Summer Week Six

Summer Week Six, July 14-20: The Summer Program at Holden Village includes opportunities for learning, relaxation, and fun for all ages. From bowling and backpacking to weaving and worship, there is something for everyone. You can learn more about the variety of things to do here.

 

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah

Krish is the President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. She previously served in the Obama White House as Policy Director for First Lady Michelle Obama and at the State Department as Senior Advisor under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry. Krish is a graduate from Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County and then attended Yale College, where she earned a Master’s degree in Political Science and a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She was a Marshall Scholar at Oxford University, where she received an M.Phil. in International Relations, before returning to Yale Law School, where she served on the Yale Law Journal. At the White House, Krish served as Policy Director for Michelle Obama and led the First Lady’s signature Let Girls Learn initiative. At the State Department, she coordinated development and implementation of multiple programs including those concerning refugees and migration, engagement with religious communities, the legal dimensions of U.S. foreign policy, and regional issues relating to Africa and the Middle East. She worked closely with USAID, Health & Human Services and the Department of Defense. She has been recognized as one of The Daily Record’s “Top 100 Women” and serves on the Advisory Committee of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration.

 

Bruce Reyes-Chow 

Bruce Reyes-Chow is a sought-after speaker and writer on topics of faith, culture, politics, race, and technology. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), has led churches in the San Francisco Bay Area for nearly three decades, and is a former moderator of the PC(USA). Reyes-Chow hosts the podcast BRC & Friends and has authored five books, most recently Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. A senior consultant and coach with Convergence, Reyes-Chow and his spouse have three adult children and live in San Jose, California.

 

 

 

 

 

E.N. West 

E.N. West, affectionately known as “E” (they/he), proudly hails from the DC metropolitan area, by way of Alexandria, Virginia. E deeply believes “we are uninhibited when we know our power” and is committed to co-creating a world where everyone intimately knows how powerful they are and directs that power toward collective liberation. They are many things, but at the heart of all of them, they are a community organizer based in Seattle, Washington. E feels called to community organizing as both a vocation and way of life. To that end, they organize faith communities around equitable land stewardship as a Co-Founder and Faith Land Organizer of the Faith Land Initiative of The Church Council of Greater Seattle.

 

 

 

 

Joey Lopez

Joey Lopez is a Southern transplant to the Seattle area. Joey has a passion and purpose for building collective power and channeling that power towards collective liberation. Joey believes that alone we are incredibly powerful people, and when we organize that power, our wildest dreams become reality. Joey lives into his purpose as a facilitator, trainer, and community organizer at The Church Council of Greater Seattle. As a trainer, facilitator, and organizer, Joey strives to embody the values he has learned throughout his life and the intersections of his experiences. Joey’s upbringing in a rural southern community, constantly hearing “sit down and stay awhile,” nurtured his value of deep, authentic relationships. His kinship with LGBTQ elders reminds him of the importance of persistence and bringing others along the journey toward liberation. And, the generations of resilience modeled by his Puerto Rican ancestors inspire him to sustain the work in new ways.”

 

 

 

David Westerlund

David delights in listening to the aspirations of leaders and helping they and their teams unlock hidden resources by facilitating meaningful and playful engagement. He creates a space for both levity and gravity to emerge.  He believes that there is a lot of wisdom in the room and our intentionality around designing and facilitating our meetings and gatherings can open up or close down possibilities. He delights in sharing the gems of Applied Improvisation – giving us practices and skills to amplify our ability to listen, empathize, play, experience joy, connect, be creative, and collaborate – all skills essential for our uncertain and complex times. David’s work as a consultant, learning designer, facilitator, and leadership coach has led him to work with teams in health care, business, nonprofits, churches, government, and schools. He lives in Bellingham, Washington and his favorite moment of this last year was performing improv with his 20-year old daughter Simone for the first time in Seattle. He came to Holden for the first time in 2008 with his daughter and it continues to reveal its gifts to both of them.

 

 

Sara McMahon

Sara Carmer McMahon is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, NYC, and a company member and teacher at Unexpected Productions, Seattle. She’s also an applied improv facilitator who specializes in teaching listening skills, playfulness, empathy, connectedness, and overcoming fear of failure. Most recently, she has created and illustrated The Playdate Deck, a 65-card deck of Two-Person improv-based games designed to increase connection, playfulness, and relationship resilience. She is an emerging papercut artist, whom you can visit at IG @saramacpapercuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merideth Hite Estevez

Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez is a creative catalyst, inviting all to the joy of creative expression through her writing, coaching, and performing. As an oboist, Merideth has performed with top orchestras in the US and abroad, and is currently the English hornist/Second Oboe of the Chamber Orchestra of NY. Recently, she served as Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Delaware. Her education has taken her all over the world—Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Yale School of Music, Fulbright Scholar to Germany, and The Juilliard School, where she received her doctorate in oboe. She has been a featured speaker at Google, Longy School of Music, ShePodcasts LIVE, Hope*writers, Music Institute of Chicago, and more. As a coach, she has helped thousands of artists overcome creative block through her popular online creative recovery clusters and has served as an executive coach for all types of arts leaders. Dr. Estevez’s award-winning podcast, Artists for Joy, was in the top 250 podcasts in the US in the Self-Help category in January 2023 and is currently in the top 1.5% of podcasts worldwide. Her first book, The Artist’s Joy: A Guide to Getting Unstuck, Embracing Imperfection, and Loving Your Creative Life, debuts in Spring 2024 from Broadleaf Books. Originally from South Carolina, Merideth now resides in Metro Detroit, Michigan, with her husband, Rev. Edwin Estevez, daughter Eva, and son Eli.

 

 

Suzanne Crawford O’Brien

As a professor of Religion and Culture and Native American and Indigenous Studies, Suzanne Crawford O’Brien has spent nearly twenty-five years teaching Indigenous traditions and comparative religions, and how they help us rethink our approach to health, healing, and ecological flourishing. Today, her work finds her in the classroom, working with tribal communities and nonprofits to protect Indigenous first foods, and as a public speaker leading workshops for community groups and faith-based organizations. She currently serves as Professor of Religion and Culture and affiliate faculty in Native American and Indigenous Studies, and Environmental Studies at Pacific Lutheran University. Previous publications include Religion and Culture in Native America (Rowman and Littlefield, 2020) and Coming Full Circle: Spirituality and Wellness Among Native Communities in the Pacific Northwest (University of Nebraska Press, 2014).

 

 

 

Kathryn Castrodale

Kathryn Castrodale is a pianist, performer, and teacher in Chelan. She’s a founder of the Lake Chelan Bach Fest. Kathryn has played solos, chamber music, and orchestral music with the Festival for 42 years. She is the pianist for Wenatchee Valley Symphony and enjoys making music with a large group. She also plays chamber music with Classic Pizzazz, a trio with a violinist and oboist, playing weddings and concerts all around north-central Washington. Kathryn really enjoys musical theater and has been music director for most of Chelan’s musicals, as well as several in Omak. She feels honored to be Guest Musician at Holden Village and looks forward to collaborating with the talented folks who live and visit here.