Our Team

Roger Grosswald
Gardens and Landscape Design

Born and raised in Charlotte, Roger became a business owner in the fashion industry. Roger has more stories of creating different businesses than any one you’ll ever meet! Roger has studied Japanese meditation gardens and has made his passion into a lifelong art. Roger’s longtime dream has been to build meditation gardens and a mindfulness community that will last for generations into the future. His deep wish is for people to access healing and joy through the land, amidst the dwindling access to green spaces in Charlotte’s sprawling development.

David Viafora
Programming Director

David has organized and led mindfulness retreats for educators, physicians, families, teens, children, young adults, and other groups across North America, Europe, and Oceania. He first ordained as a monk with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 2005 and spent several years living in the Plum Village tradition monasteries. David is now a lay ordained member of the Order of Interbeing, and works as a licensed therapist for children, adults, and families. His forthcoming book is Conscious Communities: The Transformative Power of Sangha Building (Parallax Press, 2024). David identifies as a white-presenting Chinese-American cis man. He is the co-founder of Greatwoods Zen Center.
Some of David’s favorite things to do are drinking green tea in the woods, dancing under the stars, climbing cool trees, and watching sunsets on mountaintops.

Nick Neild
Executive Director

Nick Neild has been practicing mindfulness since 2011 and is an aspirant in the Plum Village tradition for the Order of Interbeing. Since then, he has been facilitating, staffing and supporting meditation communities, tours and retreats in the U.S. and Europe. He is the author of the children's mindfulness book, "Just Bee!" which helps kids and parents learn how to practice with “distractions” while meditating. He has worked as a school teacher since 2015 and has taught students as well as staff how to practice mindfulness in and out of the classroom in addition to the normal curriculum. He is a Certified Anger Management Facilitator (CAMF-1), and has taught mindfulness to adults on parole through a substance abuse education course as well as to young adults in rehab. He moved to Charlotte, NC in August 2023 after having lived in Prague, Czech Republic for the last 5 years. He is a cofounder and the Executive Director of Greatwoods Zen.