The Governing Council
Clifford Nueman (Council Chair)
Cliff has been engaged as a principal in his own law firms for over 40 years, emphasizing corporate and securities law in the representation of companies in matters of corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations and public and private offerings. He has served on the boards of directors of numerous public, private and non-profit companies and has been actively involved in the process of capital formation on behalf of his clients for many years. He is also the Managing Partner of Gemini Gaming, LLC, which owns and operates a gaming casino in Blackhawk, Colorado.
He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Medicine Horse Program, a nonprofit equine assisted psychotherapy facility in Boulder, and as Director and CEO of Ratna Foundation, a nonprofit charitable foundation, which he founded with his wife Margot.
Cliff has been attending dharma programs at DMC since 1975 and was a student of the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche who officiated his wedding ceremony with Margot that same year. He has three adult children and four grandchildren.
He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Joanne Martin Braun, Ph.D.
Joanne has been a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and
other Buddhist masters, for more than 4 decades. She is a meditation teacher and also
works in non-profit management and consulting. Joanne has brought her understanding
of the wisdom traditions of Buddhism into her professional life, with organizations such
as Kaiser Permanente, University of California, Northen California Shambhala, St.
Joseph’s Hospitals, and the Village Network. Her primary aspiration in her work is to
help cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom in ways that can radiate out
from our individual and organizational lives.
Joanne has been a grateful attendee at Drala Mountain Center since 1982. She has
also previously served as a staff member and on a DMC advisory board. Her
commitment as a Governing Council member is just another manifestation of her belief
that DMC is an extraordinary place to refresh and deepen our connection to our heart
and mind.
Karen Wilding
Karen Wilding is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private practice in Boulder, Colorado. She is a member of Boulder Psychological Services and serves on their leadership team. She was previously the Director of Counseling at September School for 17 years. She has served as chairperson of several nonprofit boards including Attention Homes, Boulder County AIDS Project, Tibetan Village Project, and Drala Mountain Center.
Karen moved to Boulder in 1975 because the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche told her that families should gather there for the early years of Karma Dzong and Naropa University.
She has taught at Naropa, Boulder Shambhala Center and Drala Mountain Center, and served as a meditation instructor for many years.
Karen has been attending programs at Drala Mountain Center since 1976, and considers it the most magical, open-hearted and spacious place in the world. She received a B.A. in English cum laude from University of Rochester and a Master of Social Work from University of Denver.
Ming Linsley
Ming has worked in advertising and technology for over 15 years and currently leads the Project Management and Client Solutions groups for a Software Engineering and Consulting company in Denver.
Ming first fell in love with Drala Mountain Center as a child in 1990. Over the years, she has returned again and again, both as a practitioner and a program staffer. Serving on the DMC Governance Council is a natural expression of Ming’s aspiration to support and serve the Shambhala community and to preserve the longevity of DMC. Before moving to Colorado, Ming previously served on the Governance Council of Karme Chöling and the board of the New York Shambhala Center. She now lives in Denver with her wife and two children, and continually strives to join her meditation practice with family and work.