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Julie Forsythe

Julie Forsythe is a co-founder and associate teacher of the Foundation for Active Compassion with her teaching mentor, Lama John Makransky, and Leah Weiss Ekstrom. She served as secretary on the national board of the Dzogchen Center for eight years where she focused on development of community contemplative practice groups. She was on the national board of the American Friends Service Committee for six years focused on international programs of relief and reconciliation.

Julie was introduced to Buddhism in 1969 when she was working at the Quaker Rehabilitation Center for Vietnamese civilians during the Vietnam War. A lifelong Quaker, she is also rooted in that contemplative western mystical tradition. Julie has been a student of Lama Surya Das' and Lama John Makransky's since 1995 and she has completed many meditation retreats in the natural ease tradition of Tibetan Buddhism (Dzogchen), including multiple One Hundred Day Retreats. She has also served as a practice leader in these retreat settings.

Julie currently chairs the First Year Studies Department at Landmark College in Putney, Vermont. As an Assistant Professor, beyond her teaching and departmental chair responsibilities, she regularly teaches meditation to learning disabled students.

Julie teaches NWC Meditation in Putney, Vermont and in Cambridge and Northampton, Massachusetts.

Contact: jforsythe [at] landmark [dot] edu

Leah Weiss Ekstrom

Leah Weiss Ekstrom is a co-founder and associate teacher of the Foundation for Active Compassion, which is an organization that seeks to make Buddhist practices accessible to caregivers, activists, and interfaith learners. She has received Masters degrees in Social Work and Pastoral Ministry from Boston College where she is currently a doctoral candidate in Theology and Education. She is also an associate teacher for Natural Dharma, an organization that transmits traditional Buddhist teachings in the western context.

Since 1997 Leah has been studying and practicing meditations of Love and Wisdom from the Tibetan Nyingma and Kagyu traditions. She has completed many retreats including four One Hundred Day Retreats and a six-month retreat in Virginia where she has trained in the core practices of Tibetan Buddhist teachers.

Leah lives in Jamaica Plain, MA with her husband and daughter and teaches NWC Meditation in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Additionally, she offers trainings for caregivers and activists in a variety of settings such as with the Boston College School of Social Work and the Alzheimer's Association. She also draws on her experience as a meditation teacher in her work with post-trauma refugees at the Complementary Alternative Medicine Clinic at Boston Medical Center.

Contact: leahwe [at] foundationforactivecompassion [dot] org

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