About Us
Shelly Dews Chigier
Shelly Dews Chigier, PhD, and her husband are the BESS Family Foundation’s trustees. Shelly was introduced to meditation through her yoga practice and has been a dedicated Vipassana practitioner since her first retreat in 2011. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at Arizona State University and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Boston College.
As a Trustee of the BESS Family Foundation, Shelly is dedicated to cultivating a community of thoughtful practitioners who are actively tackling the complexities of the ecological crisis. She believes this community has tremendous potential to foster kindness, resilience, and well-being for all.
Shelly and her husband, who have two grown children and two dogs, reside on the ancestral lands of the Pawtucket, meaning “at the falls.” The tribal people moved seasonally throughout their territories and their descendants include the Wampanoag, Nipmuck, and Massachusetts tribes. The Massachusetts Tribe continues to practice its culture today.
Shelly and her family acknowledge the historical colonization that decimated much of the native population and recognize the ongoing oppression faced by Tribal Nations. They express gratitude to the original stewards of this land, who have lovingly cared for the mountains, rivers, and sea. They are dedicated to being good relatives to all people, plants, and animals, and are deeply appreciative of the wisdom shared by members of Tribal Nations.
Jodi Castallo
Jodi coordinates grants and programs for the BESS Family Foundation. She worked in environmental non-profits for more than 15 years with a variety of communities around water and watershed issues. After becoming burned out in the environmental field and studying mindfulness for several years, she decided to make a career change to share what has been so powerful in her life. For six years, she taught mindfulness to kids in grades 1 -12 in Rhode Island public and charter schools and taught mindfulness to adults in the corporate setting through workplace programs, retreat programs, and community programs. Working for the BESS Family Foundation has been a great way to combine both her passion and expertise.
Jodi graduated from Bucknell University with an undergraduate degree in biology, then earned her master’s degree in environmental science at Antioch New England Graduate School.
She resides and works on the ancestral land of the Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy) and Abenaki. Kennebunk is an Abenaki word that means “long cut back”, which refers to Great Hill that drops sharply to the edges at the mouth of the Mousam River. Other tribes also lived in the area, including the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Mi”kmaq, Kennebec, Pequawket, and Maliseet. They followed a seasonal migration pattern.
Jodi has a deep connection to this land, having lived here for many years. She recognizes the past and present harm to tribal nations and realizes that this is only one step along the path of reconciliation and reparation for the damage done by settler colonialism. She has deep gratitude and respect for this land and the tribal people who were the original stewards.
Karen Waconda
Karen is a tribal native of the Isleta and Laguna Pueblos. After her initiation into Native Medicine, she introduced traditional healing practices into an urban American Indian health clinic in Albuquerque, NM. She continues to expand this program into local hospitals, the Indian Health Service, the VA Hospital, and surrounding organizations.
Karen integrates Western medicine with Native healing in preventive health, mental health, and overall well-being. She is the founder and director of the Center for Native American Integrative Healing, LLC, located in Albuquerque, where healers from various tribal nations practice their traditional medicine and extend their services to the Community.
Karen is a Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader program graduate and has been practicing mindfulness from a young age, guided by her grandparents in her traditional tribal practices of caring for the land, gardening, cooking, and animals. She regularly provides dharma teachings incorporating Native teachings in her community and nationally. She has intertwined Native teachings with Vipassana meditation, incorporating these practices into ceremonies, sweat lodges, and her community at Laguna Pueblo. At Laguna Pueblo, the ancestral teachings of mindfulness have complemented the Buddhist teachings at the Detention Center, providing insight and wellness to inmates and their families.
Additionally, Karen co-founded the Annual Indigenous and Native Healers Silent Retreat and the Albuquerque People of Color and Allies Sangha. She has also been appointed volunteer faculty at the University of New Mexico’s School of Medicine, where she guides faculty and staff on tribal health issues and wellness support to medical students and residents.
In her personal life, Karen enjoys spending time with her family, including her daughter and two grandchildren. She manages the family ranch and loves spending time with ancestral lands and caring for its inhabitants.
Kirsten Rudestam
Kirsten is an environmental educator, wilderness guide, and meditation teacher. She believes that practices of (re)connection are vital for cultivating the resilience needed to face ecological loss and embrace our inherent interdependence.
Kirsten holds a PhD in environmental sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she focused on water policy and environmental justice. She is a trained vision fast guide through the School of Lost Borders, a facilitator of Joanna Macy’s “Work That Reconnects.” She has been teaching in colleges and universities, environmental field courses, and nature-based meditation programs since 2002.
A dedicated meditation practitioner since 1997, Kirsten has been authorized and trained to teach in the Theravadan tradition by her mentors, Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella. She co-founded and co-teaches the Sati Center’s Buddhist Eco-Chaplaincy Training Program, supporting others in responding to the challenges of our time with compassion and wisdom.
Kirsten lives in a yurt on the White Salmon River in Washington, on the ancestral lands of the Yakama Nation and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. She acknowledges the enduring relationship these tribes have with this land and honors their stewardship, resilience, and contributions to the ongoing care of this region.