate both professionals and the public about what defines a strong, compassionate man.

Chris Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School.

Rick is a psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and a New York Times best-selling author. With his son Forrest, he produces the Being Well podcast which has downloaded over 25 million times. He’s also lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, as well as taught in meditation centers worldwide

Reggie is an internationally recognized yoga and meditation teacher and the founder/chief serving officer of Active Peace Yoga.

Jeremy Lent is an author whose writings investigate the patterns of thought that have led our civilization to its current crisis of sustainability. Jeremy is founder of the nonprofit Liology Institute, dedicating to fostering an integrated worldview that could enable humanity to thrive sustainably on the earth.

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

Nicola is a professor of Psychology at John Cabot University and a CFT therapist and trainer based in Rome. She is the author of several national and international peer review publications and book chapters on compassion, compassion-focused therapy, and the physiological correlates of prosocial motivations. She is also the founder of Compassionate Mind Italia which is linked to the Compassionate Mind Foundation in the UK.

Lilli is a writer, mindfulness teacher, classical singer, and movement practitioner. She attended the University of Virginia and Columbia University and has studied the work of developmental psychologists and social scientists. Assisting others to prevent and heal trauma is her life mission.

Marina is a writer, journalist, content creator and activist from Buenos Aires. Apart from her professional work in print and online media, she has been volunteering in grassroots organizations for over a decade, advocating for environmental justice, child literacy, hunger relief and community development.

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.

Maria Paula is a Colombian contemplative trainer and compassion coach. She is a Senior Teacher and Teacher Trainer of the Compassion Cultivation Program developed at the Centre for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University. She is also a certified teacher and teacher trainer of the Mindfulness Based Emotional Balance Program developed by Margaret Cullen and she is a trained teacher of the Mindful Self-Compassion program developed by Chris Germer and Kristin Neff. She is trained as a therapist, and she is also a lecturer, organizational consultant and advisor to groups and individuals on topics related to well-being/ whole-being, change, contemplative practices, mindfulness, compassion, self-compassion and purpose.

Rachel is a connector, creative leader, and catalyst for cultural transformation. With more than two decades in arts and culture, she has built powerful alliances that connect visionary ideas with funding to create lasting impact. As a strategist, advisor, and curator, she designs and leads initiatives across cultures, genres, and disciplines—often highlighting content from sacred and remote places.

Cat is a creative ​strategist currently based in Cape Town. ​Cat specialises in creating content with a ​radical empathy scope. Prior to joining the GCC Cat worked with the Movement for Mothers, FAMSA, and One81.