Board of Directors
Connor Aiken has been professionally involved in the fitness, dance, and health field for 25 years. He is a personal trainer and advanced Pilates instructor, working with clients to help them move beyond self-imposed limitations and discover within themselves new possibilities for strength and freedom through movement.. He serves on the Fundraising Committee.
Ivy Ang is founder and president of Visionlinc, a company dedicated to linking vision, people and strategies. Ivy works with CEOs and teams committed to new ways of thinking and doing business. She has 30 years of business and human resources management experience in high-tech, bio-technology, strategic design consulting and financial services. She has worked for global industry leaders such as Genentech, AIG and Landor Associates. She serves on the Executive Committee.
Dr. Kyra Bobinet is the Founding Director of Vision Youthz, an organization dedicated to the rehabilitation and transformation of incarcerated youth, where she received national recognization as a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based practices to urban youth. Vision Youthz merged with MBA in December of 2007. Dr. Bobinet is a graduate of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and holds a Masters in Public Health from Harvard University. She serves on the Program and Fundraising Committees.
Kate Frankfurt, MSW, currently manages the San Francisco Zen Center’s capital campaign. From 2005-2007, she was the Community Outreach Coordinator at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. From 2002-2005, she was the California Advocate for the Children’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, where she did extensive research and advocacy on abuses within the juvenile justice system. She has also been the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and a social worker/case manager at The Door – a drug treatment center in the South Bronx. She serves on the program and fundraising committees.
Ariane Herrera is a Public Relations and Marketing consultant. Current clients include Mother, New York, T.A.G, San Francisco, and Energy BBDO, Chicago. She has worked on branding, strategy, and public relations for brands/companies including Apple, Jeep, Johnson&Johnson, and Virgin Mobile. She serves on the Fundraising Committee.
Wes Nisker has practiced mindfulness meditation for over 35 years with various teachers in Asia and the West. He is the author of the bestselling books Buddha’s Nature, The Big Bang, the Buddha, and the Baby Boom, and Essential Crazy Wisdom. He is also the founder and co-editor of the international Theravada Buddhist journal “Inquiring Mind.” Wes is an affiliate teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and teaches retreats and workshops internationally.
Isaiah Seret, M.A. is a filmmaker who has produced, directed, and assistant directed commercials, music videos, and feature films. Isaiah co-founded the MBA Project after working for Spirit Rock’s Family Program and for the Lineage Project at the San Mateo juvenile hall. He is the Chairman of the Board.
Stuart Sovatsky, Ph.D. wrote the first Federal grant to bring meditation and yoga into youth facilities in 1975. He is Co-president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology and has been a marriage therapist since 1973. Stuart chairs the Program Committee.
Daniel Rechshaffen, MA, MFTI, is creator of Mindful Children, an organization that leads trainings and implements mindfulness-based curriculum in collaboration with schools and organizations. He helped create the curriculum for Mindful Schools, The Mindful Mothering Project, and is currently developing a mindfulness curriculum for teens with Mindfulness Without Borders. He leads Mindfulness in Education trainings at places such as East Bay Meditation Center, Omega Institute, and Karuna School. He serves on the Program Committee.
