Faculty

Alex Forrester – Sustainable Living & Community Planning
Alex received a Bachelor of Arts (History) at Princeton University (1961) and a Master of Architecture at Yale University (1966). He has been involved in major project planning, design and construction management for the last 40 years. His specialty is sustainable design, and recent projects have included the 68 unit Verde Village planned community, featuring Net Zero Energy Homes producing as much energy as they consume, and an 1800 square foot home in Ashland featuring active and passive solar design, together with a healthy indoor environment for chemically sensitive occupants. He has directed and participated in the establishment of a comprehensive plan, urban growth plan, downtown plan, urban growth boundary, urban service policies, economic development plan and industrial park development plan for various Oregon cities. He initiated and administered a park expansion program for the city of Berkley, California. He has facilitated and mediated negotiations in the land use design and approval process.

Anandi Cornell – Foundations of Eastern Philosophy
Anandi graduated from the University of Michigan in 1969 with a degree in Economics. She is a founding member of Ananda Village and has been a minister for the Ananda Church of Self-Realization since 1980. She was co-director of Ananda’s Palo Alto community in the mid-1980s and director of Ananda’s program for new members at the Ananda Meditation Retreat for eight years. She has been a teacher at The Expanding Light meditation and yoga retreat since 1995.

Bhavani Girard – World Religions A teacher of comparative religion for over 30 years, Bhavani is a graduate of an Interfaith Ministry Program and co-founder of an Interfaith Seminary. Her studies have also included many years of dedication to the teachings and unitive vision of Paramhansa Yogananda. She is the author of We Are One - The Message of Unity Found in All Wisdom Traditions.

Celia Alvarez, Ph.D. – World Cultures & Consciousness;The Yugas, Art of Written Expression
Celia holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and a B.A. in Language and Communication from Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts. Her areas of research and teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level included the study of language, gender, and identity across cultures, the study of oral narrative of personal experience, oral history, women’s studies, multicultural/bilingual education, higher education, and ethnic studies. She has been in the forefront of curriculum reform in higher education and development of trans-disciplinary academic programs of study over the last 30 years. She served on the Board of Trustees of Hampshire College 2003-07.

David Steinmetz – World Cultures & Consciousness: The Yugas David’s experience includes forty years of scientific work, initially in observational astronomy and later in optical metrology. He is retired from Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and is the author of numerous articles and papers concerning astronomy and optical technology. For more than a decade he has been writing and lecturing on the topic of a particular cyclic world-view based on yoga philosophy.

Dennis Schulman – The Art of Oral Expression Dennis holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Math from State University of New York, Buffalo, cum laude; a Juris Doctor from Northeastern School of Law; and teaching credentials in social science (California) and math (California, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts). He taught math at Sierra College in Grass Valley, California, from 1991 to 1994 and has been a high school math teacher since 1980. He also teaches SAT workshops and tutors privately, especially math.

Devaki Soupios - Drama and Consciousness
Devaki graduated from Indiana State University with a degree in Theater. She has over 35 years experience acting and directing, including 24 years of acting, directing, and teaching theatre arts at Ananda Village and other Ananda communities, She wrote, directed, and performed in “A Man Named John,” a short one-act play. She has been a minister for Ananda Church of Self-Realization for ten years.

Drupada Macdonald – Vedic Sciences and Healing
Vedic Astrology Drupada has been a student of astrology since 1982. He is a graduate of the Komilla Academy of Vedic Astrology and a member of the Council of Vedic Astrology. Since 1995 he has been a full time professional astrologer. He divides his time between the US, Europe, and India, where he gives classes and individual consultations.

Henry Huta – Material Success and Business Leadership, Business Finance I, Material Success Through Yoga Principles Henry holds degrees in Public Accounting (B.A.) from CW Post University, Computer Science (M.S.) from West Coast University School of Engineering, and Management (M.B.A.) from Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management. For over 20 years, he has been CEO of Archfield Consulting Group, providing business owners, private equity firms, and corporate clients with alternative leadership platforms through the engagement of an interim CEO. Clients are from diverse manufacturing and service industries, and have included start-ups and major organizations with over $300 million in annual sales. He has served on the boards of numerous public and private companies. Irene Schulman – Education for Life Irene holds a B.S. in Business Marketing and co-founded the Living Wisdom high school at Ananda Village in 1997. She has applied the Education for Life philosophy in her teaching for over 10 years.

Janakidevi Steinmetz – Directional Psychology Janakidevi has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California at Humboldt, with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education. At one time she held a California Teaching Certificate for Preschool Education. She also earned an MA and did her clinical training at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Counseling Psychology. She did Ministerial Counseling and Therapy in Palo Alto for a number of years, before her duties as an Ananda minister took her to the Seattle Center. She is now retired, spending her time in volunteer work at Ananda.

