Nena vS Thurman
Executive Chairwoman
Nena is the Executive Chairwoman of Tibet House US and Menla. She has been married to Robert Thurman for over 50 years, and together they have raised four children, including Tibet House US Executive Director Ganden Thurman and renowned actress Uma Thurman. She was a successful...
Michael G. Burbank
Director of Administration
Michael has been a student of Robert Thurman and HH the XIV Dalai Lama for 20 years, since his undergraduate years at Columbia University. In February of 2002 he was invited to help the Thurmans and Tibet House start the newly acquired Menla retreat. Over the years, he worked var...
Lynn Schauwecker
Managing Director
With an extensive fundraising and marketing background, Lynn began working for Tibet House US in 1999 in Development as well as heading up the Annual Tibet House US Benefit Auction. In 2004 she organized the Global Women’s Gathering at Menla which initiated the International Co...
Amber Hallinan
General Manager
With over twelve years experience in the hospitality industry, Amber joined Menla’s Front of House team in August of 2015 after wanting to shift out of restaurant management onto a path that aligned with her spiritual goals and life interests. She became Front of House Man...
Anne Marie Miller
Programming & Sales Manager
Anne Marie Miller became Menla’s Sales Manager in early 2020 to support the organization’s growth, bringing her network and creativity to develop programs focused on women’s empowerment, environmental conservation, and indigenous wisdom exchange. She brings over...
Alicia Ojeda
Executive Chef
Originally from Los Angeles, Chef Alicia grew up surrounded by the rich cultural and culinary heritage of her Mexican family. She is classically-trained in the culinary arts with a career spanning more than 25 years. Among the many roles she has played professionally, she has alw...
Emma Farouk
Spa Manager
Emma joined the Dewa Spa team as Spa Manager in early 2021. For the last 6 years, she has supported growing families as a Doula, providing people with access to information, resources, and tools they may need in order to make choices that align with their unique values, hopes and...
David Giangreco
Facilities Manager
Born and raised on Long Island, David has built his career on hard work and attention to detail. Working on projects ranging from multi-million dollar estates to his own home, his focus is on preserving the beauty of historic Americana elements of the Hudson valley. David joined ...
Lisa Taranto
Head of Horticulture
Lisa has a background in architecture, but went rogue after realizing that she needed a physically engaged life to feel like a whole human. She has been practicing and implementing the design of buildings, urban agriculture, robust gardens, and ecological restoration systems for ...
Justin Akers
Housekeeping Manager
Justin is originally from Oklahoma City. He has twelve years of experience in the hospitality industry. Justin spent two years in the Alaskan Arctic, a year in Antarctica, and did an MA program in Eastern European Studies in Krakow, Poland. Justin first became interested in Tibet...
Justin Stone-Diaz
Director of New Media
Justin Stone-Diaz is a first generation digital native working with online communities creating inclusive content since 1984. A long time student of Lama Karma Rinchen and Anam Thubten Rinpoche, Justin has worked as a digital personal assistant to Sharon Salzberg, Gelek Rimpoche ...
MENLA
