We are pleased to welcome Barbara Waldorf to the position of Managing Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship!

Barbara’s multiplicity of skills and experience have threaded through 30 years of pediatric and psychiatric nursing along with extensive experience in non-profit management. As a registered nurse she has assumed oversight of staff in London, San Francisco, Boston, and in a Tibetan refugee camp’s primary health clinic in Pokhara, Nepal. Over the years her attention has also turned to advancing the role of nursing in global health policy practice and education through serving as co-founder and Executive Director of the Global Nursing Caucus.

When Barbara arrived at Wonderwell in the winter of 2020, her intent was to assist with administrative work while exploring further engagement with compassionate care in the local Springfield community. However, when Covid-19 struck, Barbara stepped with agility into an arena entirely new to her—that of Online Program Coordinator. Reaching out to local and sangha tech resources, she assembled an IT team and shepherded them toward establishing a new cyber footprint for Natural Dharma.

Productive NDF relationships have already sprung from Barbara’s calm demeanor and deep experience with dharma communities.  As we commence re-opening live retreats at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, we look forward to rich collaboration with Barbara in building and synchronizing the infrastructure that will secure NDF’s spiritual path for both local and distant sangha.