Shawn McStravick’s mindfulness journey began nine years ago as she searched for ways to ease depression and anxiety, and it has since unfolded into a path of peace, joy, and authentic connection. She now serves as Treasurer and supports administrative needs, drawing on his background in bookkeeping, project management, web development, and community communications. Shawn is also a Reiki Master Teacher, shamanic practitioner, and herbalist, guiding others in coming home to themselves. Meditation, yoga, nature, and creating intuitive tea blends nourish her deeply, and she feels grateful and honored to walk alongside this beautiful sangha.

David Viafora, LICSW, Chân Thiền Sơn/True Zen Mountain (he/him) first started a local sangha where he was raised on the land of the Cahuila Nation, in California, US, over twenty years ago, and the joyful flame of Sangha building has been lit ever since. He first ordained as a monk with Thích Nhất Hạnh in 2005 and spent several years living in the Plum Village tradition monasteries before finding his niche in lay community life. David now practices with Greatwoods Zen in the land of the Catawba in North Carolina, where he currently resides. As a white-presenting Chinese-American cis man, David is committed to learning from the resiliency of his ancestors who both caused and were harmed by intergenerational trauma. Some of David’s favorite things to do are drinking tea in the forest with friends, Sangha game nights, conscious dance, playing with haiku, and sunset meditations.

Michael Davis has had a diverse career, spanning film production, real estate development, and sustainable energy. He is a licensed real estate broker and general contractor, and now works as a consultant to various commercial developers in the Charlotte, NC region. In addition to his role on the Greatwoods Care Taking Council, Michael volunteers with several homelessness relief organizations, including Roof Above and Pivot Point Transitional Housing. His mindfulness journey began with Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course in 2016. Since then, he has been active in several Buddhist and mindfulness-based non-profits, including Southern Dharma, Heartwood Refuge, Charlotte Center for Mindfulness, Insight Meditation of Charlotte, and Greatwoods Zen Community. In his free time, Michael enjoys hiking with his dog Satchel, biking, reading, meditating, traveling, and studying the Dharma.

Anna Morozova is a movement facilitator, choreographer, and expressive arts practitioner originally from Chelyabinsk, Russia. She serves as the Digital Communications Director and as a board member of the Caretaking Council at Greatwoods Zen, supporting the sangha’s growth and community well-being. She is a certified practitioner with advanced professional training in Somatic Psychology: Body-Mind Centering®. Anna has been practicing mindfulness and meditation for many years and embraces an integral spirituality that weaves together her practice of Kashmir Shaivism and Zen Buddhism with a grounded, scientific perspective. Her sessions invite participants to connect more deeply with their bodies, release blocks held by trauma, and discover joy, ease, and freedom of expression through movement, visual arts, and creative play. She sees her work as a bridge between mindfulness practice and embodied movement, supporting both self-awareness and compassionate connection with others.

Tito Sánchez is originally and proudly from Puebla, México. In 2019, he moved to Charlotte, NC and transitioned from an ITSM manager role to pursue his passion for full-stack software engineering. During college, he spent one year in Osaka, Japan, which fueled his love for learning about other cultures and languages. His interest in mind studies began in elementary school, and he has been an avid seeker and meditation practitioner since middle school, exploring various traditions and philosophies. Tito’s passion lies in mental health, helping others find peace through meaning and meaning through peace.

Erin Pope is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Public Health and more than 15 years of experience supporting others through nutrition and wellness. She currently works at Matthews Glen, a continuing care retirement community, where she enjoys building relationships and helping residents live well. Erin has been a member of Greatwoods Zen for three years, and the community has become a place where she feels at home. Her lifelong search for belonging, acceptance, and the freedom to be vulnerable has guided her here, where compassion and mindfulness are at the heart of practice. As a board member, Erin enjoys helping to bring people together—whether through coordinating events or holding space for mindfulness meals. Her deepest joy comes from supporting others on their own journeys of connection, presence, and healing.

James Dial is a facilitator dedicated to cultivating mindfulness in connection. As a certified Relatefulness Facilitator and Coach, he has hundreds of hours helping individuals and groups bring more awareness into their relationships. He has been practicing regularly in mindfulness and Buddhist spaces for seven years, grounding his work in lived experience. James also has multiple years of experience developing the interpersonal leadership skills of blue-collar employees. These skills and experiences enable him to support others in their awakening while fostering embodied, ethical, relational, and vertically developed growth.

Anna Proia is an art therapist practicing in Charlotte’s mental health sector. She utilizes the arts to connect with people of all cultures and backgrounds as they explore their internal world and identify the strengths, values, and beliefs that contribute to their authentic self. Anna works with a variety of art supplies to help clients connect with themselves, nature, and their community. Her special interest involves holistic healing and the integration of art and mindfulness practices. She promotes the use of art-making as a grounded, embodied practice to cultivate mindfulness and present-moment awareness. This includes encouraging the sensory experience of working with art materials—through touch, movement, and playful exploration—to support presence, self-connection, and attunement to the here-and-now.

Nick Neild has been practicing mindfulness since 2011 and was ordained in the Order of Interbeing of the Plum Village tradition in April 2024. He has facilitated and supported meditation communities, tours, and retreats across the U.S. and Europe, and is the author of the children’s mindfulness book Just Bee!, which helps kids and parents practice with “distractions” during meditation. Since 2015, Nick has worked as a school teacher, sharing mindfulness with students and staff, and as a Certified Anger Management Facilitator (CAMF-1) has taught mindfulness to adults on parole and young adults in rehabilitation. After five years in Prague, Czech Republic, and a brief time in Charlotte, NC, he has returned to the Czech Republic, where he now supports our sangha with bookkeeping and community coordination.

Will Richey is an artist, organizer, human-centered designer, and lay aspirant to the Order of Interbeing in the Plum Village tradition. Since childhood, creativity has been their path to freedom and self-expression. They earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from Appalachian State University, where they co-founded The Collective, the school’s first student-led fashion magazine, serving as Art Director and later Editor in Chief while mentoring a 30+ member team. Will’s spiritual journey began through yoga, which opened the door to healing, self-compassion, and eventually to Zen Buddhism and the teachings of Thích Nhất Hạnh in 2022. Rooted in the tradition’s emphasis on community, mindfulness, and engaged practice for healing and social transformation, Will’s creative and spiritual paths converge in the understanding that all beings are inherently creative, and that both art and practice transform maker, process, and outcome alike. A genderqueer Cuban-American (he/she/they), Will finds joy in biking, painting, nature, music, and playful, meaningful connection with friends.