Our resident teacher, Geshe Thubten Sherab, is joined by a team of some thirty FPMT and other teachers, facilitators, and meditation leaders from around the world, these days exclusively via Zoom.
Our Teams
The Buddhist Center, Thubten Norbu Ling, is one of the 160+ organizations affiliated with the FPMT and is a religious nonprofit corporation, registered in New Mexico.
The Executive Director Steve Kopelman – known in the FPMT as the Center Director and selected for that role by Lama Zopa Rinpoche – is supported by a board of directors.
A team of managers, some of whom also serve as officers of the corporation as required by the state of New Mexico, oversee the various departments of the center.
Each department in turn has its own team, some of whom are paid but most of whom are volunteers.
A Center Manager has been appointed, who will gradually take over the center’s day-to-day activities.
As our new center is being constructed and all our activities are online, our four main teams these days are Spiritual Program, which is organizing our curriculum of some 20 classes a week, Hospitality, which has a team of 17 Zoom hosts, and Marketing and Finances.
Director
Steve Kopelman
Executive Director, Marketing, Finances
Management
Ven. Losang Dondrub
Center Manager, Spritual Program Manager
Ven. Dondrub began studying the Dharma at Drepung Loseling Institute in Atlanta in 2008. He took refuge vows from Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa in 2011 and novice monk ordination vows in 2013. For seven years, Ven. Dondrub served FPMT’s Guhyasamaja Center in Washington DC as spiritual program coordinator and on the board of directors. Since early 2021 he has been working on the spiritual program at The Buddhist Center Thubten Norbu Ling where he also teaches and leads meditation. Recently, Ven. Dondrub moved from Washington DC to Santa Fe to become our new center manager.
AboutMatt Bunkowski
Giving Manager
Matt works in the investment management industry and also co-owns the Wild Birds Unlimited Santa Fe store with his father. Matt joined Thubten Norbu Ling’s board of directors in 2019. He is passionate about community engagement and is actively involved in other non-profits including our sister FPMT center in California, Land of Medicine Buddha, as well Cooking with Kids in Santa Fe, Museum Foundation of New Mexico, and Kalamazoo College.
AboutRick Voltin
Audio / Visual Manager
Christina Cardenas
Marketing Director
Christina started volunteering at FPMT centers in 2008; beginning with Milarepa Center in Vermont. She also attended the November course in 2008 at Kopan Monastery, and took refuge with Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Since then she has studied, volunteered, or worked with various FPMT Buddhist centers around the world. Christina has an extensive background in Sales and Marketing and feels blessed to be able to serve The Buddhist Center Thubten Norbu Ling and it's community.
AboutOfficers of the Corporation
Charmaine Hughes
President
Nancy Savoia
Treasurer
Matt Bunkowski
Secretary
Ven. Losang Dondrub
Spiritual Program Manager
Board of Directors
Charmaine Hughes
Charmaine first encountered Tibetan Buddhism in 1999 at teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She is a student of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and has served Rinpoche’s center, Thubten Norbu Ling, since 2005, first as Spiritual Program Coordinator for three years and as Center Director, as well as on the board of directors, since 2019. For the past fifteen years she has also led weekly meditation sessions at the center. She is a licensed psychotherapist and an avid hiker and traveler — especially for Dharma!
AboutNancy Savoia
Nancy began attending classes at Thubten Norbu Ling in 2014 and has served on the board of directors since 2016. She is the the People Care Manager and is available to our community to listen to praises, complaints, or both! She also recruits new team members for our various management departments. When she’s not working at our center, she works as a chiropractor in Los Alamos.
AboutMatt Bunkowski
Matt works in the investment management industry and also co-owns the Wild Birds Unlimited Santa Fe store with his father. Matt joined Thubten Norbu Ling’s board of directors in 2019. He is passionate about community engagement and is actively involved in other non-profits including our sister FPMT center in California, Land of Medicine Buddha, as well Cooking with Kids in Santa Fe, Museum Foundation of New Mexico, and Kalamazoo College.
AboutCharlene Wunderlich
Charlene has been an active volunteer and member at our center since 2007, after attending her first teaching with Ven. Robina Courtin. Charlene has served as the Dharma shop manager, the Sunday morning meditation leader, and umdze for Geshe Sherab’s classes on Sundays. She has served on our board of directors since 2007. Charlene and her cat, Snow, regularly attend lots of classes at our center.
AboutVen. Losang Dondrub
Ven. Dondrub began studying the Dharma at Drepung Loseling Institute in Atlanta in 2008. He took refuge vows from Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa in 2011 and novice monk ordination vows in 2013. For seven years, Ven. Dondrub served FPMT’s Guhyasamaja Center in Washington DC as spiritual program coordinator and on the board of directors. Since early 2021 he has been working on the spiritual program at The Buddhist Center Thubten Norbu Ling where he also teaches and leads meditation. Recently, Ven. Dondrub moved from Washington DC to Santa Fe to become our new center manager.
AboutAdditional Team Members
Ajna Seret
Teacher Care
Christopher Harris
Teacher Care
Dawn Furlong
Puja Set Up and Teacher Care
Coral Clark
Grounds Manager
Doris Tattrie
Social Media
Paola Mannaro
Social Media
Lauren Ross
Systems Manager
Leah Ruhle
Cafe Manager
Mary Camille
Zoom Host
Anna Wa Thea
Zoom Host
Heather Fox
Zoom Host
John Ballantyne
Zoom Host
Gregg Duong
Zoom Host
Louis DeSantis
Zoom Host
Xela Thomas
Zoom Host Coordinator
We would also like to thank our shyer team members not pictured:
Janice Gorman, Teacher Care
Jolana Janisova, Bookkeeping
Israel Serr, Maintenance
Mary M, Zoom Host
Stephen Azuma, Zoom Host
Som Pourfarzaneh, Zoom Host