Adrian Bueno
Co-Founder • Board President • InstructorAdrian is the co- founder and guidance teacher of Mindful Harlem and MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction). He has been practicing Mindfulness and Insight Meditation for many years; a practice which has been a deep transformative experience for him and for the people around him.
Adrian and his family are deeply rooted in Harlem and love the diverse and wholesome community they live in. He is honored to have the opportunity to practice, learn and grow every week with the MH family. For him Meditation, Insight and Mindfulness are the means to a path towards liberation of the mind. He sees Practice, Self-Knowledge and Community as the pillars of wisdom and an awakened society; where empathy, compassion and understanding towards us and others are the components for a wholesome life.
Alex Beckmann
Sound Bath InstructorAlex Beckmann is a drummer and sound artist who has been facilitating sound baths since 2016. He is dedicated to the ongoing exploration and study of improvisation, healing arts, deep listening, and dharma.
Andrew Miles
Board Member • Sales & Marketing DirectorAndrew has been a Harlem resident since 2008 and it was the only neighborhood he considered living in when moving from Los Angeles to New York City. He’s been involved with Mindful Harlem since its inception three years ago and looks forward to its continued growth in the community.
Andrew has been involved in the entertainment and media industries for over 15 years initially starting as a sales/marketing executive at Advertising Age & Creativity magazines as well as Daily Variety and Variety publications in Los Angeles.
Andrew went on to become Sales & Marketing Director for the television industry organization,PROMAX&BDA, rising to VP, Global Sales & Marketing within a year. Upon returning to the industry in 2005 after receiving his Master of Arts degree with Phi Kappa Phi honors from Annenberg School for Communications in Entertainment Studies, Drew saw the trend in the industry towards digital media and rose to Managing Director of Studio Entertainment for The New York Times, overseeing the studio/film category for print and digital platforms.
In 2007, Andrew was offered an opportunity to move to New York City to head up east coast sales & marketing for Harpo Interactive, responsible for building revenue for Oprah.com across multiple categories and developing cross platform integrations with the Oprah Winfrey Show and Oprah Magazine. Upon leaving The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Andrew decided to dive deeper into the digital start up world and has held senior sales roles at AOL/Huffington Post and most recently as Director of Brand Storytelling at Upworthy/GOOD Worldwide. He has a passion for community involvement and volunteerism including his role as a mentor for over 15 years. Drew is also passionate about tennis, culinary arts and has been involved in Mindful Harlem since its inception three years ago and looks forward to its continued growth in the community.
Angela Dews
Dharma InstructorAngela Dews found the dharma in 1996, at Vallecitos Mountain Ranch in New Mexico, and began dedicated practice at Deer Park In California with Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. She is a graduate of the fourth Community Dharma Leaders Program at Spirit Rock and her primary teachers are Gina Sharpe and Gloria Taraniya Ambrosia. Angela co-leads the NYI Harlem Insight Sangha.
“I walk for my ancestors.” ~Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. Because the ancestors seldom walked slowly and empty-handed and sometimes had to run.
Archimedes Bibiano
Mindfulness Meditation & Adaptive Yoga InstructorArchimedes is an inspirational teacher, fluent in three languages, and has served as a keynote address and guest speaker for a number of organizations both in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.
Archimedes Bibiano has been studying and practicing meditation for thirty years, fifteen of which have been dedicated to teaching classes, workshops and seminars at schools, hospitals, and meditation centers in the United States and in Latin America. His work teaching meditation as Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI) has established thriving programs in New York City; notably, for two outpatient clinics at former St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Centers, currently Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West, and since 2004, working with pediatric patients in the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, teaching meditation and yoga to children and their families, to hospital staff, medical students and interns, physicians, and clinical researchers.
Archimedes has acted as a senior advisor for Sesame Street’s When Families Grieve™ Kit – a guide for parents and caregivers dealing with the death of a family member, providing a cultural-centered understanding of children’s inherent coping mechanisms while undergoing palliative care and grieving. His work with communities of educators and health care providers has allowed multi-cultural groups to efficiently build a shared ground of experiential knowledge, introducing a fresh approach to the development of interpersonal communication skills for self-regulation of affect, stress reduction, and conflict resolution.
