Walt OpiePresident

Walt Opie is a Buddhist teacher in the insight meditation tradition. He was trained to teach through the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders program (mentored by Kevin Griffin) and more recently as part of the 2017-2021 Insight Meditation Society’s (IMS) Retreat Teacher Training program. Walt has led sitting groups specifically for people in addiction recovery since 2011. He has also served as a volunteer facilitator in a California prison for many years. His journey into recovery began at the age of 21. He lives in Berkeley, CA with his wife and their young daughter.

His website is www.waltopie.com.
  

Joy HertzogSecretary

Joy has been in recovery since 1990 and has been practicing Buddhism since 2011. She  is active in 12 Step Recovery groups and is a co-founder and facilitator of an Eight Step Recovery Meeting supported by her home Sangha, Triratna NY NJ. She is a Mitra (student) in the Triratna Buddhist Community and is training for Ordination. Recovery is a central principle in Joy’s life. She is dedicated to her continuous recovery and supporting the recovery of others. Buddhism is the guiding force in her spiritual life.
  

Cathryn Jacob is a retired medical doctor who has dedicated herself to the study and teachings of Secular Dharma and early Buddhist teachings. Her recovery journey began with the 12-step program, where she became both a sponsor and teacher, but challenges with the concept of a higher power led her to explore alternative paths. This exploration brought her to the transformative teachings of the dharma, eventually focusing on Secular Buddhism through the works of Stephen and Martine Batchelor.

Cathryn has completed advanced studies in Secular Dharma, including a year-long course at Bodhi College and is currently attending the Committed Practitioner Programme. She gained deep insights and practical tools for integrating the dharma into daily life. She is also a meditation instructor and founder of ELSA Recovery, a secular dharma-inspired addiction recovery group that offers a structured program combining Buddhist teachings and practical skills for overcoming addiction. For more information, please visit elsarecovery.org.

Beyond her dharma work, Cathryn enjoys creative pursuits such as sewing, ceramics, art, and watercolour painting, which bring balance and joy to her life.

Susanna Ahvalo
Susanna lives in southern Finland where she facilitates both Eight Step Recovery and Mindfulness-Based Addiction Recovery meetings. She also brings mindfulness and positive psychology the students and teachers and finish schools as a teacher and as a positive psychology coach.

Susanna is a Buddhist training for ordination within the Triratna Buddhist Center. She has been in recovery for quite some time and is happy to have found the Buddhist recovery which in her experience leads to genuine emotional sobriety. As a member of BRN she has a possibility to serve the international Buddhist recovery community. 

Stu Jenkins
Stu has considered the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in Oakland, CA his spiritual home since 2016.  He is a member of their Leadership Sangha (Board) and currently serves as Treasurer.

As a volunteer with Boundless Freedom Project, Stu has been instrumental in developing and delivering the Mindful Prison program to our sangha brothers in San Quentin Correctional Facility.  He also serves on the facilitation team of the weekly BIPOC Eight Step Recovery meeting. 

He has completed several mindfulness programs, including the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course offered through the Mindfulness and Health Institute, the Mindful Leadership Training Program from Spirit Rock, and the Practice in Transformative Action Program from EBMC.

Stu graduated from Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program in 2023 and their Mindfulness Mentor Training Program in 2025.  He is also a certified yoga teacher and a lifelong lover of the arts. 

Calico Cook – Webmaster
Calico has been with the BRN board since 2014 and is one of the co-founders of NWBR (Northwest Buddhist Recovery) He has a passion for communication and helping non-profits thrive online. His introduction to buddhist practice was with Buddhist Recovery, with this practice and within these meetings he found the needed recovery support and spiritual community he needed to thrive versus just survive.

Silasiri

Silasiri

Silasiri engaged with the Buddhist Recovery Network in early 2018 as it launched its maiden year of Academy talks, and greatly enjoyed co-hosting this monthly program through 2021. By way of meditation, Dharma study and a beautiful and supportive Sangha, she moved into recovery from childhood trauma, substance abuse, and self-loathing, and continues to deepen her understanding of compassionate healing as taught by the Buddha and shared by the recovery community. A long-time peace and environmental activist and animal lover, Silasiri lives in New Orleans, LA, and was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Movement in May 2021.  She’s an accounting manager for nonprofits, and currently serves as the BRN’s Interim Treasurer. She supports Dharma study, anti-racism work, and Eco-Sattva training within her Sangha and in the community at large, and embraces the dana economy for all the freely given resources that it circulates among us..