Who We Are, Our Purpose, and Values
Vision To promote the science and practice of mindfulness throughout our community.
Mission To become recognized as a primary source of scientific and practical information regarding mindfulness.
Values
Mindful Awareness. By cultivating mindful awareness, we come to understand ourselves deeply, and learn skills to calm our bodies and our minds. With these skills we choose our actions, rather than simply reacting.
Compassion. Compassion is common ground and a unifying force. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures. We become increasingly aware of how we practice compassion and of opportunities to grow our practice of compassion.
Science. We choose to investigate and learn more about the processes through which mindfulness enhances understanding and produces behavioral change.
Inclusion. Anyone and everyone interested in cultivating mindful awareness and compassion is welcomed.
Empowerment. Everyone makes a difference in their own life and in the lives of others. We hope to help people make those differences mindfully.
Transparency. Openly supporting mindful and compassionate living helps the citizens of our community reap the benefits that come from living a more mindful and compassionate life.
Hospitality. We welcome guests, educational speakers, and dialogue. Local, national and international guests will be encouraged to exchange ideas and practices.
Intention. We make a conscious choice to continually grow both our commitment to and capacity for mindful awareness and compassion. Our intention to practice mindful awareness and compassion as an organization will show us the way forward for the greater good of our community.
Paying it forward. We hope people who benefit from the first-hand experience of the health and well-being associated with mindful awareness and compassionate living will share it with others.
Board of Directors
Laurie Seidel
Laurie Seidel has been a mindfulness practitioner for 19 years and is passionate about sharing mindfulness with educators, leaders, students, and healthcare professionals to foster greater well-being and compassion. As a certified mindfulness teacher, she offers workshops, presentations, and opportunities to practice mindfulness in a variety of settings.
Ms. Seidel is the Coordinator for Mindfulness Programs for Roanoke City Public Schools, bringing evidence-based mindfulness curricula to teachers, staff, and students. She is a certified CARE (Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education) facilitator.
Ms. Seidel holds a faculty appointment at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) and is the former Educator for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Carilion Clinic. She is the principal investigator for a program of research at Carilion Clinic to implement and evaluate a mindfulness-based practice course designed for healthcare professionals, including a current study, Mindfulness in the Operating Room.
Ms. Seidel teaches a longitudinal elective at VTCSOM, The Foundations of Mindfulness Practice, open to first- and second-year medical students which incorporates the Koru mindfulness curriculum, mindful movement, and mindful hikes in the Roanoke Valley.
Dr. Francis C. (Frank) Dane
Dr. Francis C. (Frank) Dane is a social psychologist (Ph.D., University of Kansas, 1979) whose research encompassed the effects of mindfulness on small group dynamics and mathematical models of medical outcomes. In addition to being Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Radford University, he holds secondary faculty appointments at Mercer University School of Medicine (Macon, GA) and Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (Roanoke, VA). Frank is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia State Simulation Alliance. As well as charter memberships in the Association for Psychological Science and the Virginia State Simulation Alliance, he is a member of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Statistical Association, and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Frank is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. He serves on the Editorial Boards of Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, Critical Care, and Simulation in Healthcare. Frank directs the Compassionate Roanoke Project and chairs the Board.
Ted Edlich
Ted is a true believer in social justice, someone who turns his belief into words and actions. Through his career as its leader from 1975 to 2015, Total Action for Progress has consistently ranked among the nation’s best and most innovative Community Action Agencies. He has had a significant positive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and their communities. Edlich is a graduate of UNC (BA), NYU (MA), Union Theological Seminary (MDiv) and Yale University (STM).Ted has been a mindfulness practitioner since 2008. In addition to membership in Heart of the Blue Ridge Sangha, mindfulness training at Omega Institute and the Virginia Counseling Association, he has been on residential mindfulness training retreats with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Thich Nhat Hanh. He is a founding member of the annual Mindfulness Conferences in Roanoke, Virginia since 2014. Previously ordained as a Presbyterian minister, he is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has been a mindfulness facilitator at the Heart of the Blue Ridge Sangha and a mindfulness instructor atTotal Action for Progress, the Western Regional Jail, the Ferrum College Woman’s Soccer team, the Virginia Counselor Association Conferences, and the Mindfulness Conferences in Roanoke, Virginia. Edlich is the recipient of many awards including the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews, Life Time Achievement Award from the Roanoke Chapter of the NAACP, Keys to the City of Roanoke, City of Salem, and Bath County, and an honorary Litt.D. from Washington and Lee University. He is married to Liz and is the father of five grown children and is grandfather to four wonderful young adults. Ted holds a first degree black belt from Universal Chinese Kempo Karate, has studied Tai Chi and Qigong, and loves hiking and sailing. He is the author of Navigating the Nonprofit Rapids: Strategies and Tactics for Running a Nonprofit Company, 2015.
