IMCC's teachers are revered for their depth of practice, breadth of understanding, and compassionate hearts. Keenly attuned to our participants, they consistently deliver invaluable teachings reflecting their unique perspective and personal style. They also continue as students themselves, dedicated to ongoing study and dharma practice and to deepening their understanding and embodiment of the Buddha's teachings. Teacher consultations are available for meditation students interested in receiving one-on-one assistance with their spiritual practice and developing a more compassionate and wise perspective on their life and relationships. The consultation provides a forum to discuss current practical and ethical issues and also may include helping students find meditation techniques that suit them individually. Use the Contact Us from to send a message to a teacher. Our teachers adhere to a code of ethics reflecting their belief that as dharma teachers they become stewards of the trust students place in them. Read the code of ethics to learn more about their commitment to personal integrity and clear teacher-student boundaries. Their training has been at respected programs such as: Spirit Rock Meditation Center and its Community Dharma Leaders Program, the Meditation Teacher Training Institute, and the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program. A Guiding Teachers' Council (GTC) meets monthly to plan and oversee all aspect of teaching at IMCC from weekly dharma teaching, periodic classes and retreats, guest teachers, support for teacher development, identifying and mentoring new teachers, establishing and monitoring teacher criteria and ethical guidelines. Members of the GTC are Sharon Beckman-Brindley (co-chair), Teresa Miller (co-chair), Marylouise Kelley, Liz Reynolds, and Bill Detmer (Board ombudsman). To reach a member of the teachers' council or direct an inquiry to any teacher, you may use the Contact Us form. IMCC Teachers
Down-to-earth, real-world, practical dharma is the hallmark of his teaching. The father of two children, owner of several businesses, and holder of several patents, he draws on his varied and rich life experience to articulate the dharma.
At IMCC, Marylouise teaches Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation classes, is in Ruth King’s Racial Affinity Group Development Program, and offers mindfulness meditation classes at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women. Teresa Miller, MEd, a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders Program, uses a background in experiential facilitation, life coaching and a love of nature in her teaching, retreats, workshops and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction courses at UVA - all aimed at easing suffering, cultivating resilience, and allowing life to be met with kindness, wisdom, and joy.
Jeanne van Gemert, MFA, LMBT, LPC, (she/her) came to meditation 30 years ago through art; she co-founded McGuffey Art Center and taught art at PVCC. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Community Dharma Leader Program and studied Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) under the direction of Jon Kabat-Zinn. Jeanne was on staff as a psychotherapist (incorporating meditation, body-oriented and expressive modalities) and taught MBSR at Duke Integrative Medicine for 16 years. Jeanne co-founded and served as a guiding teacher for Triangle Insight Meditation Community in Durham, NC until she moved back to Charlottesville in May, 2018. Jeanne enjoys teaching the integration of Buddhism into our everyday thoughts, emotions and interactions so that we can see how the extraordinary and the wise is hidden in the ordinary.
Affiliated Teachers
Heather grew up in apartheid South Africa, where she came to understand suffering and social injustice at an early age. She has a professional background in Health Promotion Education and Counseling and basks in the sweetness of being a Grandmother. Heather is a long time member of the Mindful Meditation teaching team at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women. She is a graduate of the Meditation Teacher Training Institute under the tutelage of Tara Brach, Pat Coffey, Jonathan Foust and Hugh Byrne.
Mindfulness Instructors
Julie Convisser, Laura DeVault, Philip Dupont, Barbara Maille, Fred Maus, Liz Reynolds, Philip Schrodt, Fred Maus, Marylouise Kelley, Lynda Fanning, Jessica O'Leary.
Our mindfulness instructors lead weekly, mid-day sittings and assist in teaching introductory mindfulness classes in the IMCC community.
Visiting TeachersJackie Erskine, Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, Tara Brach, Leigh Brasington, Ven. Pannavati, Bhante Gunaratana, Amma Thanasanti, Rick Hanson, Ruth King, Kevin Griffin, Hugh Byrne, George Mumford, Kay and Philip Davidson, Chas DiCapua, Kate Lila Wheeler, Charmi Neely, Susan Bauer-Wu, Allie Rudolph, Robert Hodge, Laura Good, Helen Knight Farrar, Caverly Morgan, Ron Vereen, Donald Rothberg, Leslie Booker, Sharon Shelton, Noliwe Alexander, Chenxing Han, Kaira-Jewel Lingo. |