David Surrenda, Chief Executive Officer
David Surrenda, Ph.D, is a longtime innovator, entrepreneur, and specialist in integrating holistic principles into the workplace. He has been Director of the Leadership Edge since 1987, a consulting firm specializing in the challenges of executive leadership in the private, non-profit, and public sectors. An early advocate for whole-person education informed by spiritual values, David was the founding Dean of the Graduate School of Holistic Studies at John F. Kennedy University in California from 1977–1985. Read more.
Executive Team
Denise Barack, Director of Program Development
Denise Barack has been involved with Kripalu since 1985. She holds a degree in communications and was the advertising director at East West Journal in Boston before moving to the Berkshires to be part of the Kripalu community. She was Kripalu’s photographer and Group Events Manager for several years before joining the Curriculum Team. As Kripalu’s Director of Program Development, she uses her gift for networking people and ideas in overseeing the planning and development of all of Kripalu’s guest-faculty programs. Denise is the mother of two teenagers, and is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher.
Stephen Cope, Director, Institute for Extraordinary Living
Stephen Cope, MSW, is a psychotherapist, a national best-selling author, and a senior instructor of Kripalu Yoga with more than 15 years of experience as a yoga teacher. During the summer of 2005, he launched a pioneering music and consciousness program in conjunction with the Tanglewood Institute to study the effects of yoga and meditation on performance anxiety, physical health, and states of optimal performance. The senior Scholar-in-Residence at Kripalu Center, Stephen is the author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, Will Yoga and Meditation Really Change My Life?, and The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker’s Guide to Extraordinary Living. Stephen was named by Yoga Journal as one of the top 25 innovators in yoga in America in the last quarter of a century.
Deb Morgan, Executive Chef and Director of Food Services
Deb Morgan opened her first natural foods cafe in Reading, Pennsylvania, at the age of 21. In 1987, Deb discovered the Kripalu ashram, became a resident a year later, and spent the next four years working in the kitchen, practicing yoga, and living the Kripalu lifestyle. In the early 1990s, Deb and her husband Dan opened an organic cafe, The Love Dog, in Lenox, Massachusetts, which became well known as the place to go for delicious whole-foods cuisine. In the fall of 2005, Deb returned to Kripalu as Executive Chef and Director of Food Services, where she has been instrumental in creating a well-trained team of cooks and support staff and has created a new Kripalu cuisine that is receiving rave reviews from staff and guests alike.
John O’Neill, Director of Finance
John O’Neill was a long-term resident of the Kripalu ashram until 1994, during which time he worked at all levels of the finance and accounting departments. He then held financial controller positions in several retailing businesses in New Mexico before returning to Kripalu in 2001. As Director of Finance, John oversees all aspects of the organization’s financial areas, manages the Finance Department’s staff, and has developed substantial improvements in Kripalu’s budget system as well as in the quality and timeliness of accounting reports and financial statements. John has a deep respect for the work that Kripalu performs in the world and is deeply committed to the success of its mission.
Kelly Baxter Spitz, Director of Development
Kelly joined Kripalu in 2006 as the Associate Director of Development and moved into the position of Director in 2008. In her role, Kelly oversees and manages all aspects of Kripalu’s philanthropic activities. She has wealth of experience in fundraising, having been a member of the development teams at Boston Medical Center, Beth Israel Medical Center, and Albany Medical Center. In the Berkshires, she served as Director of Development for Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and Community Health Programs before coming to Kripalu. Kelly lives with her husband and daughter in Sheffield, MA.
Andrew Tanner, Director of Professional Trainings
Andrew is an entrepreneur and innovator at the forefront of yoga education. He has extensively studied and taught Dahn-Hak (Korean yoga), tai-chi, and hatha-raja yoga with Sri Dharma Mittra. Most recently he has begun a serious inquiry into Kripalu Yoga. Andrew has overseen the opening and operation of more than 10 successful yoga and wellness centers and from 2005–2007 was the regional director of Dahn Yoga in New York City. In 2007, He founded Bamboomoves Yoga, which grew to four locations in New York and New Jersey. Andrew also spearheaded the 2010 opening of the 7,000-square-foot flagship location for Dharma Yoga in downtown Manhattan. He has a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and psychology from New York University (NYU) and also serves as a vice president on the NYU Arts & Science Board of Alumni. Andrew is thrilled to be a part of the Kripalu family and to be able to serve so many yoga teachers and wellness professionals in moving our industry forward with knowledge, skills, and compassion.
Jennifer Young, Director of Retreat and Renewal and Healthy Living, and Codirector of the Institute for Integrated Healing
Before coming to Kripalu, Jennifer worked in marketing and new business development in the active travel and hospitality industry for 10 years. As the vice president of marketing for Overseas Adventure Travel, her work took her all over the world, including Tanzania, Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Nepal, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Egypt, and Europe. As the vice president of marketing for VBT Bicycling Vacations, she developed a new market of women’s tours. Jennifer was also the president of her own marketing and communication consulting business for two years. She has her bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Boston College and is also an actress, yogini, artist, and mother of two. She lives with her husband and children in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
