The Governing Council
Clifford Nueman (Council Chair)
Cliff has been engaged as a principal in his own law firms for over 40 years, emphasizing corporate and securities law in the representation of companies in matters of corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations and public and private offerings. He has served on the boards of directors of numerous public, private and non-profit companies and has been actively involved in the process of capital formation on behalf of his clients for many years. He is also the Managing Partner of Gemini Gaming, LLC, which owns and operates a gaming casino in Blackhawk, Colorado.
He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Medicine Horse Program, a nonprofit equine assisted psychotherapy facility in Boulder, and as Director and CEO of Ratna Foundation, a nonprofit charitable foundation, which he founded with his wife Margot.
Cliff has been attending dharma programs at DMC since 1975 and was a student of the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche who officiated his wedding ceremony with Margot that same year. He has three adult children and four grandchildren.
He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Karen Wilding
Karen Wilding is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private practice in Boulder, Colorado. She is a member of Boulder Psychological Services and serves on their leadership team. She was previously the Director of Counseling at September School for 17 years. She has served as chairperson of several nonprofit boards including Attention Homes, Boulder County AIDS Project, Tibetan Village Project, and Drala Mountain Center.
Karen moved to Boulder in 1975 because the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche told her that families should gather there for the early years of Karma Dzong and Naropa University.
She has taught at Naropa, Boulder Shambhala Center and Drala Mountain Center, and served as a meditation instructor for many years.
Karen has been attending programs at Drala Mountain Center since 1976, and considers it the most magical, open-hearted and spacious place in the world. She received a B.A. in English cum laude from University of Rochester and a Master of Social Work from University of Denver.
Mack Wilding
Mack is an attorney in Denver who loves helping people resolve difficult issues and brings valuable experience working with clients across many different industries to the Governing Council. In his prior life, Mack was a sous chef in a restaurant in Boulder, and still loves cooking for friends and family (and clients if they are nice).
Joanne Martin Braun, Ph.D.
Joanne has been a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and other Buddhist masters, for more than 4 decades. She is a meditation teacher and also works in non-profit management and consulting. Joanne has brought her understanding of the wisdom traditions of Buddhism into her professional life, with organizations such as Kaiser Permanente, University of California, Northen California Shambhala, St. Joseph’s Hospitals, and the Village Network. Her primary aspiration in her work is to help cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom in ways that can radiate out
from our individual and organizational lives.
Joanne has been a grateful attendee at Drala Mountain Center since 1982. She has also previously served as a staff member and on a DMC advisory board. Her commitment as a Governing Council member is just another manifestation of her belief that DMC is an extraordinary place to refresh and deepen our connection to our heart and mind.
Lou Braun
Lou joins the Governing Council after a 25 year career in enterprise software where he served in a variety of sales and marketing leadership roles.
Lou is a long-time student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and participated in the Naropa Buddhist Studies Master’s program in the 80’s. Later he lived for a time in Boudhanath, Nepal where he had the good fortune to study under other eminent Tibetan teachers. Lou served for several years as a board member of Rangjung Yeshe Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist teachings.
Lou first visited Drala Mountain Center in 1980 and returned many times. Like so many others, he fell in love with the magic of the land and the positivity of time spent there for himself, his family, and others. His aspiration for DMC is to ensure its long-term success and growing abundance.
Melissa Hoskins
Melissa brings 20 years of experience in communications, program management, technology delivery, leadership, and organizational coaching. She is passionate about creating clarity and helping drive organizational change at the intersection of people, process, and technology. Having worked with a wide range of organizations, from Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, her approach emphasizes psychological safety, effective communication, and alignment between leadership and teams.
Melissa’s connection to Drala Mountain Center is lifelong. Growing up in the sangha, she fell in love with the land as a child, began her meditation training at 11, and has been a practicing Buddhist for 25 years. She has also served as a Drala Mountain Center staff member and is delighted to now share the magic of the place with her own children. She is inspired to help protect and nurture Drala Mountain Center for generations to come, ensuring it remains a place where people can connect with their hearts and innate wisdom.