sara flitner, founder

Sara has more than 20 years of experience in collaborative problem solving, organizational leadership, and authentic communication. She is a trained and certified mediator and a strong believer in the practice of mindfulness at home, in the workplace, and around the community. A native of Shell, Wyoming, graduate of University of Wyoming, and former mayor of Jackson Hole, she is passionate about and deeply connected to her home state and the wellbeing of its economy, its wildlife, and her fellow citizens.

Sara is an avid skier and yogi, an enthusiastic mountain biker, and a terrible fisher. She loves being outside with her sons, Pete and Silas. Hiking with friends or her dogs, reading, talking neuroscience, and anything that makes her laugh out loud are favorite activities. She is currently working on her first book on civility and compassion as building blocks for thriving communities.

AMISHI JHA, PH.D., CHIEF SCIENCE ADVISOR

Dr. Amishi Jha is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, and Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, prior to which she was an Assistant Professor at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California–Davis and received her postdoctoral training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University in functional neuroimaging. She studies the neural bases of attention and the effects of mindfulness-based training programs on cognition, emotion, and resilience.

With grants from the Department of Defense and several private foundations, she has been systematically investigating the potential applications of mindfulness training in education, corporate, elite sports, and the military contexts. In addition to her own published body of research, her work has been featured at TED.com, the World Economic Forum, NPR, the Aspen Institute, the Pentagon, the Journal of Special Operations Medicine, and Joint Force Quarterly. Dr. Jha’s research with members of a military special operations unit was recently featured in The New York Times.

Our Advisory Board

Dan Baker

Jimmy Bartz

Susan Bauer-Wu

Karen Connelly

Amy Lane

Jim Gimian

Fred Keller

Our Board of Directors

Amy Lane, Secretary

Dan Baker, Treasurer

Sara Flitner, President