Judith Simmer-Brown and Richard Brown

Judith Simmer-Brown is one of the Founding Faculty of Naropa University, where she has taught Buddhist studies since 1977. Since retiring in 2020, she continues at Naropa as a trainer for the Compassion Initiative and for the Masters of Divinity.  She is a Senior Teacher in Shambhala and is a Mind and Life Fellow.  Her books are Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism (Shambhala) and Meditation and the Classroom (SUNY). She and Richard have two adult children and four grandchildren.

Richard Brown, founder of Naropa University’s Education Department, has devoted his career to adapting Buddhist wisdom to contemporary teaching and learning. Early on he taught in public elementary school and in a Buddhist-inspired K-12. He has written extensively and lectured internationally on contemplative education. He partnered in the creation of Care for Teachers, a contemplative social-emotional learning training, now in its eleventh year at Garrison Institute.