Board Chair

autumn@cloudsinater.org

Autumn has been involved with Clouds in Water on and off since 2000 (“more off than on”) - coming to Dharma talks, taking classes, and in early 2022, joining the Tenzo Ryo. Autumn joined the Board of Directors in 2023, stepping in as Interim Board Chair in spring, 2023. Professionally, Autumn is currently the Head of Human Resources for the Guthrie Theater, and previously served as Associate Vice President of Human Resources at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Autumn’s civic work includes service as Commissioner and Vice Chair of the City of St. Paul Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Commission (HREEO), as a board member of Twin Cities Rise. Autumn lives in St. Paul with her partner Joe, and their chickens, cats, and dogs. They have two children, Elton (22) and Oliver (20). Autumn and Joe are avid hikers and cyclists, and have been car-free for 17 years.

Vice Chair

felicia@cloudsinwater.org

Dr. Felicia Washington Sy is honored to be of service as a board member at Clouds. She is a licensed independent clinical social worker and a practicing Buddhist for 15 years. As a licensed psychotherapist, she combines mindfulness-based social work practice and intercultural theory to train practitioners to work with diverse populations across the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. At Clouds, as part of a team, she also helps co-facilitates the BIPOC sitting group.

Secretary

martin@cloudsinwater.org

Martín discovered Clouds in Water in 2017 when he first moved to St. Paul from Los Angeles when his spouse accepted a new job. He was impressed with Clouds commitment to racial, gender, and social justice after attending a workshop by the Rev. angel Kyodo Williams. Since 2019, he has been a Clouds Board Member and served as vice-chair and chair. Since moving back to Los Angeles in 2021, Martin continued to serve Clouds as board secretary, is active in Clouds’ BIPOC sitting group, and has served with others in crafting the recent Statement of Non-Harming. His past employment has consisted of fourteen years at L.A. County’s Department of Public Social Services, serving marginalized county residents. Prior to that, he was an organizer for eight years with the Labor/Community Strategy Center (L/CSC), a civil rights/environmental justice organization in Los Angeles.

Treasurer

board@cloudsinwater.org

Betsy David served as a board member of Clouds in Water years ago and is excited to rejoin in service to the Sangha of Clouds in Water. Betsy finds the core beliefs of Clouds in Water of great interest and strives to support the ongoing health of the organization. She is also a current member of the Finance Committee of the Friends Meeting house in St. Paul, and previously served on the board of the United Family Practice Health Center.Betsy holds a Masters in Health Administration and a CPA in good standing. Over her career, she has served as Chief Financial Officer for a variety of organizations. Betsy currently serves as Director of Financial Administration for Hennepin County Human Services Public Health. Betsy's work and expertise cover the areas of leadership and team dynamics, strategy and implementation, revenue stream mapping and financial transactions, and application of quantitative and engineering tools to process optimization, decision analytics, and problem-solving.

Development Committe Chair

brigid@cloudsinwater.org

Brigid joined the Board in 2022 at the invitation of Guiding Teacher, Sosan Flynn. While not a Clouds member, she has been "Clouds-adjacent" through her spouse, and has joined Sunday services and special programming for more than a decade. In her day-to-day work, Brigid supports nonprofits and government agencies in creating and bringing to life plans for their future. She was pleased to work with the Clouds Board in this way before joining, and through those experiences learned about the dedication people at Clouds have to sustaining this unique sangha with its healing heart. She is drawn to the people, ideas and actions that make Clouds such a vibrant community, and wants to support strengthening its infrastructure so it can continue doing what it does best.

Board Member

sharon@cloudsinwater.org

Sharon joined Clouds in Water around 2015 and has attended several classes, sesshins, and retreats. She received Jukai in 2020 and received the Dharma name, KanKai - Generous Ocean, from Rev. Onryu Kennedy. After a retreat with Rev. angel Kyodo williams, she promised herself to “do the work” that BIPOC sangha members were asking of white people. She participated in Dismantling Whiteness and has been a member of a White Racial Affinity Group for the past 4 years. Sharon graduated from the University of Georgia where she studied Geography and was a Distinguished Military Graduate. After she jumped out of a perfectly good airplane, it was determined that she was crazy enough to be a US Army Maintenance Officer. For most of her post Army career, Sharon has avoided jumping from planes by working in various manufacturing roles leading diverse groups of people.

In 2004, she co-led an all-volunteer political group in Georgia that operated without soliciting monetary donations. The group ran Get Out the Vote canvassing and phone banking. They also organized a rally which included participation from local political leaders. In Minnesota she served on the Membership Committee of the 1006 Summit Society which raises money for the upkeep of the interior public places of the Governor’s Mansion.

Board Member

ray@cloudsinwater.org

Ray was introduced to Clouds in Water by Fukutoku, attending Sunday Service in person and via zoom. He hopes to contribute in any way he can to the Clouds in Water Zen Center.

Ray was born In Chicago IL. He was a member of the Buddhist Temple of Chicago due to his father and his family were members there since relocating from the internment camps to Chicago. They attended services which also included holidays, weddings and funerals. From 5 to 16 years of age, Ray practiced Judo at the temple three times of week and competed in many tournaments. He has run six marathons and many different running races. He attended the University of Wisconsin Madison majoring in Economics and Political Science, minoring in International Relations. This is where he met Ann Mako or Fukutoku. They married her 6 years later and have a son named Kyle who also live in Minnesota. He worked in management and sales in international transportation for 26 years at a Japanese company, travelling domestically and internationally frequently.

Non-Voting Member / Guiding Teacher

sosan@cloudsinwater.org

Sosan is the Guiding Teacher of Clouds in Water. She has studied and practiced Soto Zen Buddhism since 1992, receiving dharma transmission (full teaching authority) from Joen Snyder O’Neal in 2012. Sosan's areas of teaching include body awareness in Zen, loving-kindness practices, and the intersection of Buddhist practice and racial justice. She has officiated at many ceremonies (daily & special liturgies, weddings, baby namings, and memorial services), and offers premarital and couples counseling. Sosan was raised Catholic and practiced Catholicism for many years before embracing Buddhism as her primary religion. She has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked in both community mental health and staff training. Sosan and her husband of 36 years live a short distance from Clouds in Water. For more information, see Sosan’s website.

Non-Voting Board Member / ED

ed@cloudsinwater.org

Renkyo is the Executive Director of Clouds in Water. She is also an author, writing coach, and teacher of many things. Ren works with writers on integrating mindfulness into their writing practice, process, and life. In addition to her work as Executive Director at Clouds in Water, she is a Trained Mindfulness Facilitator through UCLA Mindfulness Awareness Research Center and holds a certificate in Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness. She is also the program director of Rebecca Dykes Writers in collaboration with the Highlights Foundation, where she works with writers who tell stories about trauma for young readers. In her Zen practice, creative work, and service, Ren believes in being a lighthouse for those who are awakening to the gift and challenges of being human on this particular planet, at this particular time. Find out more about Ren and her work at heatherdemetrios.com.