Executive Board of the Reb Zalman Legacy Project
NETANEL MILES-YEPEZ, Director of the Reb Zalman Legacy Project, was born in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1972. He studied History of Religions and Comparative Religion at Michigan State University, and Contemplative Traditions at Naropa University. He is a murshid ("guide") of the Sufi-Hasidic, Inayati-Maimuniyya Order and co-founder of the Desert Fellowship of the Message with Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. He is the editor of The Way of Contemplation and Meditation (Spiritual Paths Publishing, 2002), Wrapped in a Holy Flame: Teachings and Tales of the Hasidic Masters
SUSAN BOYLE, Assistant Vice-President for Admissions and Marketing at Naropa University, came to Naropa in 1998 from the Friends World Program at Long Island University where she worked in enrollment management for four years. She holds a B.A. from St. Lawrence University and an M.A. in Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her passion lies in working in progressive institutions of higher education that are mission-driven and provide students the opportunity to take risks, think critically and explore not only the outer world but their internal wisdom as well. Susan serves on various University-wide committees as well as shares in the work and responsibility of managing a very busy Office of Admissions. She lives in Boulder with her husband Adam and their four year old son Charlie.
RON CLAMAN, Co-Founder and President of the Yesod Foundation. He majored in Economics and Finance at the University of Colorado, specialized in international commerce and commerical real estate investments. He founded the Aerospace Group in 1982. He later founded Aero Tech Properties in 1990. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Boulder Colorado. He is very active in family life, his aviation and real estate partnerships and consulting various national and international non-profit organizations that support community youth development, Jewish spirituality and bringing spirituality into public education through rites of passage work and council.
DAVID FRIEDMAN, Co-founder and former President of the Yesod Foundation, was raised in Los Angeles and went on to attend Harvard University where he majored in Economics and was deeply influenced by late 1960's politics. After a brief stint at Harvard Business School, David moved to Maine where his entrepreneurial skills flourished. He founded and built a substantive real estate brokerage firm, which later evolved into real estate development. In 1982, David co-founded Sandy River Health System, Maine's largest provider of long-term care to the elderly, of which he is the current Chairman. For almost two decades his love of business and his deep care for people found a common outlet. In 1989, David was one of the co-founders of the Social Venture Network. After the death of his wife in 1991, David single parented his four children. Years later he moved to Colorado where he joyously rediscovered Judaism, and in April of 1999, married rabbi and author, Tirzah Firestone. David is currently co-chair of the Jewish Funders Network, and was a past board member of Calvert Social Investment Advisory Board, The Threshold Foundation and the UFP Technologies, a NASDQ company. He is also an advisory board member of The Rockwood Foundation and serves on the board of The Boulder Institute for Nature and the Human Spirit. In 1998, David helped birth the Yesod Foundation, which he served as President for many years.
THOMAS D. HAST, Treasurer of the Yesod Foundation and a Trustee of Naropa University, was born in 1949 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a B.A. in English Literature from Reed College in 1972. His early career included a period as a dancer in Vermont and N.Y.C., a maintenance engineer at Sierra Designs in Berkeley, California, and as a printer in Boulder, Colorado. He was involved in the founding of two colleges, The Learning Community in Portland, Oregon, and Naropa University in Boulder, which he served as an Administrator from 1973 to 1975, and currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees. Tom entered the field of professional property management in 1977, and, in 1979, formed his own company, Hast & Company. By 1981, it was the largest property management company in Boulder. Tom also helped to start the City of Boulder Mediation Project. He served as Chairman of the Board of CDR Associates, which engages in mediation and conflict resolution all over the world. He has also served on the Boards of Shambhala Training, the Boulder Jewish Community Foundation, and the Friends School. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the Colorado Movement for Children which has very successfully worked and lobbied to raise the consciousness of Colorado citizens and lawmakers on issues involving children in the state. He is currently on the Board of the Yesod Foundation which exists to promote Jewish spirituality, following the example and teachings of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. Tom lives with his wife in Boulder and has two daughters in college and graduate school.
Former Executive Board Members
- Cindy Gabriel, Interim Director, Reb Zalman Legacy Project (2004)
- Tim Hawkins, Archivist of the Naropa University Archive Project (2003-2006)
- Peter Hurst, Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Naropa University (2002-2004)
- Miles Krassen, Professor of Religious Studies, Naropa University (2005-2007)
- Phil Powers, Vice-President of Institutional Advancement, Naropa University (2002-2005)
- Phil Stanley, Chair of Religious Studies, Naropa University (2003-2004)
- Dena Wade, Administrator, Reb Zalman Legacy Project (2003-2004)
