BOARD MEMBERS

VEN. BHIKKHU BODHI, CHAIRPERSON

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk originally from New York City. He holds a BA in philosophy from Brooklyn College (1966), and a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate University (1972). He received novice ordination in Sri Lanka in 1972 and full ordination in 1973. He was formerly the editor and president of the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He returned to the U.S. in 2002 and now resides at Chuang Yen Monastery. He is president of the Buddhist Association of the United States (2013–present). He is a prolific translator from the Pali Canon, the most ancient collection of Buddhist scriptures.

W. DAVID BRAUGHTON, VICE-CHAIRPERSON AND TREASURER

David is Chief Operating Officer of LifeStream Behavior Center, where he is in charge of the $45 million agency’s support divisions and integrated health care clinics. Previously, he served as president/CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, a large, multi-service agency bringing help, hope and healing to individuals and families facing serious life challenges resulting from abuse, sexual assault, depression, suicide, financial distress, mental illness or general life problems. David has worked for over 35 years in human services related to a range of human needs including refugee resettlement, employment and youth services. He has a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Chicago.

TOM SPIES, TREASURER

Tom was born and grew up in Boonton, NJ, USA. He received his Bachelors degree in Economics with an Accounting concentration from Rutgers University in 1983, and earned his Certified Public Accounting license in 1985. Tom has worked in the finance and accounting field for 36 years, and in addition to his current volunteer position with BGR, works as Finance Director for Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA. Tom has been a Buddhist practitioner since 2002. Prior to becoming Finance Director, Tom held the position as Executive Director of Buddhist Global Relief from 2016 to 2019, and Treasurer from 2008 until 2016. Tom is the father of two and currently resides with his wife Dana in Lee, MA.

DANIEL BLAKE, SECRETARY

Brooklyn-based jazz artist Dan Blake has led a wide-ranging career that includes significant work with artists like Anthony Braxton and Grammy-winning jazz-pop star Esperanza Spalding, as well as a range of award-winning jazz albums and multi-media compositions. Inspired by the teachings and call to compassionate action of Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, he has produced the Concert To Feed The Hungry for BGR since 2010. For Dan, a practitioner of Vipassana meditation for over a decade, the concert represents an opportunity to form a sustainable alliance between artistic and spiritual communities who share a common vision of ending hunger and poverty around the world.

AYYA DHAMMADIPA

Ayyā Dhammadīpā has been practicing Buddhism since 1987. She became a resident at Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery in 2017 and was subsequently ordained as a bhikkhuni in the Theravada Forest Tradition in the West. Prior to taking up Theravada practice, Ayyā was ordained a nun in the Soto Zen tradition in 2007, after 20 years of lay Zen practice. She is a Dharma heir in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. In addition to English, Ayyā Dhammadīpā teaches in Spanish, an expression of her Latin heritage. She is a trained interfaith chaplain, and has provided spiritual care in both hospital and hospice settings. She enjoys watercolor painting and sewing. Ayyā is mother to a lovely adult daughter.

BHIKSHU JIN CHUAN

Bhikshu Jin Chuan is an Asian-American Buddhist monk who grew up in the Silicon Valley of California. After graduating with a B.S. with Distinction in Physics (2004) and an M.A. in Religious Studies (2005), both from Stanford University, he went to live at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) as a lay volunteer. After five years, he decided to begin the monastic training program at CTTB, and later received novice ordination in 2010 and full ordination in 2013. In 2016, he received an M.A. in Buddhist Classics at Dharma Realm Buddhist University in Ukiah, where he currently serves as an instructor, chaplain, and board member. He is also involved in various translation projects led by Rev. Heng Sure. He is based in Berkeley Buddhist Monastery.

JESSIE BENJAMIN

Jessie Benjamin lives with her husband in the historic Brandywine River valley in southeastern Pennsylvania. She is a practitioner and student of Tibetan Buddhism, studying under Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche of Tergar International. As principal of a native landscape design and habitat restoration firm, she encouraged landowners to manage their land for biodiversity and water quality. She has been a long-term volunteer with Buddhist Global Relief.

GEORGE CLAPP

George has worked for over 30 years as a telecommunications engineer in data communications and high-speed networking. He assists with the information technology (IT) tasks of BGR.

CHARLES ELLIOTT

Charles is an attorney with 30 years of experience in public interest litigation on behalf of municipal governments, environmental organizations, and victims of environmental pollution. He is a member of the Easton (PA) Environmental Advisory Council, the regional Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, and Chairman of the City of Easton Planning Commission. He is also a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Human Rights Watch, the Pennsylvania steering committee of Clean Water Action, Inc., and other non-profit organizations. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Diploma in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from the Academy on Human Rights, Washington College of Law of American University. He serves as a Trustee of the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center, Washington, NJ.

SYLVIE SUN

Sylvie has been practicing Chinese Chan Buddhism since 1989, as a student and disciple of the late Master Sheng Yen. She has been a volunteer with Dharma Drum Mountain and Chan Meditation Center in Elmhurst, NY, for more than twenty years. She has led the coordination of countless fundraising events and special programs, trained other volunteers, and helped to organize ties between the local chapters. Sylvie is always happy to share her experiences in Buddhist practice, social activism, and community life.

PAT TALLMAN

Pat is a software engineer with 30 years of experience currently employed by a maker of software for discrete manufacturing. He holds a BS degree in Applied Mathematics. In addition to serving on Bhe Board, he also volunteers for the BGR IT Team under George Clapp. A longtime practitioner of the Noble Eightfold Path, Pat resides in Ventura, California. He is the father of an adult daughter.