Raising performance and healing traumatic stress
At-risk populations suffer from epidemic levels of chronic stress and stress-related disorders—fueling violence, crime, soaring health costs, and compromising the effectiveness of education, health, rehabilitation, and vocational programs now in place.
The David Lynch Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established in 2005 to fund the implementation of scientifically proven stress-reducing modalities including Transcendental Meditation, for at-risk populations such as underserved inner-city students; veterans with PTSD and their families; American Indians suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high suicide rates; homeless men participating in reentry programs striving to overcome addictions; and incarcerated juveniles and adults.
The Foundation also funds university and medical school research to assess the effects of the program on academic performance, ADHD and other learning disorders, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, cardiovascular disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and diabetes.
The effectiveness of the Foundation’s programs have been researched at leading medical schools, including Harvard Medical School, Stanford Medical School, and Yale Medical School, and have received the endorsement of and support from private foundations and government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, General Motors Foundation, the Chrysler Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, the American Indian Education Association, Indian Health Services, many school districts, and state departments of corrections.
Board of Directors
David Lynch
David Lynch, founder and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, is an award-winning director, writer, and producer. His work includes Eraserhead, Elephant Man, Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Straight Story, Mulholland Drive, and INLANDEMPIRE.
John Hagelin, Ph.D.
Dr. Hagelin is a leading scientist and public policy expert, chief advisor to the Congressional Prevention Coalition, and director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy—a public policy think tank at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. He directs the implementation of the Transcendental Meditation program in government, schools, and hospitals nationwide. Dr. Hagelin is president of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace.
Bob Roth
Bob Roth is the Executive Director of the David Lynch Foundation where he has helped to direct the introduction of the TM program to over 150,000 at-risk students in 130 public and charter schools in the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.
He also serves a national director of the Center for Leadership Performance, where he helped to oversee the introduction of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program in business, industry, and governmental organizations.
Mr. Roth has been a teacher of Transcendental Meditation for 40 years, and is the author of the definitive book on the technique, entitled, fittingly, “Transcendental Meditation”, which has been published in 21 languages.
Jeffrey S. Abramson
Jeffrey Abramson is a partner of The Tower Companies, a three generation commercial real estate firm in the Nation’s Capital and is one of the largest developers of green or sustainable properties. Tower is one of only thirteen EPA certified carbon neutral companies in the US and winner of the Business of the Year from the Washington DC Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Abramson has organized and funded extensive medical research in the areas of cardiovascular diseases and preventative health care, and educational programs for at-risk youth utilizing the Transcendental Meditation program.
Rona Abramson
Rona Abramson is an international trustee of the Transcendental Meditation Program for Women and Girls, and is responsible for implementation of the TM program and it’s related programs in the areas of education, health, business, culture and the arts. This newly established organization is designed to address the unique needs, challenges and opportunities for this segment of the population so that every woman enjoys: ideal health, enhanced creativity, intelligence and well-being in every aspect of life for inner and outer fulfillment.
Ramani Ayer
Mr. Ayer is chairman and CEO of The Hartford Financial Services. Under his direction, the company’s North American operations has become the eighth largest in the United States, with revenues of more than $6.3 billion. Mr. Ayer is also the founder of a national scholarship program to fund the Transcendental Meditation program in education.
Joni Steele Kimberlin
Ms. Kimberlin is a writer, editor, and producer, who co-produced and wrote the script for the PBS documentary “Elizabeth Winthrop: All the Days of Her Life.” Her latest project with Third Fire Films is “Get Real! Wise Women Speak”, a documentary about the adventure, meaning and value of women’s lives as they age. She was awarded the prestigious YWCA Spirit of Greenwich (CT) Award in 2007 which recognized her philanthropic work for local and national organizations. She is a 37-year practitioner of the TM Technique and has been a TM Teacher for 35 years.
Arthur “Bud” Liebler
Mr. Liebler has spent over 40 years in the Public Relations/Marketing/Communications business, including over 20 years at Chrysler and DaimlerChrysler Corporation where he was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications until 2001. Previous to Chrysler Liebler worked at Ford Motor Company, Ross Roy Advertising and Stratacomm Public Relations. In 2003 he started Liebler Group, a communications strategy consulting firm in Detroit, and in 2007 he purchased The Whitney, an iconic and award winning fine dining restaurant, also in Detroit.
Joanna Plafsky
Joanna Plafsky is an established international film producer and distributor. She was Co-Founder of Nu Image Films (now Millennium Films), which went on to become a highly successful film production and distribution company. Joanna began her career as Founder and President of Radiance Films International, an international sales and film distribution company. She sold hundreds of films throughout the world and had a strong presence at the Cannes, Milan, and other international film festivals. More recently, Joanna co-produced the documentary Saving the Disposable Ones with David Lynch Foundation Television. She was also Executive Producer of the award-winning documentary My Reincarnation. A graduate from the University of California at Berkeley, Joanna earned a Master’s Degree in Film from Boston University. Joanna’s passion is producing films that uplift the human spirit and make the world a better place to live.
