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Karmê Chöling is very pleased to announce our newly appointed Co-Executive Directors, JT Buck and Vegan Aharonian. Aharonian and Buck will succeed Betsy Railla, who will step down on September 1st.
Our New Executive Directors Both Vegan and JT come to the position with many years of experience in the community and with close ties to Karmê Chöling. Vegan is a teacher in the Shambhala community and a former resident of the center. JT has recently served on staff at Karmê Chöling as Residency Manager and Director of Programs. Both will work in tandem to lead the day-to-day operations of the retreat center. In addition, the co-directors will also lead the center’s fundraising, programming and public outreach. The Inspiration to Step Forward When asked what was the inspiration for stepping into this role, each had this to say:
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About Vegan Aharonian Vegan began studying Shambhala Buddhism in 1996. Originally from Armenia (the former Soviet Union), he came to the United States as a graduate student at Columbia University in 1991. Since 2008 he has been part of the Governing Council at the New York City Shambhala Center and head of its Practice and Education. In addition to teaching regularly in New York, he has also taught international Shambhala programs in Russia and Ukraine. Vegan holds a PhD in geophysics and has worked as a software engineer for most of his career. His last engagement was at the United Nations. About JT Buck JT has been a dharma practitioner since 2009. He has served KCL as Director of Programs, Residency Coordinator and Program Coordinator. He originally hails from Ohio, where he maintained an active and varied career in the performing arts and non profit sectors for nearly 20 years. He is a graduate of the University of Akron and has completed post-graduate studies both there and at the University of Houston. He recently completed pilgrimages to Nepal and to ancient family sites in the UK and Europe. A Bow of Gratitude Having completed her 4-year term that she began in late 2019, Betsy Railla's cheerful, can-do attitude will be sorely missed. She has been creative and resourceful in the face of major obstacles, the most prominent being COVID. Under her direction the residency program was begun and KCL launched it's online and hybrid programming which allowed the center to remain open and available to retreatants and residents alike. This was at a time when many small businesses were having to shut down. She will not be far away however, as she and her husband Nathan live nearby in the local area.