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Meet
the Janaka Foundation
Board of Directors and Staff |
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Kent
Williams, President
Kent first became
involved with Ananda in Seattle in 1991. For 20 years he worked
in the Seattle area as a sales executive for a major international
healthcare equipment company. In 1998.,when he retired, he
moved to the Ananda Village where his personal philosophy of financial
stewardship led him to support various projects including the founding
of the Janaka Foundation. Kent brings 25 years of business experience
along with a strong commitment to expanding the work of Yogananda
and Kriyananda through the Ananda movement.
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Catherine Van Houten, Director
Catherine moved to Ananda Village in 1978. During her first few years there, she worked with various aspects of Ananda including publications and guest services. In 1983 she began working as Ananda's first director of development, overseeing the establishing and development of this department from that time onward. She, along with Kent Williams, John Ernst, and Hunter Black formulated the beginning ideas for the Janaka Foundation, filing the bylaws for the Foundation with the state of California in the spring of 2001.
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Devi Novak, Director
Devi is one of the founding members of Ananda having lived at Ananda and several of its other colonies since 1969. She has served in various functions of community life, including being a community correspondent and a teacher at Ananda's Retreat: The Expanding Light. She is married to Jyotish Novak and together they serve as Spiritual Directors for Ananda Sangha Worldwide, which includes directing the spiritual activities of Ananda Village and Ananda Communities throughout the world. Having dedicated 40 years of her life to Ananda and its outreach programs, Devi is also the author of several books published by Crystal Clarity, including Faith is My Armor, a biography of Swami Kriyananda, the founder of Ananda.
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Latika Parajinog , Director
A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda since 1977, Latika moved to Ananda Village in June 1981 from the East Coast. With a background in administration and financial management, she has served in many aspects of Ananda's work since then, including publications, The Expanding Light retreat, Mountain Song (a retail store in Nevada City), and fund raising. For the past seventeen years, she has been an assistant to the General Manager of Ananda, helping coordinate and support a number of all-Ananda projects. Latika has a strong interest in seeing the work of Ananda continue into the future with strength and clarity of purpose.
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James Conti,
Director
James and his wife Tricia are co-managers of East West Bookstore in Mountain View, California, an Ananda enterprise dedicated to serving truth-seekers of all spiritual paths. James has been with Ananda since 1996, initially as a member of the Seattle community and now as a resident of Ananda Palo Alto. James brings to the Janaka Foundation Board over 35 years of diverse business experience. His goal is to further the long-term financial stability of Ananda through the Janaka Foundation and through this bringing "hope for a better world."
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Terry McGilloway , Director
Terry is an Ananda minister who with his wife, Padma serves as the spiritual director of Ananda Sangha in Seattle , Washington. Prior to moving to Seattle in 1993 from Ananda Village in California , Terry, a certified public accountant, directed the accounting and finance activities of Ananda Sangha worldwide. Terry and Padma's two children, Kashi and Gita, graduates of the Living Wisdom grade school at Ananda Village , are currently enrolled in master's degree programs for service in the non-profit sector.
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The Staff
Parvati Hansen, Executive Director
Parvati has been a member of Ananda since 1972. She is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Janaka Foundation. Over the years she has helped to direct a number of the Ananda colonies and has taught classes on yoga philosophy and meditation for over 20 years. She has also published a number of articles on spiritual living for a major newspaper in Portland, Oregon where she and her husband Bent served as spiritual directors from 1998 to 2004. |
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John Ernst, Treasurer
Raised in Southern California, John Ernst has been a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda since the 1970s. He moved to Ananda Village with his wife, Nancy, and two children in 1996. His business, Progressive Asset Management, specializes in socially responsible investing as a means to bring a dharmic relationship to one's personal investments. As Treasurer and Financial Advisor of the Janaka Foundation, John endeavors to ensure that the Janaka Foundation's investments are held to the highest standards. His goal is to help Janaka develop a firm financial footing for the advancement of the Ananda movement. |
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