Rebecca Block (she/her) is the current Director of the Mindful University Project. In this role, she leads the strategic development, implementation, and evaluation of all Mindful University Project initiatives for the campus community. She also leads the advanced meditation classes and co-facilitates the half-day silent retreats. In her role, Rebecca works closely with schools and departments to integrate a culture of mindfulness across the campus. In addition, she offers evidence-informed trainings to faculty and staff members that offer practical skills to promote well-being in their classrooms and / or office to support the students they serve.
Rebecca is the Health Promotion Specialist – Student Well-Being at the UHS Health Promotion Office. She holds a BA in Health, Behavior, and Society from the University of Rochester and an MS in Community Health Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®), a College Health and Wellness Professional (CHWP), Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200), and a Certified Koru Mindfulness Teacher.
founding director
Amy McDonald (she / her) is the founding director and creator of the Mindful University Project. In the Fall of 2017, Amy began a small pilot program to offer meditation instruction to students, following the curriculum outlined in the book Mindfulness for the Next Generation by Holly Rogers and Margaret Maytan. The pilot was well received, but Amy struggled to figure out how to scale the program to reach more students and make a greater impact on campus. The stars must have been in alignment because by the spring 2018 semester, a donor contributed funds with the intention to support student mental health through mindfulness initiatives.
Amy began creating the foundation of the Mindful University Project throughout the 2018 – 2019 academic year. She brought together key stakeholders, leaders, and contemplative teachers from across the University to form the Advisory Committee. This committee worked to create the project’s mission and recruit the first cohort of certified Koru Mindfulness teachers in June 2019. Since then, the Mindful University Project continued to grow into a robust offering for students as well as the faculty and staff who support them.
Lilin Qiu(she/her) is the current Graduate Program Assistant for the Mindful University, studying mental health counseling at the Warner School of Education. Lilin is trained in providing mindfulness-based coaching sessions to clients in her clinical work, is an active practitioner of a mindful lifestyle, and is also a RYS-200 certified yogi. Born and raised in a Tibetan Buddhist household, Lilin became interested in mindfulness meditation soon after her undergraduate years. Having benefited greatly from practicing mindfulness, she is now passionate about spreading mindfulness on campus.
Academically, Lilin is interested in studying the inseparable connection between the mind and body. Her undergraduate concentration examined the common themes shared across many alternative treatments in contrast to Western medicine and found great healing power within the patient’s harmonious relationship with themselves and a stable, trusting relationship with their treatment providers. This has propelled her to pursue an Advanced Certificate in Mind and Body Healing to integrate her theoretical knowledge into clinical practice.
Lilin continues her clinical work as a mental health counseling intern at St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center, which provides increased access to medical and mental health care to uninsured or underinsured individuals in the greater Rochester area.
Undergraduate Program Assistant
Areej Abid (she/her) is an undergraduate assistant with the UHS Mindful Project at the UHS Health Promotion Office, where she merges her passion for mindfulness with my academic pursuits. As a student at the University, Areej studies Psychology and Brain Cognitive Science, with a special interest in religion.
Her enthusiasm for mindfulness began in my teenage years, as she was inspired and fascinated with ethical philosophies such as Confucianism and Taoism. Embracing mindfulness early on has been life-changing and very beneficial in helping her navigate college life, as it helps her manage time effectively, clear my mind, and stay grounded.
In her free time, she likes to channel her energy through boxing and high-intensity interval training (HIIT), but she is also interested in expanding on her interest and exploring various meditation techniques. Outside of my academic and mindfulness interests, she loves baking, collaborating with others, and volunteering. She is very dedicated to helping others integrate mindfulness into their daily routines and she is passionate about sharing the profound benefits of mindfulness with others as she know it would change their lives, mentality, and mind for the better.