Alice Ann Clark is a Roanoke native who recently moved back here with her husband Casey, and two daughters Gigi (3) and Coco (1) from Los Angeles. She is excited to join the Mindfulness Institute of the Roanoke Valley Board as an aficionado of mindfulness, and forever student of meditation. She studied Philosophy and Spanish in undergrad and went on to earn a Masters degree in Foreign Language Acquisition. She began her career in the classroom, then worked for herself as an education consultant and academic counselor where she learned the importance of mindfulness and supporting the whole-child in education. She currently owns a survival swim school, British Swim School of the Roanoke Valley, and is thrilled to continue to build mindfulness into her curriculum. In her free time enjoys running, spending time at the park with her girls, and hosting friends and family at their home.
Angela Penn
Angela Penn has worked in housing development for over a decade. She began her foray into the housing world at the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA), eventually serving as its vice president of real estate development. She is instantly recognizable on any construction site because of her pink hardhat.
Ms. Penn holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from James Madison University and an MBA from Radford University. Deeply engaged in public service, she is a member of the City of Roanoke Planning Commission; Vice President for Economic & Real Estate Development at Total Action for Progress; served as the 2013 co-chair of the United Way of Roanoke Valley President’s Circle; is as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; and is a member of the Roanoke Valley Chapter of Jack and Jill of America. Widely recognized as a leader in the Roanoke Valley, she recently completed LEAD VIRGINIA’s seven-class program focused on social capital.
Edward M. "Eddie" Smith
Eddie serves as Roanoke Division Manager and as an Executive Relationship Manager for Rutherfoord, Marsh & McLennan Agency. In addition to his leadership in Roanoke, Eddie is personally involved in working with his clients to properly identify risk tolerance and methods of risk management.
Prior to joining Rutherfoord/MMA in 1995, Eddie worked in the commercial banking industry for ten years where he worked closely with commercial clients. Since joining Rutherfoord/MMA, he has achieved the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor. Over the years, Eddie has assisted many large companies from a wide variety of industries in the overall management of their risk management programs. His long-term commitment to his clients has assisted them in reducing their total cost of risk.
Eddie graduated from Washington & Lee University with a Bachelor of Science degree with Special Attainments in Commerce. Eddie is a member of the Board of Directors of North Cross School, Roanoke Star Soccer, The Mindfulness Institute of the Roanoke Valley, and the YMCA. He is a past Chairman of Total Action for Progress, and is a retired Board Member of Apple Ridge Farm, ADMMicro, Better Business Bureau, Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital, Council of Community Services, Harrison Museum of African-American Culture, Mill Mountain Zoo, Rescue Mission Foundation, The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Virginians for Child Abuse Prevention.
Lori Gonzalez has resided in the Roanoke Valley since 1999. In 2004 she completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training certification from The Yoga Alliance and taught in the community for 10 years.
She earned her Associate of Applied Science degree in 1993, becoming a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant practicing from 1993 to 2016. In 1994 she was certified as Clinical Instructor by the Texas Consortium of Physical Therapy and was a member of The Alliance of Texas Physical Therapist Assistant Educators. From 1996 - 1999 Lori was a full time faculty member at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas. She also earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1999 from Wayland Baptist University.
Lori was adjunct faculty at Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Spring 2000; provided physical therapy services throughout the community in many different settings; and she worked at the Virginia Tech/Carilion School of Medicine from 2014 - 2017 in the Clinical Skills Department.
Lori has had a lifelong interest in maintaining good health through fitness and nutrition. She found Yoga to be the perfect practice to balance her mind, body and soul and enjoyed many years of assisting others with their personal journeys through teaching in the Roanoke Valley.
Throughout her professional medical career, she also used this training to assist her patients to become more self-aware or to be more mindful to assist with their healing.
Lori is now retired but continues to have a strong desire to help others to become more mindful as we all face many stressors each day.