Rev. Daiken Nelson
Buddhist Zen Monk • InstructorSensei began Zen Practice 30 years ago. Since that time, he has practiced at the Zen Center of Los Angeles, where he ordained with Nyogen Yeo in 1996; The Zen Peacemaker Order, where he studied with Roshi Bernie Glassman & Sensei Jishu Holmes; The Village Zendo, where he was Shuso (Head Trainee) under Roshi Enkyo O’Hara in 2001 and Upaya Zen Center, where he studied with Roshi Joan Halifax. In October, 2013, Daiken received Shiho/Dharma Transmission from Sensei Genkoji.
Daiken is the Guiding Teacher for The Pamsula Zen Center which meets on Mondays at 6:00 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 521 W. 126th Street (betw. B’way & Amsterdam). pamsulazen.org.
Daiken is the Founder of The Mandala Café, which provides Culinary job training & part-time employment for those on the margins plus a weekly meal for anyone who needs one in Central Harlem. mandalacafe.org . Prior to focusing on Zen, Daiken was a Social Worker; working with the homeless plus those with Chronic Mental Illness & Substance Abuse issues.
In addition to Zen, Daiken is a Reiki Master, Yoga Instructor, Photographer & Writer.
Dan Lee Vazquez, Jr.
Insight Dialogue and Mindfulness InstructorDan is a mindfulness teacher, writer, organizational trainer, speaker and coach, who lives in New York City and offers transformative teachings and practices that help people and organizations awaken to and realize their potential.
Dan fell in love with mindfulness in his early 20s when he was having what people nowadays call a quarter-life crisis. Everything on the outside seemed fine: a graduate of Harvard, he was working for the LA times in Mexico City, in a great relationship, making good money, had lots of friends, but something didn’t feel right from the inside-out. There was a nagging sense that “there’s more to life” than just succeeding and “making it.” Dan went on a search for something that would help bring clarity, reduce suffering and bring greater ease.
In his search, Dan met a Zen monk living on Stone Island off the coast of Mazatlán who taught him a simple meditation practice. He felt like he had been on a long journey in the desert without any water, and somebody had finally offered him a glass of water—the cool, refreshing taste of mindfulness; of being present to whatever was happening without being caught in it and pushed around by it; of touching into a loving, caring awareness at the very core of our being.
Dan was inspired to explore the practice of mindfulness in northern India, where it originated 2,600 years ago, and lived for 10 months in the foothills of the Himalayas. He worked in a school, practiced regularly, and gained clarity about his life path: to help others awaken to the potential we all have to cultivate inner peace and meet life with courage, wisdom, grace, care and love.
As a professional educator and coach, Dan has worked with a range of individuals—from elementary school students to corporate executives—and a range of organizations—from universities and non profits to corporations. Dan is trained as an MBSR teacher, Search Inside Yourself teacher, and iBme teacher.
He welcomes working with anyone interested in living with less suffering and more peace.
Edward Duncan
Executive Director • InstructorI was introduced to mindfulness and meditation many years ago and it has cultivated the landscape to come to the realization and recognize the fact that who I essentially am has nothing to do with my thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions. This practice has provided me with the tools to navigate and be present with the ever-changing, and at times, treacherous terrain called life. I wish as a young teenager growing up in the Bronx, I had these tools in my toolbox to allow me to be present with all of the internal discomfort and uneasiness associated with growing up.
Elena Ubeda Montero
Retreat ChefElena is a member of the Mindful Harlem community and the creator of our delicious retreat menus. Chef trained in the French Culinary School in Manhattan, with experience in 1 and 2 Michelin Star NYC restaurants. She is a personal chef specialized in Spanish, Italian and Middle Eastern cuisine with a strong focus on gourmet healthy alternatives. Elena’s style of cooking is very detailed oriented, emphasizing a nutritious diet but never sacrificing the flavor. She is constantly researching new products and styles of cuisine that might be of interest to the people she cooks for. Always seasonal, organic and local is her rule when it comes to the product she uses.
