Project Staff
Maia Duerr
Research Director
With a background in qualitative research and writing, Maia served as the associate editor of Turning Wheel (the journal of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship) and a researcher with the UC San Francisco's medical anthropology department. She completed an MA in cultural anthropology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 1996, where her thesis focused on the psychiatric survivor and consumer movement. Prior to that, she worked as a mental health professional and was active in advocating for the rights of people with psychiatric disabilities.
A Buddhist practitioner for the past 11 years, Maia received lay ordination from Roshi Joan Halifax into both the Order of Interbeing and the Zen Peacemaker Order. She has also lived and practiced at the San Francisco Zen Center. Maia loves to travel and her journeys have taken her to Indonesia, Tibet, Nepal, and India.
Maia is currently the Executive Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
Gina M. Nortonsmith
Project Associate
Gina M. Nortonsmith has worked as a college Ombudsperson, law school Assistant Dean, law school Assistant Professor and Attorney, bringing her compassion and sense of justice to those considered institutional outsiders. Her interest in spiritually based social justice was awakened listening to her grandmother's stories of growing up African-American in racially segregated Baltimore, and being raised in a socially active United Methodist congregation. Her work as a community activist has been in housing, racial justice, children and families, sexual orientation issues, media and cycling. She is a community producer for Northampton Community Television, and a member of several community committees in Northampton.
Gina's spiritual path has led her to the Religious Society of Friends, (Quakers). As a result of her interest in justice, she has earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law, and a B.S. from Towson State University in history and political science. She is Mommy to two young sons, Avery and Quinn. She and her wife, Heidi, were plaintiffs in an historic lawsuit pressing for the right for same-gender couples to marry in Massachusetts, and were the recipients of a 2001 Human Rights Campaign award for their work.
Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey
Project Coordinator
Jesse is a writer, artist, brother and son holding it down for Holyoke, Massachusetts. He received his BA in History from Macalester College in 2000 and continues to pursue his interests in oral history and storytelling using graphic, written, and digital techniques. He is also involved in developing a program of community-based cultural activism in his hometown. He is a Buddhist practitioner.
Jesse is currently a Supporting Director at stone circles.
Special Thanks
Narelle Bouthillier, Dan Edwards, Rich Fournier, Stan Hoffman, and Andrew Weiss were interviewers
Stephanie Clohesy for forming the initial goals and organization of the project
Meghan Cope for guiding us with her expertise in qualitative research
Amy Gross and Meg Wheatley for helping our Board form a cohesive vision for the project
Prajna Hallstrom for her leadership and direction during the startup of the project
Neila Hingorani and Nancy White for help conceptualizing and planning the online community
Rob Lehman for his initial inspiration which lead to this work
Patrick MacNamara for leading us through grounded theory as a research methodology for the project
Olivia Nix for her wonderful help as an intern