CONSULTANT
Mindful Leadership Consultant
Dr. Lisa Critchley is the Founder and President, Kirk Partners Consulting LLC. Kirk Partners Consulting LLC provides mindfulness-based organizational and leadership coaching to drive leadership excellence and promote overall well-being. Focus areas include organization-wide culture change, presence-based mindful leadership development, coaching, and strategy. Dr. Lisa Critchley earned her doctorate in Executive Leadership at St. John Fisher College. Her dissertation entitled, “The Leader’s Mind Matters: The Effect of Mindful Leadership Development Programs on Leadership Effectiveness, Mindfulness and Well-Being Among Global Manufacturing Leaders” was awarded the Exemplary Scholarship Award. Lisa is conducting independent research to advance awareness of mindfulness to enhance well-being and leadership effectiveness and understand the intersection of mindfulness, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Mindfulness Teachers
Rebecca Block (she/her)
Health Promotion Specialist – Student Well-Being
Health Promotion Office
Rebecca is the Health Promotion Specialist for Student Well-Being at the UHS Health Promotion Office, a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200), Certified Wellness Champion, and a Certified Koru Mindfulness teacher.. Her passion for mindfulness developed during her early days during her undergraduate at the University of Rochester. As Rebecca was going through her undergrad experience, she liked to relax through practicing yoga, but as demands increased for her, she wanted to learn about different practices that she could add to her toolbox to help decrease stress and anxiety. She then signed up for one of Debra Core’s mindfulness courses offered through the Program of Dance and Movement and she found her love for the practice. Knowing how mindfulness deeply impacted her, as a Peer Health Advocate with the UHS Health Promotion Office intern and member of a campus meditation group, she began leading meditations to students to help them to regulate their emotions and stress. In her mindfulness teaching, Rebecca is particularly passionate about trauma-informed practices, somatics, nervous system regulation, and the practice of self-compassion.
Debra Corea (she/her)
Lecturer
Program of Dance and Movement
Debra Corea is a Lecturer in UR’s Program of Dance and Movement Mind-Body Somatics Cluster. In 2010 she began developing courses dedicated to bringing curiosity and awareness to the nature of mind along with the experience of residing in a human body. One of Debra’s greatest pleasures in her five decades of meditation, yoga, and embodied trainings was accompanying her most influential mindfulness teacher, Thich Nhat Hahn, on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Buddha in northern India.
Kyle Trenshaw (he/his/him or they/them/their)
Assistant Director for STEM Education
Learning Center
Kyle Trenshaw is the Assistant Director for STEM Education at the Learning Center on campus. He also serves as the Buddhist Chaplain through the Interfaith Chapel and as a part of the Mindful University Project team. Kyle got into meditation as a graduate student looking for some relief from the stresses of pursuing a PhD and continued to deepen his practice during his postdoc through explorations of yoga, aikido, and general mindfulness principles. Soon after starting his work at the U of R, Kyle joined the Zen Meditation Group on campus and moved to leading meditations for the group not long after. Leading the Zen Meditation Group prompted him to enrich his knowledge of Buddhism and Buddhist practices, and completing the Koru Mindfulness certification seemed like an excellent opportunity to share that knowledge with students in new ways. In his free time, Kyle regularly goes on retreat, practices gongfu tea ceremonies as meditation, and finds peace through movement in his yoga, qigong, and tai chi practices. In his mindfulness work, Kyle is particularly interested in creating contemplative spaces for LGBTQ+ folks to come together in community and in helping his mindfulness students to build unconditional self-compassion.
Whitney Gegg-Harrison (she/they)
Associate Professor
Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program
Whitney Gegg-Harrison is an associate professor in the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program with an academic background in cognitive science and linguistics and a lifelong fascination with the inner workings of the human mind. Whitney has been practicing meditation and mindfulness in a variety of forms for over a decade, and in 2020, completed the Koru Mindfulness Teacher certification. Whitney’s passionate about helping students better understand themselves and teaching them skills to cope with stress and build resilience. Whitney also knits, sews, and plays the violin.
Deontae McLachlan (he/him)
Academic Counselor
Office of Minority Student Affairs
Deontae McLachlan is an Academic Counselor for the Office of Minority Student Affairs. He is an alum of the University having completed his degree back in 2015. He has been practicing meditation and mindfulness for years and has a variety of experiences with different modalities of these practices. Born and raised in Chicago, IL, he knows how difficult it can be to exist within systems that do not offer kindness, care, and compassion and he prides himself on his enduring spirit of teaching and mentorship. He has experienced the transformative and magnanimous energy of mindfulness and is elated at the opportunity to share in this practice.
