Andrea "Dre" Barkley
Development and Fundraising Coordinator

Fundraising and Development

Andrea “Dre” Barkley (She/Her) is a devoted practitioner of Buddhism and a dynamic professional with a rich background in Information Science. Dre is deeply passionate about leveraging data to foster social healing and interbeing, embodying a commitment to eco-therapy principles. Before joining the East Bay Meditation Center as the Development and Fundraising Coordinator, she was a professional coach, empowering fellow creatives to realize their potential and navigate their paths. Additionally, Dre contributed her skills as a marketing and social media strategist for a local business specializing in mindful eating and food justice.

Dre’s journey is marked by her dedication to exploring the intersections of spirituality and social justice. Her academic and professional endeavors reflect a continuous pursuit of knowledge and a desire to create a meaningful impact on social and environmental healing.

When not immersed in her work at EBMC, Dre is an avid songwriter and performer, sharing her original music across the Bay Area and beyond.

 
email: dre at eastbaymeditation dot org
Anna Breckenridge
Event Manager

Event Management, Zoom Host

Anna (She / Her) grew up in the Bay Area and came to Soto Zen practice as a teenager. She is now a member of Kannon Do Zen Meditation Center and is the Operations Manager for the Soto Zen Buddhist Association. After moving to the East Bay, Anna enrolled in EBMC’s White and Awakening in Sangha program and continued connecting with EBMC leaders through her work with SZBA online programs. Her current interests include gardening, cooking, travel and expanding access and equity in Buddhist practice.

email: abreckenridge at eastbaymeditation dot org

Cassandra Shaylor
Development Director

Fundraising and Development

Cassandra Shaylor (She / Her) is an activist, attorney, and artist based in Oakland. She is the co-founder and former co-director of Justice Now and a co-founder of Critical Resistance, both abolitionist organizations focused on dismantling the prison industrial complex and building a world without prisons. Her academic and written work has focused on issues of women in prison, abolition, and the intersections of race, sexuality, gender, and punishment. Over the past few years she has been a fundraising and communications consultant for a range of social justice and environmental justice groups, and she is currently developing her skills as a metal smith.

email: Cassandra at eastbaymeditation dot org

Kaiayo Z. Shatteen
Event Manager
Zoom and In-person Hosting
 
Kaiayo Z. Shatteen (they/them/theirs) is a Black Indigenous, Queer Parent of two young adults. They are blessed to reside on the Unceded Land of the Lisjan Ohlone People where they are a Reproductive Justice Advocate & Consultant, Apprentice Midwife, Herbal Alchemist, LGBTQ2S+ Equity Consultant and a Recovery Motivational Speaker.

They have a deep commitment to ending the injustice that puts BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ and Gender Non Conforming communities at the bottom when it comes to positive birth outcomes, access to inclusive and traditional health care, and equity in the workplace . They are committed to using their calm, healing energy to support and nurture their community. This work is an answer to Ancestral calling and they are guided by their Ancestors daily.

In 2019, their favorite aunt became an Ancestor. During that transition, it was made clear to Kaiayo that they needed to change their life to become a better person. They have been in recovery since June 2019 and have committed themselves to honoring their Ancestors; studying Buddhism and walking the Eightfold Path towards becoming a Bodhisattva;  sharing the benefits of their sobriety and staying on the path of recovery.
 
email: kaiayo at eastbaymeditation dot org
Kristal Ip
Program Director

Events and Practice Groups

Before becoming the Program Director, Kristal (she/her) was a sangha member, volunteer with the Alphabet Sangha Coordinating Committee, and Event Manager for EBMC.  She is very honored to have the role of Program Director and seeks to mindfully and wholeheartedly serve our amazing community.  Kristal grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and currently resides in Oakland, on the unceded land of the Lisjan Ohlone People.  She is also a certified massage therapist and occasionally teaches massage classes.  Her background includes a BA in Communications from UC San Diego, a MA in Geography from San Francisco State University, and diverse work experiences in places like the National Park Service, Exploratorium science museum, Marsh Theater, YMCA, Alameda County Registrar of Voters, and Crisis Support Services of Alameda County.  Those experiences, along with others, have taught Kristal so much about what community service is and can be.  Besides working for EBMC, Kristal loves swimming, nature, music, and spending time with friends and family.
 
email: kristal at eastbaymeditation dot org
Ramon Honea
Volunteer Coordinator & Facilities Consultant

Ramón Honea (He/They/Them) is a biracial, gay, second generation Oakland Latinx native, he served for 20 years as a teacher/administrator in the SF/Oakland Unified School Districts. After that, through therapy he found meditation and the East Bay Meditation Centers “POC night” where he joined the coordinating committee for several years. Now working / currently on furlough, at Spirit Rock Meditation Center as a residential Retreat Manager, managing week long silent retreats. Obtained a mindfulness teaching credential through the Mindfulness Training Institute in 2019.

email: ramon at eastbaymeditation dot org
wei li king
Operations and IT

wei li king (they / he) is a student of life that loves to connect dots and create opportunities for connection with community and land. Before joining EBMC to lead Operations and IT, wei li was building the decentralized web and has 7 years of work experience in technology sector as an engineer and program manager. Concern for hypergrowth and individualism from corporate capitalism pushed wei li's path towards ancestral healing, creative inquiry and engaged Buddhism - where they are actively finding a spiritual service through the Indigenous Land Back movement. wei li is currently a resident at Mangalam Center for Buddhist Research and completed a 300 hour/year long Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga program led by the Nyingma Institute.

email: weili at eastbaymeditation dot org