Paige is the Events and Administrative Assistant at the Mind & Life Institute. With a strong background in the social impact field, Paige began her career as a public school teacher before serving as a project manager for the UVA Latino Health Initiative. She holds an M.A. in Spanish and Multilingual Education from George Mason University and a B.A. in Spanish from Baldwin Wallace University.

Paige is passionate about leveraging data to inform strategic initiatives that support community well-being. She is particularly inspired by the intersection of contemplative practice and social change, and is excited to explore how this integration can foster greater equity and compassion in society during her time at Mind & Life.

Outside of work, Paige enjoys spending time with her two young daughters, sharing in their evolving interests and experiencing the world through their eyes. She lives in Charlottesville with her family and loves all the city has to offer.

David Robert Loy, PhD is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism.

He is a prolific author, whose essays and books have been translated into many languages. His articles appear regularly in the pages of major journals such as Tikkun and Buddhist magazines including Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, and Buddhadharma, as well as in a variety of scholarly journals. He is on the advisory boards of Buddhist Global Relief, the Clear View Project, Zen Peacemakers, and the Ernest Becker Foundation.

David lectures nationally and internationally on various topics, focusing primarily on the encounter between Buddhism and modernity: what each can learn from the other. He is especially concerned about social and ecological issues and is the author of Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis. He is a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center near Boulder, Colorado.

David received his BA from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and studied analytic philosophy at King’s College, University of London. His MA is from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu and his PhD is from the National University of Singapore.

Michelle Flores Vryn, CFRE is an engagement strategist and fundraiser who helps nonprofits grow with clarity and integrity. With over 15 years of experience across conservation, higher education, and civic engagement missions, she co-founded two national research efforts—the AI Equity Project and the Social Impact Staff Retention Project—focused on the future of nonprofit work. She also serves as a board member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Global.

A frequent writer and speaker, Michelle is passionate about building bridges across sectors and communities to spark more regenerative forms of social change. One of her deepest grounding practices is daily meditation, a discipline she has carried for nearly two decades. Outside of work, you can find her on long walks with her dogs or discussing business strategy with her endlessly patient husband.

Park Krausen is a story sharer with over 30 years of experience as a professional actor, director, producer, and translator. She is committed to supporting cross cultural and cross disciplinary conversations—exploring timely questions at the intersections of science, belief systems, and creativity through art. As Producing Artistic director of Théâtre du Rêve, the only professional Francophone theater company in the U.S., she performed classics, commissioned new works, and created immersive public experiences.

Recently, as a story sharer turned filmmaker, Park is honored to capture the current manifestation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s initiative to foster a dialogue between Buddhism and science in the forthcoming documentary, Frontiers of the Mind: The 100 Year Project. The film highlights a collaboration between young monastics and international academic researchers. Since 2019 she has traveled to Drepung Loeseling Monastery, Dharamshala, Mind & Life’s Summer Research Institute, and Emory and Northwestern Universities, capturing the newest chapter of the Emory Tibet Science Initiative’s Research training program, which inspires groundbreaking research initiated by monastic scientists. Additionally, Park served as the Director of Monastic Research Training at Northwestern and supported Mind & Life’s initiative to expand monastic involvement in the Summer Research Institute.  

She is deeply grateful for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings and inspired by found family—the monastic scientists—to live the teachings.

Yuri Belfali leads the work of the Directorate for Education and Skills in the field of early childhood education and care, and international comparative studies of education systems. She oversees large scale surveys including the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Teaching and Learning International Survey programme (TALIS). She also manages thematic policy analyses and supports education systems and schools to develop policies and innovations for better learning and well-being of learners.

Ms. Belfali spent the last 20 years in France, the US, and in several countries of SouthEast Asia, Africa and Middle East and North Africa regions. Before joining her current organization, she worked for UNICEF as Chief of the Education Section in Morocco and the World Bank in the field of human development between 2002 and 2012. She had a leadership role in advising governments for education reforms and gender mainstreaming. Ms. Belfali, a Japanese national, holds a Master’s degree in International Educational Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University.