Founder and Board President

Cynthia brings expertise in business and communications as well as extensive experience serving on nonprofit boards. She has been a mindfulness meditator for more than two decades.

Secretary

Beth is a staunch believer in the benefits of mindfulness for all, and is particularly excited to help youth obtain useful tools for coping with the ups and downs inherent in adolescence. Beth is the mother of two, and has worked as a real estate and corporate attorney, manager, freelance writer and non-profit volunteer.

A nurse practitioner specializing in women’s health, Susan manages the School-Based Health Center at Port Townsend High School and is a healthcare provider at Jefferson Public Health.

Rebakah is an environmental sociologist working on issues of environmental justice, resilience, and community networking and teaches courses on these themes at the post-secondary level. She has additional experience in grant management, grant writing, and nonprofit administration.

As an involved parent in our community, Jenn relates to the challenges our children face and understands the profound impact outreach and mental health awareness education can have.

Jenn combines a passion for improving community health programs with a focus on fiscal sustainability as Financial Manager at Jefferson County Public Health. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve our local youth as part of The Benji Project team.

Janine has been an active supporter of The Benji Project (TBP) since its inception. She has witnessed first hand the power of TBP’s mindful self compassion approach and is honored to be on the board. Professionally she’s served for forty plus years in nonprofits around the country, most of that service as an executive director. She is an executive coach, strategic planning consultant and currently is Treasurer of the Nonprofit Association of Washington.

Executive Director

A lifelong educator and learner, Heather has taught and learned from students from Kindergarten age through adults. She has designed innovative programming for after-school, in-school, and summer settings. From 2005 to 2010, she served as an administrator in the New York City Department of Education and then worked as a consultant for school districts across the county. Her experience with yoga, meditation, and creative self-expression in a range of modalities led her to The Benji Project in 2017. She was one of the first instructors hired locally to be trained in the Mindful Self-Compassion curriculum. Heather then took on the role of Program Director in 2019 and that of Executive Director in 2023. She holds a BA from Yale, and an MA from The New School, but she feels that much of her most profound learning has occurred in non-traditional settings. She is passionate about creating spaces for deep human connection and growth. She is grateful for the lessons she learns daily from her daughter, stepdaughter, and the many other wise young people she encounters.

Administration & Operations Manager

Aleah has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz and has worked in grassroots and nonprofit organizations for 20 years. She is a mother of two and PTHS alumni. Most recently she has worked as an owner/operator of a small farming business in Jefferson County. Aleah is eager to apply her passion and experience to help the Benji Project serve youth across Jefferson County to make adolescence a more enjoyable journey.

Development Manager

As an artist, Loren is a lifelong creator. She used art and mindfulness practices to help process and move through the grief of losing her mother. She feels that the more tools we have navigate life’s large emotions, the better we are at serving ourselves and our communities.

Previously, Loren worked building long-term client relationships with local and national nonprofits, helping to introduce them to a mission-based system of fundraising from individual donors. She also brings deep experience in graphic design, marketing, and event management. She excels at solving problems and creating systems for supportive workflow structures.

Community Outreach Coordinator & Instructor

Born and raised by the blackberries, cedars, and salmon of the Pacific Northwest, Eden is a lifelong activist, poet and educator with two decades of experience teaching in diverse settings–including prison, gender-specific and nature-based youth programs–who has had the privilege to travel, work and study in over a dozen countries. She co-managed the City of Seattle's Neighborhood Matching Fund and holds Teen Talking Circles, Permaculture Design, Mediation, and Financial Social Work certifications. Eden directed the California Global Youth Peace Summit, served on the board of CommonSpace Community Land Trust and was the Transformational Education Director for a longstanding women-centered social change organization in California. A Leadership California and Leadership Institute for Just and Resilient Communities Fellow, Eden is also a practicing herbalist, craftswoman, photographer, flower essence practitioner, and movement artist who recently completed her first half-marathon.

Program Coordinator & Instructor

Nancy is a Maritime Educator and Program Manager at the Northwest Maritime Center. She has extensive experience in experiential and outdoor education with youth as well as background with mindfulness and non-violent communication practices.