Strengthening resilience and empathy in schools and communities
About Us
Our Values
Empathy
Deepening care and compassion for ourselves and one another
Equity
Ensuring service to communities exposed to the most stress and trauma
Empowerment
Building capacity to sustain individual and community stress-resilience
Our Journey
2005
Just the Beginning
With our first program at Alameda County Juvenile Hall, we began to chip away at the School-to-Prison Pipeline
2010
Meeting the Need
Mental health professionals at the West Bank of Palestine are trained in DMind upon the UN's request
2016
Building Capacity
Norton publishes Niroga's Transformative Life Skills Curriculum used by teachers and youth workers
2022
Scaling Impact
Niroga launches InPower mobile app for Apple and Android to make DMind accessible anytime, anywhere
Our Founder & Executive Director
Bidyut K. Bose (BK), PhD
BK fondly remembers lakeside walks with his father at a young age. “I was a restless boy with boundless energy, and my father encouraged me to inhale as I walked four steps and exhale as I walked eight steps. It is a time-tested breath regulation pattern, and I realized that it instantly helped me become calmer and more focused.”
The poignancy of these experiences informed BK through his career as a scientist in Silicon Valley where he learned about the impacts of stress on physical and mental health, education and public safety. “I discovered that one in two students drop out of school in our inner cities, many of whom end up in juvenile detention facilities and jails, while three out of four who are released go right back in. That is when I decided to dedicate myself to building stress-resilient communities and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline.”
Our Team
Judy Dunlap
Co-Founder
After decades of practicing mindfulness, Judy's deep commitment to service led her to co-found Niroga with BK
Rosalind Lwin
Associate Executive Director
Rosalind applies her design background to develop trainings and resources that emphasize creativity and community
Julia Owens
Ops & Dev Manager
Julia enthusiastically offers her expertise in fundraising and operations within the youth-focused, nonprofit sector
.
Linnea Rivano Barros
Ops & Dev Coordinator
Linnea loves connecting with Niroga's community and is excited about DMind's role in supporting mental health
Yolanda Frausto
Office Manager
Yolanda's core value of kindness is felt in her care for Dynamic Mindfulness, the Niroga community, plants, and cats
Bhavana Mody
Program Manager
Formerly an educator, Bhavana bridges science and therapeutic mindfulness to support Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Jason Gant
Program Coordinator
Jason brings over a decade of experience coaching and mentoring young people to proactively design mindful lives
Lily Gates-Tilles
Program Coordinator
Lily's life-saving, mindfulness journey began in high school, and fuels her passion to bring DMind to students nationwide
Our Board Members
Fred Schnider [Board Chair] is a criminal defense lawyer specializing in state and federal appeals. After witnessing the transformative potential of Niroga's program in Juvenile Hall, Fred has advocated for Dynamic Mindfulness as a cost-effective and empowering tool to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.
Bidyut Bose [Founder and Executive Director] The former computer scientist and technology executive founded Niroga to provide solutions to the root causes of inequity. BK is the lead author of the Dynamic Mindfulness (DMind) curriculum and conducts DMind trainings nationally and internationally.
Judy Dunlap [Co-founder] has applied her MBA, and extensive experience in operations, to ensure Niroga Institute's sustainability. She was compelled to co-found Niroga because she enjoyed the challenge of a start-up, and is passionate about the opportunity to give back to her community.
Rosalind Lwin [Associate Executive Director] is dedicated to building capacity and increasing impact through Dynamic Mindfulness products and programs. Her primary projects, including Niroga's InPower app, are informed by her commitment to introspection, inclusivity, and innovation.
Hon. Charles Ervin serves as Presiding Judge in the Superior Court of California, Sierra County. He is the President of the California Association of Youth Courts and serves as a liaison judge from the Collaborative Justice Court Advisory Committee to the Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee.
Joe Farasat is a parent, and an influential leader who brings over 30 years of experience in financial services, consulting, and capital raising. His values of compassion, authenticity, and integrity have guided his long-standing work with social impact enterprises in the United States and beyond.
Sarah Benis Scheier-Dolberg is a life and leadership coach with 20+ years of experience in teaching, coaching, leadership, research and consulting. Grounded in K-12 public education, she is the President of Areté Education in NYC, which seeks to enable youth to bring out the very best in themselves.
Conrad Tiu has served as an educational leader in diverse learning settings within the Los Angeles Unified School District, for over 30 years. His work incoporates strategies for social justice and equity in education. After learning trauma-informed mindfulness, he shares DMind daily with his students.
Our Advisory Board
Nik Banerjee • Former Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank
Alex Brisco • Principal, California Children's Trust
John Burbank • Founder & Chief Investment Officer, Passport Capital, LLC
Woody Carter • Former Executive Director, Bay Area Black United Fund
Adele Diamond • Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, University of British Columbia
Delaine Eastin • Former State Superintendent of California Public Instruction
Gihani Fernando • Consultant; formerly with Bridgespan and Playworks
Raj Gandhi • Pediatric surgeon and mindfulness trainer
Deb Levine • Consultant; formerly founder and ED of YTH (Youth+Tech+Health)
Janet Pozmantier • Consultant; former Founding Director, Center for School Behavioral Health, Mental Health America of Greater Houston
Shane Safir • Consultant; formerly with Stuart Foundation
Curtiss Sarikey • Chief of Staff to Superintendent, Oakland Unified School District
Dan Siegel • Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA, and acclaimed author
Bill Somerville • Founder, Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
John Spinale • Serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist investing in human potential technology
Lynda Tredway • Senior Associate, Institute for Educational Leadership, Washington, DC
Carina Wong • Deputy Director and Senior Advisor for Innovation, Gates Foundation
Our Community
Together, let's develop millions of mindful children for a more connected and compassionate world