Elaine D’Alton – Chairperson
Elaine is originally from Dublin and now resides in County Clare. She has a long standing interest in meditation and in 2013 she began to volunteer with the Sunyata Buddhist Centre. Elaine has a strong affiliation to the Theravadan Thai Forest tradition of Buddhism and the methods used in this tradition has assisted her in developing her own Meditation and Mindfulness practice. Elaine joined the Board of Trustees in 2014. She manages retreats for visiting Monastics, teaches the Beginners Meditation Class and is the current Chairperson of the Centre.
Heike Griffin – Company Secretary
Heike was born in Germany and her wish for a more quiet and peaceful life brought her to rural Ireland in 1985. She became interested in meditation in her twenties. In 2012 she began visiting Sunyata Buddhist Centre and sitting retreats in the Thai Forest tradition at Sunyata as well as other centres. Heike has been helping at Sunyata in various roles since 2013, ie managing retreats, administration, and leading retreats. She joined the Board of Trustees in 2014.
Colm Kavanagh
Originally from County Meath, Colm became interested in Buddhism at an early age. He spent several years living in Buddhist centres and monasteries of different traditions before coming to Sunyata in 2015. He lived at the centre until 2020 most of which time he served as manager. He considers Ajahn Sumedho and family life to be his main teachers. Colm now lives locally, working as a gardener, and serves as vice chairman on the board of trustees.