Leadership
Rev. Myozen Joan Amaral (she/ella)
Founder and Guiding Teacher
Rev. Myozen Joan Amaral (she/ella) is a dharma lineage holder in the Soto Zen tradition as passed down through Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and San Francisco Zen Center. Since establishing the Zen Center in 2012, she has been exploring the connection between zazen, social justice, self-care, and creativity as a path of true happiness and mutual awakening.
Rev. Dr. Andre Bennett
Board Member
Rev Andre is Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at Zion Baptist Church in Lynn. A graduate of UMass, Endicott College, and Atlantic Coast Theological Seminary, he serves as President of ECCO (Essex County Community Organization) and is a member of Zen Center's BIPOC Steering Committee. He is respected and loved as a vocal proponent of racial justice on the North Shore.
Christine Henson (she/her)
Board Secretary
Christine Henson is an artist, writer, editor, and grandmother. Born and raised in Vermont, Christine graduated from the Maine College of Art in 1995 and spent three decades as a communication strategist for large corporations. Now returning to her roots as a creative on a full-time basis, she enjoys exploring the sweet permeation of Zen within her quiet life on the Coast of Maine.
Chuck Gould
Finance Advisor
Chuck Gould is a Soto Zen priest ordained at San Francisco Zen Center. His avuncular outspokenness, street lawyerly bluntness, and Buddhist bottom-lineness are as striking, refreshing and vivid as his photographic portraiture.
Clint Dalton (he/him)
President
Clint Dalton is the ZCNS Board President and a family law practitioner focusing on divorce litigation and mediation. Attorney Dalton was born and raised in Ipswich and is a graduate of St. John’s Preparatory School, Stanford University, The Graduate Institute at St. John's College, and The University of San Diego School of Law. Prior to attending law school he established the San Francisco office of Human Rights Watch. He began a focused Zen practice 18 years ago in California and is honored to support the mission of the Zen Center. He lives with his wife and two children in Ipswich.
Dr. Esther Ngotho
Social Justice Co-Facilitator
My name is Esther. I have been a Beverly resident for 21 years, and in my time here, I have been deeply involved in the local community. I was originally born in rural Kenya, Africa, and my daughter and I came to America in November of 2001, later joined by my husband. My immigration story has shaped my beliefs about the value of every single life. I have devoted my life to community service that leaves no one behind. My life work has been in healthcare policy and practices, because I know healthy people create healthy, happy communities. I am a nurse (RN) with a Master’s degree in Emergency and Disaster Management and a Ph.D. in Public Health. I first came into contact with ZCNS in the summer of 2016 and became a friend of the Center as well as a co-facilitator of Zen Center’s Social Justice program. As a believer in multi-faith coalition, I continue to learn and embrace the Buddhist teachings about our minds, our suffering, and our humanity.
Jade Amy Tyrrell (she/her)
Recovery Sangha Facilitator
Jade has been gratefully sober since 2014 and facilitates Recovery Sangha. She began practicing at the Zen Center in August of 2018 and finds meditation essential to having a little peace on a daily basis. As a member of the sangha and a lifelong student, she looks forward to hearing from others and sharing her own experience of how a spiritual solution can help us face all our challenges.
Jikan Bevan (they/them)
Sewing Instructor
Jikan Bevan is Zen Center’s Sewing Instructor. They began practicing at ZCNS in 2015, and were lay ordained in 2018. When they are not at Zen Center, you can most likely find them teaching third grade, or raising their three beautiful boys.
Kenho Emily Dashawetz (she/her)
Shika (Guest Manager)
Kenho is a poet, writer, and community volunteer who has served as a nonprofit communications professional for nearly 20 years. She is particularly passionate about contributing her energy to nonprofit organizations partnering with children and teens. Currently she is director of marketing and communications at YouthBuild Global. A native of Annapolis, Maryland, Kenho relocated in 2006 to Somerville, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband Markian. Together they enjoy exploring New England’s natural beauty in any weather. She has practiced at ZCNS since the spring of 2019 and received lay ordination in December 2020. With the ZCNS sangha, she is grateful to deepen her inquiry into what it means to build community together, and what it means to serve.
Dr. Laura Harrington (she/her)
Board Member
Dr. Harrington teaches the history of Buddhism and Asian traditions at Boston University, where she has been a member of the Department of Religion courses in Buddhism and Asian studies since 2012. She received her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Columbia University in 2002, and subsequently taught at Trinity College and Wesleyan University. Her past publications focus on the eleventh century Kālacakra Tantra, and span Sanskrit and Tibetan translations and analyses of contemporary Tibetan practice. Professor Harrington’s current research focuses on the influence of covert public-private foundations on the study of Buddhism in Cold War America. She serves on the Board of Directors of Zen Center North Shore, where she also offers lectures and classes.
Michiko Imai (she/her)
Calligraphy Teacher
Michiko Imai is from Nara, Japan, where she started studying calligraphy at the age of 4. She has been a professional calligrapher in the United States (Salem, MA) since 2008 and at ZCNS since 2013. Michiko is convinced that calligraphy can affect our lives in a positive way. She believes that the effects of positive change aren’t immediately apparent, but reveal themselves only by trusting a step by step process. Michiko especially values the cultivation of patience through the practice of calligraphy. She is delighted to share her calligraphy practice at Zen Center. You can find her at michikostudio.com.
Nora Williams (she/her)
Head Doan
Nora is a person of many trades, hobbies, and interests. At the moment these energies are focused on her work with the City of Somerville helping administrate grants. She likes that these grants are specifically oriented toward social impact, food justice, and preventative services that run parallel to her commitment to being a lifelong learner and advocate for social and racial justice. In 2017, she received a Bachelor's of Arts from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA in Spanish Literature and Culture as well as Religious Studies. She then received a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School in 2020 where she explored the historical and spiritual dimensions of identity in transnational adoptees in the U.S. Nora enjoys spending time in Cambridge with her dog, Kaia, and connecting Zen practice with everyday life.
Dr. Seitetsu Kate Farrington (she/her)
Artist-Philosopher
Kate Farrington is an artist and professor of liberal arts and environmental ethics. She first came to ZCNS in 2015 with her Eastern Philosophies class as a way to extend the class's study beyond theory. Since then, she continues to practice and learn from zazen meditation, and has embraced the many ways Zen practice has impacted her life personally.
