IMCW Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the governing body of IMCW, a 501 C3 non-profit religious corporation. Board members serve as the stewards of IMCW, its resources, programs and activities.

Officers include the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. Tara Brach is a member of the Board as well as two other IMCW teachers. Membership on the Board is invitational at the present time. The Board meets every other month to discuss issues, deliberate policy and vote. The Board seeks to be an increasingly diverse group bringing a wide perspective of views and skills in service of IMCW and the Dharma.

You are always welcome to contact Board members to ask questions, offer suggestions, or give feedback and input. Board members may be contacted at meditate at imcw.org.

Hugh Byrne, Board president and teacher

I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family in London and spent my first quarter century there. My second quarter I’ve lived in the U.S. mainly working for social justice and human rights with non-governmental organizations. I currently do consulting work on human rights for the government and NGOs.

After stumbling upon Alan Watts’ The Way of Zen, I came to Buddhist spiritual practice in the mid-1980s and slowly came to realize that “this is my life.” My main teacher has been Christopher Titmuss, an inspiring and deeply engaged person, who invited me to start Dharma teaching about five years ago. In recent years, Tara Brach’s teachings on radical acceptance have helped open my heart, and after sitting a long retreat with Jack Kornfield and others at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, I look upon Jack—and Tara—as teachers and inspirations on the path.

In the last two years I have had three particularly rich Dharma experiences—becoming connected with the loving and supportive IMCW community and joining its Teachers Council and Board; working with the Washington Buddhist Peace Fellowship, which has brought together two central areas of my life—Buddhist teachings and practices and social engagement; and starting new meditation classes in the D.C. area at All Souls Church, the Flow Yoga Center and in Woodley Park.

As a Board member my main interests are three-fold: to help IMCW become as diverse and welcoming a community as it can be; to find ways to bring meditation and mindfulness practices to the larger D.C. community; and to explore avenues for IMCW to engage as fully as possible with the challenges and suffering of our society and world. I live with my partner, a storyteller, and have a daughter who is soon to be married and a son who has just gone off to college in Oregon. Please feel free to contact me anytime at hughgbyrne@yahoo.com

Betsy Brach, Board Secretary

Buddhist teachings and, in particular, the practice of Vipassana meditation, have been an important and integral part of my life for over 15 years. My spiritual practice stays vibrant through my participation in a KM group and the Wednesday night meditation class at River Road. I’ve also been able to attend numerous retreats with IMCW, IMS and Spirit Rock. My deep intention is to bring mindfulness into my everyday life; that of being a single parent (of an almost 12 year old) and a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

I started my career in Nashville after graduating from Vanderbilt University. During my early years as a nurse practitioner, I combined practice in women’s health with clinical teaching. I was fortunate to have some superb mentors while working in the public sector. That experience sparked an interest in public health. I moved to Baltimore to get my doctorate in public health and continued my clinical work and teaching. As I matured professionally, my interest in working with an individuals’ emotional health grew. I returned to Vanderbilt once again, briefly, to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. I am very excited by the ability to use my “western” health care background and my Buddhist mindfulness practice in my work as a psychotherapist.

I have been involved with IMCW for almost a decade. I have participated in and helped with many events. As a part of the IMCW community, it was an honor to serve on the then newly formed Pastoral Care Committee and volunteer in registration and management of several retreats.  I have deep gratitude for the practice, the guidance from the teachers and the support from my Sangha. It is out of my love for the dharma and the sangha that I've been inspired to serve on the Board.

Tara Brach, Founder and teacher

Senior teacher, Tara Brach, Ph.D., has practiced and taught meditation since 1975 and is the founder of IMCW. Tara is a clinical psychologist, teaches meditation classes locally, and leads retreats with Jack Kornfield and other Vipassana teachers at meditation centers around the country. She is a co-founder of the Washington Buddhist Peace Fellowship. Tara is the author of Radical Acceptance – Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha.

Melissa Banks

I started coming to Wednesday night class about five years ago.  I was in search of a spiritual community as well as a need to deepen my inner growth.  The Buddhist teachings and Vipassana meditation practice resonated for me.  IMCW offered me a sense of belonging and a community I wanted to serve.

I have been involved with set-up on Wednesday nights, the Book and Audio Table ,managing retreats and the Fundraising Committee. I am grateful to able to serve on IMCW’s board as I continue my spiritual journey and practice.

I am a single mom with three teenage children.  I have been teaching children for the last eight years and am presently a pre-school teacher.  I enjoy spending time with my family, working on Habitat for Humanity projects, sports, movies and good food.

Kurt Maurer

I lived my childhood in Ohio, my youth in Florida and have spent most of my life living in Maryland.  I graduated from and met my wife Judy at the University of Florida.  Judy and I have been married for 38 years and have two children and three grandsons.  Later in my career I attended The Johns Hopkins University where I received my doctorate in epidemiology.  In my professional career I worked as an epidemiologist for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on a program called the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.  These studies have been done in the U.S. since 1960 and allow the CDC to estimate changes in health measures such as obesity, toxic chemical exposure, risk of heart disease and many other measures of the health of the U.S. population.

In 1997 I realized that I needed to change my life.  Like many people my life was not joyful but was full of suffering.  I retired from my career, began doing Anusara Yoga, read a comparative religion book and realized that I had been a non-practicing Buddhist for many years.  I found IMCW in 2004 while perusing a copy of Tricycle Magazine and began attending Wednesday night classes.  I also set out to read as many books on Buddhism that I could and started a regular meditation practice.  Now, I aspire to realizing everyday nirvana; finding joy in every moment of every day.  In gratitude and loving kindness for the teachings of Tara Brach, I hope my dana of service will be of some benefit to IMCW and encourage all of you to find your joy in service.

Phyllis Smolkin

My connection with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington began more than 13 years ago.  As a ‘seeker’ since childhood, I knew from my first visit to meditation class in the Fireside Room in RRUC with Tara Brach that I had found a place to rest and to grow.  I listened trustfully to Tara, began to meditate and honored the practice as my heart opened wider.  Fear lessened. Presence increased.  Tara continues to be my guide and teacher.
Feeling deep gratitude for the freedom that I was experiencing from the teachings and meditation practice, I soon wanted to give back to this growing organization hoping to benefit others.  From a small group of volunteers who were genuinely invested in this sacred growing community, IMCW was created.  I joined the first Board of Directors of IMCW and led the Sangha Committee until 2006.
Ideas borne from this small volunteer leadership have become reality---- we graduated from the Fireside Room with 35 or so people to the sanctuary filled with 300.  In addition, day-long and weeklong retreats were offered regularly.  KM groups, sutta groups, mentoring programs, town meetings, satellite sanghas, Off the Cushion, a Teacher’s Council and Awakening Mind emerged to strengthen IMCW.  Programs for children, meditation classes for experienced and inexperienced students of the dharma, the Blessing Circle, People of Color and GLBT groups arose to fulfill the needs of our growing community.  I once again have been asked to join the BOD to further explore resources to build a strong and committed IMCW sangha.
Professionally, I practiced for 15 years as a clinical social worker in a middle and high school specializing in seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents.  It was a challenge and a pleasure to help these youngsters envision their strengths and use their considerable energy to emerge as successful adults in society.  I retired nine years ago and have been enjoying extensive travel with my husband of 43 years.  I am blessed with two wonderful daughters and two breathtaking grandchildren.