Nancy Liebler, Ph.D.
Dr. Liebler is a clinical psychologist, professor and writer. She teaches at the Michigan School of Professional Psychology and practices in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. With co-author, Sandra Moss, M.S.P.H., she wrote a book titled Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way: Creating Happiness with Meditation, Yoga and Ayurveda. (published by John Wiley and Sons, 2009) Dr. Liebler presents on Ayurveda at conferences throughout the United States and is enrolled in the MUM Wellness Consultant Course. Presently she is working on a second book about Ayurvedic treatments for recovery from addictions.
Barry B. Scherr
Mr. Scherr is founder and president of Sundar Corporation, a national commercial real estate investment firm, now specializing in the development and promotion of cutting-edge walking environments. Sundar seeks to recreate sustainable neighborhoods that function like the historical city centers of Europe but utilize advanced architectural principles. Mr. Scherr supports with both time and resources the development of the David Lynch Foundation.
Board of Advisors
Russell Simmons
Chair and CEO of Rush Communications. He was recently named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years” by USA Today for his groundbreaking entrepreneurial vision. From creating Def Jam Recordings in 1984 to the 2007 publication of his New York Times bestseller Do You!, his influence in music, fashion, finance, television, film, and philanthropy is recognized globally. A devoted practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and yoga, Russell also leads the nonprofit division of his empire, Rush Community Affairs, which is dedicated to empowering at-risk youth.
Gary P. Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Kaplan is a neurologist and clinical associate professor of neurology at Hofstra University School of Medicine. Dr. Kaplan received the Albert H. Douglas Award from the Medical Society of the State of New York for outstanding achievements as a clinical teacher interested in promoting and improving the medical education of physicians.
William R. Stixrud, Ph.D.
Dr. Stixrud is a clinical neuropsychologist and director of William Stixrud and Associates in Silver Spring, Maryland, a group practice specializing in the neuropsychological assessment of children, adolescents, and adults with learning, attentional/executive, and/or emotional disorders. Dr. Stixrud is also a member of the clinical supervisory faculty of the Children’s National Medical Center and holds an appointment in the Department of Psychiatry, George Washington University School of Medicine.
Frank Staggers, Jr., M.D.
Dr. Staggers is a practitioner of addiction medicine and general medicine and the senior drug detoxification specialist at the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic’s Drug Rehabilitation Program. He is also the former director of the alcohol, drug, and methadone programs at the West Oakland Health Center. Dr. Staggers has been an investigator on multiple federal research grants, including research on the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on cardiovascular disease.
César Molina, M.D., F.A.C.C.P.
Dr. Molina is an interventional cardiologist in the Palo Alto area. He is a graduate of the Yale University School of Medicine and completed his fellowship in the Department of Cardiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Molina also serves as a medical consultant on the health benefits of the Transcendental Meditation program for adults and children.
George H. Rutherford, Ph.D.
Dr. Rutherford was the principal and chief operating officer of the Fletcher-Johnson Educational Center in Washington, D.C., for 30 years. He is currently principal of the Ideal Academy Public Charter School in the District. Dr. Rutherford introduced the Transcendental Meditation technique to hundreds of students and faculty at Fletcher-Johnson in 1994.
Carmen N’Namdi
Ms. N’Namdi is co-founder and principal of the Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit; chair of the Board of the National Charter School Institute; and member of the Board of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies. Nataki is an award-winning middle school where 120 teachers and students practice the Transcendental Meditation technique together twice a day.
Ralph Wolff
Mr. Wolff is the executive director of the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), which accredits nearly 150 colleges and universities in California and throughout the Western region. He is a strong proponent of the use of the Transcendental Meditation program for students.
Ashley Deans, Ph.D.
Dr. Deans is a quantum physicist and lifelong educator who has served for 15 years as the director of the award-winning Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, Iowa. Maharishi School is affiliated with Ideal Girls School and Maharishi University of Management—model Consciousness-Based educational institutions in the world.
Linda Handy, Ph.D.
Dr. Handy is the principal of the Waldorf School in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the former academic director of the Chelsea School, a private school in Silver Spring, which specializes in children with language-based learning disabilities, and where research was conducted on the effects of the TM program on attention deficit–hyperactivity disorders (ADHD).
Sarina Grosswald, Ed.D.
Dr. Grosswald is an expert in cognitive learning; president of SJ Grosswald & Associates, a consulting firm in medical education in Alexandria, Virginia; and director of continuing medical education for the American Medical Women’s Association. She is also project director for the research study on the Transcendental Meditation program at the Chelsea School.
