people
Claudia Horwitz Director
Claudia works at the intersection of practice, community experience, and social change. She founded stone circles in 1995. Her previous work includes developing youth leadership, supporting struggles for economic justice, and strengthening social change organizations. Claudia practices walking a yogic path of awareness, on and off the mat. She lives on the land at The Stone House with her dog, Zak.
Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey Supporting Director for Knowledge and Programs
For Jesse, a life of liberation is a dance between strength and suppleness, struggle and laziness, and wisdom and love. He likes helping people explore the range of skillfulness between these and finding the sweet spots where they all just breezily come together. Jesse is a board member of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, an artist, a war-tax resister, and a man who really just loves sitting around- which some people call meditating.
Margie Hattori Operations and Documentation
Margie brings many years of organizational expertise to her work at stone circles and has a keen eye for systems, operations, and organizational structure. Her great love is creating sacred spaces for speaking from the experiences of our lives, which she does through her documentation work of activists and through group work. A writer, mother, and practitioner of Tara meditation, Margie is excited to help build a community at The Stone House that embodies the ideals of peace, respect, and liberation for all beings.
Nicole Lambolet Events and Local Outreach
Although Nicole is not any longer enrolled in formal schooling, she continues to see herself as a learner and student of the movement. "Now", she says, "I'm getting my real education." Currently living in Greensboro, NC, Nicole spends much of her time volunteering with the Beloved Community Center, being co-chair of the Fund for Democratic Communities, playing drums with local samba group, Cakalak Thunder, and supporting the ongoing organizing of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, UFCW’s Justice at Smithfield Campaign, and a local community center called the HIVE.
Solita Denard Resource Development
Solita is passionate about the integration of faith and social justice. Her previous work includes program development, recruitment, and training. She also serves as Associate Director of the Johnson Intern Progam of Chapel Hill, NC. Solita approaches her work with the understanding that the goals of grassroots organizations must include gaining the financial capacity to sustain healthy staff and long-term social change. She believes the world holds abundant resources and the work for social change includes creating ways to gather and share this capital with others. Solita will complete her Bachelor's degree of Social Work in May 2008, an plans continue her education at the Graduate level completing degrees in both Social Work and Divinity. She also loves to cook, listen, and laugh.
Tahz Walker Land Steward
Tahz is driven largely by a deepening bond with traditional ways of living and his connection to rural culture. His love for music, food, land and community has him to the Stone House where his gifts, talents and desire for spiritual community can be shared with others.
Board of Directors
Omisade Billie Burney, Director of Constituent Relations, Southern Rural Development Initiative, Durham, NC (Chair)
Omisade has provided organizational capacity building, coaching, program development and board development to non-profit organizations. Before her work with SRDI, she was a Program Director with the Warner Foundation and also served Program Director for Public Allies North Carolina.
Claudia Horwitz, ex-officio, Director, stone circles, Mebane, NC
John Parker, Executive Director, Good Work, Durham, NC
Good Work focuses on economic empowerment and enterprise development. John’s other areas of work experience include community development finance, applied cultural anthropology, and ethnographic research.
Zulayka Santiago, Co-Manager, North Carolina People’s Coalition, Raleigh, NC
Zulayka worked for the State of North Carolina expediting child abuse, and neglect cases and as the Operations Manager at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northern Arizona. Prior to her current work, Zulayka served as Youth Program Director and then Executive Director for El Pueblo.
Marian Urquilla, Director of Human Development, Living Cities, Washington, DC. (Treasurer)
As the Director of Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative, where she served for nearly 12 years, Marian created an innovative network of community institutions working to support families in northwest Washington, DC. The Collaborative has combined a strengths-based approach to service delivery with focused and intensive capacity building and leadership development efforts. She did graduate work in race and gender studies and is currently a Children and Family Fellow with the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Evangeline Polly Weiss, OpenSource Leadership Strategies, Inc., Durham, NC
A principal with OpenSource, Evangeline has twelve years of experience in facilitation, training, staff development and institutional change. She has worked with healthcare, academic and non-profit organizations including Duke University, Dispute Settlement Center and Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.