Annand Program Mentor Bios

I've previously posted info about the Annand Program, and I hope at least some of you new students are thinking seriously about joining one of the small groups that will start in the fall. Again, my experience was great; the group I joined was a wonderful support system to have, and our leader introduced some little rituals and reflections that created a prayerful space in the middle of a busy week.

To sign up for one of these groups, you'll email Jane at AnnandATyaleDOTedu (replace the caps with punctuation, of course!), and she'll meet with you briefly to talk about your goals and interests. ETA: Jane will post a sign-up sheet for these interviews on the door of her office/meditation room during BTFO. "Interviews" will start on August 31st and continue through September. Jane is happy to answer your questions over email, but you must make an in-person appointment with her to be matched with a mentor and group. (Don't worry, no one will be turned away; Jane just cares about who you end up with!)

We thought it would be fun to introduce some of the people who you might be paired with in these small groups, so here are bios and photos of a few of them. This is NOT an exhaustive listing of folks associated with the Annand Program! We'll be posting more mentor bios in the weeks to come. (Ed note: These bios come directly from the mentors themselves, and were not edited for content, grammar, or ridiculousness.)

-Kate

Judy Stone is a 1970 graduate of Yale Divinity School. She has been an active lifelong member of the Episcopal Church. She served as a Vestry member and coordinator of the Adult Discussion Group at Christ Church New Haven for 8 plus years. Judy continues to be a member of a Spirituality Group that has met weekly for 25 years, reading classics of Christian and other religious traditions. She has been part of a church choir for a number of years and preaches occasionally.

Judy recently retired from her career in social work, working with children and families. Midway in her career she earned a master’s in Social Work from UCONN in 1993 with a focus on casework and group work. She is intrigued with the connection between some of the therapeutic approaches from her training and traditional spiritual exercises. She finds groups especially helpful personally and professionally.

Judy is an avid gardener and co-ordinates a certified organic community garden at a local farm museum, and has a strong interest in ecology and sustainable agriculture. She enjoys hiking, travel, cooking and art work.

Bari S. Dworken is a lay leader serving in numerous roles at Congregation B'nai Israel in Bridgeport where she has been active for more than twenty five years. Bari has completed the Para Rabbinic Program of the Union of Reform Judaism and has been awarded a Keva certificate for continual advanced learning. A graduate of the first class of the two year Lev Shomea Spiritual Direction Program, she has served as a spiritual director for several years with individuals and groups and at YDS. She completed two units of CPE, worked as a part time On Call Chaplain at Bridgeport Hospital for 10 years, currently chairs the CPE Advisory Committee, and has published in the "Journal of Pastoral Care". She holds a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts and works as an Educational Consultant in Organization Development with not for profit groups and community organizations concentrating in the areas of team building, conflict resolution, diversity awareness and strategic planning. She recently retired from the faculty of the University of Connecticut. Bari is passionate about social action issues, interfaith study and involvement, learning from the natural world, traveling and "walking" with others on their spiritual journey.

Elaine Ramshaw has worked between the fields of theology and psychology all her adult life. She completed a three-year internship in pastoral psychotherapy at the Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago and a two-year practicum in spiritual direction at Connecticut’s Mercy Center. She enjoys spiritual direction more than psychotherapy because it’s focused more on growth, because you get to listen to people telling their story in their own personal language of faith, and because you don’t have to concoct treatment plans to satisfy the insurance companies. Elaine has a PhD from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, and she taught pastoral care fulltime in seminaries (United Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal) for 16 years. In 2001 her own cancer adventure and her eldest brother’s death led to her decision to choose Connecticut over fulltime seminary teaching. She still teaches pastoral care courses online, for several seminaries of different denominations. A Lutheran layperson, she also works part-time on a parish staff (not to mention the movie theater job!). She’s a single woman who finds family in friends, siblings, and godchildren (an adult goddaughter and a teenaged godson). Prayer comes most naturally to her when she’s sharing communion, singing, drawing, or taking the neighbor’s dog on long daily walks.