Guidance and Team

Nikayla Jefferson is a writer, poet, organizer, and ongoing curious and concerned participant-observer of this human experience. She’s currently the program manager and writer for One Earth Sangha. She’s a two-time graduate of UC Santa Barbara and holds a master’s degree in Political Science. Nikayla worked as an organizer and writer for the Sunrise Movement, and co-founded the San Diego chapter. Nikayla’s writing has been published in Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Guardian, the Nation, and others. She’s a contributing writer for Yale Climate Connections, training as a Buddhist eco-chaplain, and on the board of the Rocky Mountain EcoDharma Center. She describes her Buddhist lineage as a fun and funky mix of Insight and Plum Village.

Alanna Birch brings years of experience in community building, education, communications and project management. Her work centers around collaboratively designing and facilitating programs that foster meaningful connections with the more than human world. Alongside her work at One Earth Sangha, she maintains a private practice as a holistic health practitioner, clinical herbalist, and eco-chaplain. She is currently developing programs to support resilience for activists and care providers through plant-based medicine, contemplative practice, and deep earth connection. Alanna practices in the Drikung Kagyü lineage of Tibetan Buddhism with roots in the Therevāda tradition. She farms, forages, and explores the woodlands in Vermont’s White River watershed.

Brenda left a career in finance in order to experience the world beyond the corporate scene. This new path stretched over many years and most of this time was spent in the emergency humanitarian sector and volunteering on farms. These experiences led to a longing for community. Brenda is transitioning from her most recent community experience at Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton where she spent three years as a temporary monastic. She is grateful to be able to help One Earth Sangha in any way that she can.

Elena (they/them) was raised by a Buddhist father who embodied a deep care for the natural world. This infused in them a connection and appreciation between a Buddhist practice and care for the environment. As someone with a very intersectional upbringing, raised between Cuban and American culture in Tennessee as a queer child, Elena developed a natural passion for connecting the dots between seemingly different cultures, practices, faiths, and justice issues, especially related to the climate crisis. This led them to study theology and public health with a focus on climate communications and opened into a career dedicated to the science and art of environmental communications. Today, Elena resides in Chicago, Illinois with their impertinent rescue pigeon, Giselle.

dawn entered the path of the Dharma and Buddhist practice in 2009 while exploring meditation during a lifelong journey of spiritual seeking. She has always had a deep relationship with the Earth and the more-than-human world, and having lived in Michigan her whole life, she is especially appreciative of the Great Lakes Basin. In moving into retirement from a career as an attorney, dawn is bringing together her passions for the natural world and Buddhism. She is excited to be a part of One Earth Sangha and to help cultivate connection between and co-create community with practitioners.

Yutthichai was born and raised as a Buddhist in Thailand before immigrating to the US in 1987 to study at the United World College in NM. Living and learning with young people from all over the world at this international school, he developed a deep sense of self and an understanding of his individual capacity to impact the world. Yutthichai went on to earn a masters degree in engineering and started working in the Information Technology sector focusing on helping non-profit organizations use technology to achieve their missions. Yutthichai currently lives in the Washington DC area.

Elisabeth has been a student of the Dharma and the human condition for many years, and a lover of the natural world for all of her years. She is currently living on a beach in El Salvador where she appreciates being close to the ocean and the rich natural beauty and diversity of the land, while not turning a blind eye to the suffering that surrounds her. Elisabeth is grateful daily to be on her life journey with the dharma as a guide and with all the beautiful sentient beings she gets to know and love. She hopes to continue to support Ecodharma in our world for as long as she can be of service.