Erin Lee (she/her)
Department Program Specialist
Department of Health Humanities & Bioethics
Erin Lee joined the University of Rochester in 2015. While working full-time, she decided to take advantage of the tuition reimbursement benefits for employees and embarked on the journey of getting her Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. During this time, she took a class with Doug Guiffrida and started learning about mindfulness. The more she learned about it, the more fascinated she became but honestly, didn’t see how to incorporate this new practice into her work life. Along came the Mindful University Project and a new position in the university working with medical and graduate students. Now she is getting ready to embark on a new educational journey to pursue a Doctorate in Education degree with a focus on brining mindfulness practices into the curriculum for graduate, medical and nursing students to teach them how to take care of themselves as well as patients.
Sean Watson (he/they)
Associate Director
Office for Residential Life & Housing Services
Sean Watson (he/they) has been supporting residential communities since 2012 and currently works at the University of Rochester as an Associate Director in Residential Life. Sean completed their MS in Student Affairs from the University of Rochester in 2012, received their MS in Human Resource Development from Rochester Institute of Technology, and is currently pursuing their PhD in Higher Education at the University of Rochester. Additionally, Sean supports the interfaith community at the University of Rochester by serving as the pagan chaplain. They’ve been personally practicing mindfulness for many years and are excited to be a part of bringing it to the UR community!
Laura has led introductory and advanced mindful meditation classes and workshops and has been featured as a guest speaker or panelist for a wide variety of organizations.
Mindful Matters offers classes, workshops and guided meditation both locally and internationally. Every program emphasizes a mindful approach through insight, practice, and community to help people thrive, rather than survive.
Yoga Teachers
Jesse Amesmith
Jesse has had a dedicated yoga practice since 2006 & has shared their passion for healing centered & playful movement on the mat teaching yoga since 2013. They consider themselves a “forever student” and love to share what they learn in their own practice with the world around them. Expect Jesse’s classes to be a combination of challenging & nurturing, while we explore the balance between effort and ease on the yoga mat.
Rebecca Block (she/her)
Rebecca is a long-term yoga practitioner for over 14 years, is a 200hr Registered Yoga Teacher and is currently pursuing her 300hr teacher training. In her yoga teaching, she seeks to meet everyone where they are at by offering an inclusive and trauma-informed environment to practice in. She offer students various skills and mind-body practices to meet their thoughts and experiences with compassion, find grounding, as well as an inner stillness they can use both on and off the mat.
Monica Alanna
Monica Alanna has been leading pranayama, meditation, and asana classes for ten years in the Rochester area, centering the nuanced dynamics of our anatomy. In her Gentle & Restorative classes, you will dive deep into your musculoskeletal system and slow down to replenish and nourish the nervous system. Each class is geared toward any level of experience and meant to offer insights that can easily be practiced at home to give you a moment of tending to yourself in an often hectic life.
Chris Hinkle
Chris began his yoga journey in Washington, DC, in 2017 when a friend taught an informal class at a party. He began learning primarily Power and Ashtanga styles and became involved in Stonewall Yoga in DC and Richmond, VA, to advocate for yoga in queer spaces. After moving to Rochester in 2022, he decided to undergo teacher training and obtained his 200 hour certification from TRU Yoga and a 50 hour certificate in Rocket® Yoga from David Kyle.
Coco Elliott
Join Coco for Vinyasa Flow—a practice rooted in self-discovery and continual growth. With a 200hr YT certification and an ongoing pursuit of a 300hr, Coco encourages curiosity as a pathway to personal and spiritual evolution. Embrace an engaging journey on the mat, where every pose becomes a step toward understanding, and each breath fuels the spirit of exploration, cultivating kindness and patience as offerings to the self and the world.
Julie Olney
Julie is a Yoga Alliance certified RYT-200 Hatha yoga teacher trained in Yin and Restorative yoga, children’s yoga, and trauma-sensitive yoga. She has also trained in yoga for all bodies, Thai yoga massage, yoga dance, meditation, and yoga philosophy.
The integration of these different yoga perspectives has inspired Julie’s own healing as well as providing a modality to help others move towards wellness and compassionate self-care.
Krista Khan
Krista has been practicing since 2005 and guiding yoga from 2013. Her practice and guidance is based on the principles of social justice and accessibility for all. Krista is looking forward to seeing you on the mat and building community with you.