Bill Park joined DeepDyve, a cloud-based digital library software company, as Chief Executive Officer in 2008. Prior to DeepDyve, Bill served at Acxiom Corporation, a global leader in information technology, where he led the company's data, digital, and direct organization and oversaw all aspects of sales, services, development, and operations domestically and internationally. Previously, Bill founded and served as chairman and CEO of Digital Impact, a leader in online direct marketing solutions for Fortune 1000 companies, which he sold to Acxiom in 2005. Before founding Digital Impact in 1997, Bill held numerous management positions at technology and enterprise software companies. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and earned an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Bill is on the Board of Advisors for the Asian Pacific Fund, was formerly an officer in Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and is a founding board member of the Korean American Society of Entrepreneurs. Bill is interested in everyday applications of mindfulness and has been coming to Spirit Rock for over 15 years.

Jack trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology, and is a father, husband, and activist. His books include A Path with Heart; Buddha's Little Instruction Book; Teachings of the Buddha; Seeking the Heart of Wisdom; Living Dharma; A Still Forest Pool; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness and Peace; The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology; and Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are.

During his professional career, John Martin served as CEO of the San Francisco Airport (SFO) for 20 years, a role for which he won many awards, including the 2015 ACC Aviation Award of Excellence. He has also been devoted to dharma practice since 2001. His practice includes both long retreat practice and an engaged practice in the world. In his teachings, he emphasizes the aliveness of practice in everyday life, as well as the cultivation of the beautiful heart qualities (brahmaviharas). John teaches Vipassana, Metta and LGBTQIA-themed meditation retreats. John's spiritual path has also included volunteer service work, including over 12 years as a hospice volunteer. He completed the SRMC/IMS/IRC 4-year teacher training in 2016. Currently, John serves as well on the Guiding Teachers Council.

Lauren is a graduate of the Dedicated Practitioners Program and has been coming to retreats at Spirit Rock for over ten years. She also practices mindfulness through yoga and received her 200 hour yoga teacher training certification in 2014. Professionally she is the Head of Solutions Marketing at Splunk, where she focuses on messaging, positioning and storytelling to executive audiences. Prior to Splunk, she spent over five years in strategy consulting at Bain & Company. She began her career in the social sector with roles at several nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, including strategy and planning at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Lauren holds a BA from Harvard College and MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She lives with her husband in San Francisco.

Matthew Brensilver teaches at the Insight Retreat Center, Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Society. He was previously program director for Mindful Schools and for more than a decade, was a core teacher at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. Matthew worked as a clinical social worker, serving severely and persistently mentally ill adults. He subsequently earned a PhD from the Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at USC. His dissertation examined the mechanisms of risk and resilience in maltreated adolescents in a large, longitudinal study in South Los Angeles. Before committing to teach meditation full-time, he spent years doing research on addiction pharmacotherapy at the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine. Each summer, he lectures at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center on the intersections between mindfulness, science and psychotherapy. He serves on the Board of Directors at Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Center.

Michael Dart is a dedicated meditation practitioner who started in the Korean/Japanese Zen traditions before discovering Spirit Rock and the Theravada Vipassana tradition. He has completed both the Dedicated Practitioners Program and the Advanced Practitioners Program. This summer, he will celebrate his 32nd residential retreat at Spirit Rock.

For the past 30 years, Michael has been a strategy consultant and a partner in leading management consulting firms. His professional focus has been advising private equity funds and leading retailers on the future of the economy and consumer. He co-authored two books (both Amazon best sellers) “The New Rules Of Retail” and “Retail’s Seismic Shift.” In the latter he explores the concept of "Rational Altruism” as being critical for long-term business success.

In 2021, Michael completed Phillip Moffitt’s Life Balance Strategist Training Program and is certified to lead “Changes and Transitions” programs and do Life Balance Strategy sessions with individuals.

Michael lives in San Francisco, CA with his family. He has a B.A. from the University of Oxford and a MBA from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He recently sat retreats in Yangon, Burma and Suan Mokkh, Thailand. An avid trekker, Michael has had multiple visits to Bhutan, Nepal and the Himalaya. He is a black belt in Korean martial arts and enjoys yoga.

Nikki Mirghafori, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher and Artificial Intelligence (AI) scientist. She is a lineage holder in the Theravada tradition, empowered by the living Burmese meditation master Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, with whom she practiced the jhanas and detailed analytical (Abhidhamma-style) vipassana. She also received empowerment from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Insight Meditation Society, Insight Meditation Center, and is a Stanford-trained compassion cultivation instructor.

At Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Nikki serves as a Stewarding Teacher as well as on the Board of Directors. She also teaches at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. Nikki’s teaching style combines clarity and warmth, and she delights in exploring deep Dharma topics with practitioners as well as mindfulness in daily life. Mindfulness of death, in particular, is one of the areas of her interest and expertise.

Additionally, Nikki has been a researcher and inventor in AI, holds multiple patents and author of scientific research articles. She has directed international research programs as the Principal Investigator, mentored postdocs and PhD students, taught graduate courses at UC Berkeley, and been a scientific advisor to Silicon Valley technology startups.

As an Iranian-American, Nikki has taught contemplative practices internationally and aspires to serve as a champion for wisdom and compassion in our world, as well as ethical AI in our zeitgeist.

Randima Fernando works at the intersection of technology, mindfulness, and social impact. Since 2017, he has served as a Co-Founder of Center for Humane Technology, which has helped over 100 million people globally understand the harms of extractive technology through The Social Dilemma documentary film and other projects. Randima previously served for seven years as founding Executive Director at Mindful Schools, a nonprofit that has taught mindfulness to millions of kids and over 40,000 educators worldwide. Prior to Mindful Schools, Randima managed many award-winning projects and authored three #1-ranked books on 3D graphics over seven years at NVIDIA technology company. He has been a dedicated Buddhist practitioner for many years and was introduced to Buddhism as a child by his parents in Sri Lanka. Randima has taught the Spirit Rock daylong program, “Technology as an Existential Threat to Mindfulness” with Matthew Brensilver.

Tara Mulay teaches and mentors Insight Meditation Practitioners to refine their mindfulness practice, both on the meditation cushion and in daily life. She was trained and authorized to teach by Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts and is a Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Tara began her intensive mindfulness practice while working as a criminal defense attorney for 20 years.

She was a leader of Mission Dharma in San Francisco, and in 2016 she co-founded the San Francisco Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Insight Sangha. Tara is of South Asian (Indian) heritage, and felt initially drawn to dharma practice when she encountered the Buddha’s teachings rejecting social caste as a measure of worth and of capacity for awakening. She believes classical Buddhist practices, designed to cultivate compassion, non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion, are uniquely potent vehicles for empowering people in marginalized communities.

Tuere Sala serves on Spirit Rock's Guiding Teachers Council and is a Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society. She has practiced Vipassana meditation for over 30 years. Tuere is committed to lay practice and inspired by bringing the Dharma to nontraditional places. She is a strong advocate for practitioners living with high stress, past trauma, and difficulties sitting still. Tuere has been teaching since 2010 and has a long history of assisting others in establishing and maintaining a daily practice.