Erdan
Qi Gong InstructorMedical Qi-Gong and Bioenergy are the healing modalities that Erdan uses in expressing his innate healing abilities. He began his healing journey in early childhood, after surviving a 21 day coma and experiencing a NDE (Near death experience). This awakening lead him to a practice in the Martial Arts for many years. Later Erdan was drawn to other energy practices such as Reiki and Bioenergy. He studied Bioenergy with world renowned healer, Zdenko Domancic, and uses this method in his healings. In 2015 he found Zhineng (Wisdom/Ability) Qi-Gong and studied with Master Liu Jianshe from China, a direct student of Grand Master Pang Ming, MD, creator of Zhineng Qi-Gong. In 2017, Erdan began teaching this form of Medical Qi-Gong in NYC.
Fay Leeper
Board Member • TreasurerFay Leeper, the treasurer of Mindful Harlem, can be found at meditation most Saturday mornings at 9 am. She has taken the MBSR class many times. Each time, for her, it is simply a magical revelation. she declares that through Mindful Harlem’s teachings and meditation, the breath and breathing mindfully for her is the most powerful discovery toward relaxation.
Fay has encouraged many people to come and check out the Mindful Harlem family. Not only will one learn and share, but as importantly, it’s a lot of fun.
Howard Brooks
Board Member •Howard joined Mindful Harlem at its inception in 2014. He serves Mindful Harlem as a board member, digital strategist, and mindfulness instructor. He started and led the center’s Wednesday evening meditations, and has served as assistant facilitator for several MBSR courses. Howard has led Mindfulness classes for the New York City Board of Education, Bellevue Hospital, the American Cancer Society, and in several New York based corporations.
Howard is a media and marketing executive with deep industry experience in utilizing digital platforms in the concert, television, and music industries. Notable producing team credits include concerts for Simon & Garfunkel, Aretha Franklin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Diana Ross, and Metallica, as well as the Broadway show, Liza’s at the Palace starring Liza Minnelli (which won a Tony Award), and the Emmy nominated TV show Wonderama.
His current practice centers around a simple Vipassana meditation, and bringing the tenets of mindfulness into everyday activities and interactions.
Jayne Gumpel
Co-Founder • LCSWLCSW – Co-founder of MindfulHarlem and a qualified MBSR teacher.
Jayne has 25 years of experience leading groups and working with CEOs and leaders from for and non-profit organizations in addition to a private psychotherapy and coaching practice with individuals and couples. Jayne is a certified Imago Therapist, a therapeutic modality for working with relationships. Her other trainings and certifications include long term training in trauma; MBSR teacher (certification track with CFM); a mindful schools .b teacher (MiST) and Mindfulness Educator. These practices and skills are integrated and integral to her work and personal life. Jayne can be reached at 914.924.1509.
Jayne is the mother of two sons, Zak and David.
Joan Walsh
Board AdvisorJoan Walsh is The Nation’s National Affairs Correspondent and a CNN political contributor. She is the author of What’s the Matter With White People? Finding Our Way in the Next America, which the Philadelphia Daily News called “one of the best books of 2012 – and even more relevant now.” Author Anne Lamott described it as “a brilliant and illuminating book about America since the upheavals of 60’s and 70’s.” Walsh lives in New York.
Salon’s very first news editor, Walsh served as editor in chief for six years. She is a regular on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper and Out Front with Erin Burnett, and has appeared on many other national shows including Real Time with Bill Maher and Now on PBS.
Before joining Salon, she worked as a consultant on education and poverty issues for community groups and foundations, including the Rockefeller Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation. She’s written for publications ranging from Vogue to The Nation, and for newspapers including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle. An avid baseball fan, she’s the co-author of Splash Hit: The Pacific Bell Park Story, about the building of the San Francisco Giants legendary waterfront stadium.
Jomaire Crawford
Board MemberSenior complex litigation and white collar associate with experience in securities lawsuits, international white collar investigations, arbitration, and a robust pro bono practice that encompasses criminal defense, economic justice, and immigrants’ rights.
Jomaire Crawford obtained her J.D. from Yale Law School and B.A. in English (summa cum laude) from St. John’s University. She currently works in Quinn Emanuel’s New York Office.
At Yale, Jomaire was an editor of The Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities, a research assistant, student attorney in the Education Adequacy Clinic, and chapter president of the Yale Black Law Students Association.
At St. John’s, Jomaire received the Bronze Medal for her work in English, Philosophy, and Rhetoric and the Prof. Katherine Weber Memorial Award for excellence in writing and English studies. She was also tapped into Skull and Circle—the highest honor bestowed by the College, and earned several distinctions as a member of the University’s Mock Trial Team.