Korelle Hendee – The Yoga of Movement
Korell holds a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon. She has been a garden and landscape designer and environmental planner for 12 years and a visual artist and art instructor for 15 years. Certified as a Level II (500 hours) Ananda Yoga Instructor, she has been teaching yoga for seven years, including three years at Winona State University. In addition, she taught dance and fitness and coached swimming for 17 years.

Mandala Skillman – Vedic Sciences and Healing: Vastu Mandala has an A.A. in art and design and 20 years of experience practicing Vedic arts and design. She is a consultant in interior and exterior design, based on the principles of Vastu.

Nitai Deranja – Foundations of Eastern Philosophy, Calculus and College Math Nitai received his B.A. in Humanistic Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley Phi Beta Kappa, and an education credential and M.A. in education from the University of California at Davis. He founded the first Education for Life elementary school in Nevada City, California, and established the first Education for Life high school in 1997. He has taught parenting and teacher training workshops for over 30 years and is the author of The Art of Joyful Education, For Goodness’ Sake: Helping Children and Teens Discover Life’s Higher Values, and co-author of Journey to the Heart of Nature.

Patricia Kirby, Ph.D. – Art of Written Expression Patricia holds a B.A. in History, with a minor in English from Trinity College, an M.A. in Sociology from Catholic University of America, and an Ed.D. in Educational Technology from Catholic University. She has extensive experience teaching psychology, sociology, and writing, both online and in traditional classrooms. She has administrative experience in instructional design, course development, and program evaluation, generally focusing on innovative educational programs and has written and edited numerous articles, poetry, reports, etc.

N. Paul Cryer – Cooperative Spiritual Living Paul was a founding member of Ananda Village (1970) with responsibility for developing Ananda Dairy, which at its height employed six workers and produced milk, yogurt, and cheese for the community. He managed a construction company, which employed up to 35 workers. His building experience ranges from creating buildings for National Car Rental, Avis, and other companies to the use of alternative building modalities such as rammed earth and solar power. He is an elected member of Ananda Village Council and has worked with the Nevada County Planning Commission. He has taught classes in business and leadership.

Ramesha Nani – Music, Yoga and Consciousness Ramesha is a native of Lugano (Switzerland). He studied classical guitar starting at the age of six. He switched to violin as a teenager and received his Diploma in Violin from the Conservatory of Milan (Italy) in 1995. He also studied voice with soprano Giovanna Zaugg from 1990-1997. He taught violin and voice at the Scuola Maspero, Como (Italy) from 1995-2000 and was employed as a middle school music teacher in southern Switzerland from 1999-2006. He has performed extensively as a member of the Ananda Music Ministry in Italy, Switzerland, and the western United States. The Harmony Duo, which he founded with his wife, Bhagavati, in 2006, offers both concerts and seminars designed to increase awareness of the influence of music on consciousness.

Renee Glenn – Graphic Arts Renee graduated from Ohio University with a B.S. in Communications/Journalism and a M.A. in Interdisciplinary Media (film, photography, public relations) and did post-graduate training in the Professional Design Program at UC Santa Cruz. For nearly 30 years, she has worked in the fields of production, design, photography, and publicity. She was Commercial Film Production Coordinator at Universal Studios, MGM, Grief-Garris, Walt Disney Educational, Churchill Films from 1984-88. Since 1996, she has been principal and owner of Renee Glenn Designs in Nevada City, California. She is a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.

Sara Nischala Cryer – Creativity and Self Awareness, Graphic Arts, Cooperative Spiritual Living
Nischala graduated with honors from Pacific University with a B.A. in Mass Communications, English and Art, and did post graduate training in journalism, art, and writing at San Diego State University. She served as editor of the Stanford Lawyer and publications director at Stanford Law School and has been Vice President, Creative Director for numerous advertising and design firms. In 1986 she founded her own design agency in Palo Alto, California, and since 1990 has held a variety of communications positions with Ananda Sangha. She is the author of "Reflections on Living: 30 Years in a Spiritual Community" and has written for a variety of healing and yoga magazines. She is the founder/director of the Living Wisdom Camps, and teaches Creativity, Intuition, Film, Photography, Journalism and Graphic Arts. She has been a minister with Ananda for 20 years.

Steve Weber – Entrepreneurship Project Steve graduated from the University of Utah 1970 with a degree in Marketing, was District Manager for Valvoline Corporation and past CFO for Ananda Church of Self-Realization.

Sue Loper-Powers – The Art and Science of Raja Yoga, Introduction to Healing Arts Sue holds degrees in nursing from Stanford (B.S.N.), University of California in San Francisco (N.P.), and University of Washington (M.N.), where she later taught and received the Excellence in Teaching Award. She completed trainings at the California College of Ayurveda, The Harbin School of Shiatsu and Massage, the Ayurvedic Institute, and the School of Polarity Therapy. She has been a practicing nurse for over 30 years specializing in women’s health, birth, and newborn care. A student and practitioner of yoga and meditation for 20 years, she has taught yoga classes in the US, Canada, Italy, Germany, and India.