Mindfulness/Meditation Instruction
Personal Insight and Development
Professional Development

Maria Lynn Fanelli

President

Maria's Background

Ms. Fanelli is a leader and strong advocate for creating positive change for individuals in diverse settings, including higher education, academic health care, corporations and organizations. She understands the critical role of mindfulness and awareness in improving personal and professional effectiveness, and has direct experience of its favorable outcomes in both of these areas. One of her current ambitions is to assist others in building and applying these skills at work and in daily life to generate healthy environments and cultures that will have a lasting impact on an individual's well-being, as well as an organization's performance and success. Ms. Fanelli has extensive experience in the health care industry, where she held senior leadership positions before focusing her career on helping individuals and organizations. She is also an experienced personal fitness instructor, adjunct professor, meditation instructor, and she continues to volunteer in her community.

Ms. Fanelli holds a Master's in Applied Meditation Studies from the Won Institute of Graduate Studies and has completed both a Practicum and Supervision program in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for professionals at the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine. She holds an MBA from Villanova University, is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Society, and earned a BBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she graduated Cum Laude, received a gold key award for outstanding scholarship and character, and was selected for membership in the Sigma Kappa Phi Honors Society.

(Click here to learn more about Mindfulness/Meditation.)

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Professional Development
DiSC Coaching

Ann Mokris

Ann's Background

With almost 20 years of professional experience, Ms. Mokris is an Education and Human Resources specialist who has worked in a variety of industries including the School Systems, Law, Food Services, Financial Services, Health Care and the Arts. She has earned a Masters in Education as well as Business Administration and her knowledge and expertise is based on developing professionals to achieve their goals through individual career growth and cultivation of skills. As a proponent of work life balance, Ms. Mokris has challenged a number of organizations to become creative in the way that work gets done to both achieve results as well as ensure balance for their employees to be the best they can be both professionally and personally. She is a certified facilitator of the DiSC profile and has used this tool for intact work teams and cross-departmental groups. Ms. Mokris also has experience leading teams through the change management process which often included guiding individuals through career exploration by identifying interests, strengths and values to create action plans for further career development.

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Mindful Communication/Emotional Intelligence

Dan Huston

Dan's Background

As a Professor of English and Communications, Dan has been incorporating mindfulness meditation and emotional intelligence into his curriculum for over a decade. He received NHTI's 2008 Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence, regularly presents at national and regional conferences, and provides training in communicating mindfully. In addition, Dan works with individuals, helping his clients work through communication challenges and the emotions associated with them.

Dan has received training at the renowned UMass Medical School Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn. His essay "How Mindfulness Can Help Us Become Better Communicators" was published in a 2006 Rowman & Littlefield anthology entitled Teaching with Joy: Educational Practices for the Twenty-First Century. He is currently working on a chapter for an upcoming Jossey-Bass book, New Directions in Community Colleges, and he is writing a text book detailing the innovative teaching methodologies he has developed, which have helped hundreds of people achieve personal and professional success through their improved communication skills.

In addition to his other teaching responsibilities as a member of the English Department, Professor Huston teaches Honors Communications at NHTI in Concord, NH where he has also served as assistant to the department head and chair of the promotion team.

(click here to learn more about Dan's communication offerings)

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Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy

Dr. Suzanne McAllister Avery

Suzanne's Background

Suzanne has been a practicing psychologist for over 20 years, working in private practice with individuals as well as a broad range of settings, including corporations, hospitals, and community-based organizations.

Suzanne was introduced to meditation over 30 years ago and is committed to daily practice and using mindfulness in all facets of her work and life. She has studied and trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn (founder of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction model), Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese monk and author, and Tara Brach, meditation teacher and psychologist, among others. Additionally, Suzanne completed a training program with the Penn Program for Stress Management for professional psychologists practicing mindfulness with their patients. She believes that mindfulness creates the most effective conditions for change, beginning with self-awareness, self-acceptance, and personal responsibility. Through incorporating mindfulness into psychotherapy, Suzanne believes her clients have been able to realize much deeper insight and enhanced development.

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Environmental 'Green' Education and Action Planning
Professional Development

Chris Wilson

Chris' Background

Chris is passionate about helping individuals, organizations and communities improve environmental sustainability with particular emphasis on the Triple Bottom Line - People, Planet, and Profits. In addition to educating individuals and organizations on Green Education and Initiatives, Chris works with individuals and groups to reach their fullest potential both personally and professionally. He also incorporates environmental education with various aspects of leadership development, executive coaching, and health management.

To balance the demands of life, Chris has regularly practiced yoga for the past 8 years, enjoys reading, playing sports and participating in almost any outdoor activity. Some of his personal interests are aligned with his consulting experience in the development and construction of sporting venues, where Chris promotes designs that increase energy efficiency, improve occupant health and well-being, and reduce negative environmental impacts.

Chris is near finishing a Master's degree in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania, holds an MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, and a BA in both Psychology and Sociology from Penn State University.

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Nutritional Counseling, Health Education
Mindful Eating

Randi Cardonick, MS,RD,LDN

Randi's Background

Randi is a registered dietitian with a Master's degree in Health Education and Nutrition Marketing from St Joseph's University. She specializes in the non-diet approach to weight management, preventative nutrition and medical nutrition therapy which includes nutrition planning for clients with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, eating disorders and other medical conditions. She works with both groups and individuals to help her clients achieve their goals through healthy eating.

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Individual and Workplace Wellness

Dr. Brett Cardonick

Brett's Background

Dr. Brett Cardonick has taken a holistic approach in helping his patients achieve optimal health since 1993. Dr. Cardonick extends his expertise directly to his patients with specifically tailored care plans that emphasize correction, prevention and wellness care. He also specializes in musculoskeletal pain (including the back and neck and shoulder), headaches as well as sports-related and other injuries.

His wellness center, located in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia includes nutrition counseling, massage therapy, stress management and meditation classes, psychological counseling, personal/life coaching, and other complementary health modalities provided by licensed and certified practitioners.

Dr. Cardonick brings great value to Work and Life Management clients with his focus on maximizing physical health in addition to workplace ergonomic alignment and exercise. We fondly refer to him as "Dr. C.".

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Meditation Studies

Vishma Kunu

Vishma's Background

Vishma has been a student of Asian Religions for over 10 years, with emphasis on Indian Buddhism. A firm believer in the benefits of meditation, she is committed to understanding how techniques for cultivating calm, and awareness in the present moment can be applied in daily life for the purpose of realizing well-being.

In addition to facilitating meditation through the Center for Applied Meditation at the Won Institute of Graduate Studies, Vishma is currently an instructor at Temple University and Valencia Community College. She holds a certificate in Applied Meditation Studies and graduate degrees in Religion, and Buddhist Studies from the University of Georgia, and the School of Oriental and African Studies/University of London, respectively. She began doctoral studies at Temple University in Fall '09.

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Work and Life Management would also like to acknowledge and express our appreciation
for the contributions of the following people:

• Salvatorina Clemente - graphic design
• Katherine Mial - website design