Jomaire’s professional affiliations include non-profit board and committee positions, including with Mindful Harlem, the Association of Black Women Attorneys, the Metropolitan Black Bar Associations, and the National Black Law Students Association. She is also published in the Yale Journal of Medicine and Law.
Nevah Assang
Board AdvisorNevah Assang is a long-time member of Mindful Harlem and supporter of the arts and humanities in New York City. She currently holds the position of senior vice president of Cultural and Community Affairs at NYC & Company, serving as a key liaison between New York City’s official tourism organization and the many cultural institutions and community organizations throughout the five boroughs.
She has been with the company since 2006, the year Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg combined three City agencies to form the world’s leading municipal tourism, marketing and partnership organization.
Prior to this position, Nevah was the senior vice president of Creative and Content at NYC & Company, managing the creative, editorial, media production and production departments. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing the execution of a multitude of marketing campaigns, City programs and partnerships, including NYC Restaurant Week, Fashion’s Night Out, Broadway Week and Off-Broadway Week, as well as a range of other content created for digital, social, broadcast, print and outdoor media.
Before joining NYC & Company, Nevah was an advertising executive with more than two decades of experience working on accounts ranging from major corporations to upscale food and beverage brands.
Nevah holds a BFA in painting from Newcomb College at Tulane University.
Board Member of the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling.
Born and raised in Aruba, fluent in Dutch, Spanish and Papiamentu.
She lives in New York City with her husband.
Pamela Newkirk PhD
Board AdvisorPamela Newkirk, PhD, is a native New Yorker and award-winning journalist who spent ten years working as a reporter and writer before joining the journalism faculty at New York University. Pamela began her meditation practice at Mindful Harlem about three years ago and cherishes the brilliant minds she meets in the community.
is a multi-faceted scholar and journalist whose book reviews and articles examining race and African American portrayals have been published in leading publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian. She is professor of journalism at NYU and the author of Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga (Harper Collins) which was listed among the Best Books of 2015 by NPR, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, and The Root and was a New York Times Editor’s Choice. It was also awarded an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature and the Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award. Pamela is also editor of Letters from Black America (Farrar, Straus & Giroux 2009); and A Love No Less: More Than Two Centuries of African American Love Letters (Doubleday 2004), and the author of Within the Veil: Black Journalists, White Media,(NYU Press 2000) which received a National Press Club Award for Media Criticism. Prior to joining the faculty at NYU she worked at four news organizations, including New York Newsday where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team.
Rafael Yuste PhD, MD
Board MemberRafael Yuste is a professor of biological sciences and neuroscience at Columbia University, where he has served as director of the Neurotechnology Center since 2014. He is a long time member of Mindful Harlem and is passionate about the intersection of meditation and philosophy of mind.
Yuste is interested in understanding the function and pathology of the cerebral cortex, using calcium imaging and optogenetics to “break the code” and decipher the communication between groups of neurons. He is a member of Spain’s Royal Academies of Science and Medicine. Yuste also led the researchers who proposed the Brain Activity Map, precursor to the BRAIN initiative, and is currently involved in helping to launch a global BRAIN project and a Neuroethical Guidelines Commission. He was born in Madrid, and is a long time member of Mindful Harlem.
Yvette Leeper-Bueno
Radical Hospitality InstructorYvette Leeper-Bueno, a lifelong New Yorker with deep Harlem roots, is the visionary behind Vinatería – a cherished neighborhood wine bar and restaurant on historic Frederick Douglass Blvd. The restaurant emphasizes community and inclusivity, boasting Spanish and Italian seasonal dishes and an award-winning wine list recognized by Wine Spectator since 2017. Outside her restaurant ventures, Yvette is a James Beard Foundation Women Entrepreneurship Leadership graduate (2022) and holds credentials from Barnard College and Columbia Business School. She’s an executive board member for Frederick Douglass Boulevard Alliance and Mindful Harlem, where she also brings her meditation experience into the Radical Hospitality Program, dedicated to bring the works of Mindfulness into the service and hospitality business. Additionally, Yvette is part of Les Dames d’Escoffier NY, The Hospitality Alliance, and The New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce.