Irene is a co-founder and active leader of The Shambhala Touching the Earth Collective. She is a Senior Teacher and meditation instructor in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. She was Director of Practice and Education, 2013-2018, at Sky Lake Shambhala Meditation and Retreat Center, a contemplative center for meditation, arts and community located in the Hudson Valley. Currently, on the Governing Board of Sky Lake.  She was part of the first delegation of Buddhist teachers invited to the White House under President Obama. She is a lifetime Kasung and Kado student. As a member of the NY Shambhala Center , Irene was Resident Director of Shambhala Training, and Board Member and  Warrior of the New York Shambhala Center. Adoring mother of adult children, Charles and Catherine, she is a baker, a poet, a friend and committed to the care of the Earth.