Our Team

Director of Education

Sheryl is a lifelong educator, passionate about designing innovative and beautiful spaces in which people are inspired to learn and grow. She has spent nearly three decades teaching and leading in schools and organizations, creating transformative learning experiences rooted in both scholarship and heart. In 2013, she founded the Sofia Center for Professional Development, whose professional offerings support and honor educators in their sacred work.  

Sheryl received a BA in English from Trinity University and an MA in Women’s Studies from George Washington University. In 2004-05 she was a Klingenstein Fellow at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

When not engaged in this work she loves, Sheryl can be found connecting with beloved family and friends, traveling to new places whenever possible, creating ritual and ceremony, or camping by a river several miles down a mountain trail near her home in New Mexico. Throughout all, she embraces the lifelong learning and blessings offered by aspiring to live gratefully each day, by over and over saying grace.

To contact Sheryl, send an email to her at:
[email protected]

Director of Finance and Human Relations

Prior to joining Grateful Living, Muthoni served as the CFO for Proteus Fund and as a program leader for a global educational enterprise. Inspired by Grateful Living, Muthoni is passionate about health and vitality. In 2018 she opened her own wellness practice where she coaches individuals towards their goals for health and well-being. She also joyfully serves as treasurer of Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity.

For leisure, Muthoni enjoys adventure, traveling, and being outdoors — especially in the summer months. Some of her adventures have seen her climb Mount Kilimanjaro, skydive, and visit the Taj Mahal.

One of six siblings, Muthoni was born and raised in Kenya. She remains closely connected to her roots, frequently visiting her parents and other close family and friends.

Muthoni received her MBA from Duquesne University and currently lives in Western Massachusetts. She firmly believes in the power of self-care, compassion for others, and living gratefully.

To contact Muthoni, send an email to her at:
[email protected]

Director of Communications

Stephanie’s passion for creativity, connection, and service are the guiding principles that led her to join the team at Grateful Living. With more than 10 years of professional experience as a writer, editor, photographer, and marketer, her career has seen her serve multiple roles. Her dual passions for creativity and organization find her thriving whether she is diving into creative work or crafting and implementing a detailed communications plan.

Stephanie earned her BS in Photography from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. In addition to her fulfilling work, she enjoys photography, traveling, gardening, cooking, getting lost in a good book, and spending time with her favorite people. She currently lives in Central Florida with her longtime partner and their goofy dog.

To contact Stephanie, send her an email at:
[email protected]

Development Associate
After 30+ years working in the healthcare software industry, Sue ‘retired’ and now happily finds herself part of this transformative Grateful Living community. A believer in serendipity and the grace of everyday connection, she lives in Western Massachusetts where she is close enough to nature to revel in its beauty every day, hear live music, practice outdoor yoga and knit with wool from local sheep farms. Her biggest joy is sharing life with her young grandsons, who continually teach her to live with ease, and to receive with grateful wonder all the universe offers us.

Community Engagement Coordinator

Betsy is an educator with a background in English as a Second Language (ESL) who has served in various settings around the world, from K-12 Public Schools to the Phanat Nikhom Refugee Camp in Thailand. Her experience also extends to the nonprofit sector, where she worked as Program Director for People to People, a food pantry serving nearly 5,000 people monthly.

Betsy received a BA in Classics from Boston University and an MAT in ESL from The School for International Training. In 2015 she founded HeartFelt Fiber Arts, teaching knitting as a tool for wellness in body, mind, and spirit.

A breast cancer survivor and mother of two amazing grown sons, Betsy lives in Midcoast Maine where she enjoys her daily meditation practice, making music, reading, crafting, bird watching, and volunteering. Personal philosophies include kindness, grateful living, service to others, and an abiding belief in the power of story to connect people and create positive change.

To contact Betsy, send her an email at:
[email protected]

Board Member

Doug Anning is a lawyer in the private practice of law. Over a thirty-year career he has focused on representing nonprofit organizations from small startups to large institutional entities like hospitals, health systems, schools and universities, foundations and endowment funds, and religious organizations. Doug’s primary legal focus is mergers and acquisitions for large hospitals and national health systems. Beyond work, Doug enjoys being outside, running, biking, hiking, golf, tennis, quality conversations with good friends, meditation and spirituality, caring for the spiritual and emotional health of those he encounters, and striving to create a world where he and they can live happily.

Board Member

 A “prac-ademic,” Sharon Benjamin consults with multi-lateral, government, NGO, and healthcare organizations as a Principal with Alchemy, a boutique management consultancy. She was the lead author of two books on using Positive Deviance to improve organizational performance, of which gratitude is a keystone. For the last seven years she has taught in the MS Organizational Dynamics program at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to that, for 12 years, she taught the final executive leadership course for E-MPA students at New York University. She holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior. She has served on the boards of two-dozen nonprofit organizations including Plexus Institute, BlueVoice.org, Ted Danson’s American Oceans Campaign, Earthworks and was one of four founders of EarthShare, a national environmental fund-raising federation that has raised more than $300 million since its inception.

Board Member

Adi Breuer is a Senior Leadership & Talent Developer, Instructional Designer, Facilitator, Executive and Team Coach with Human Edge Management AG in Switzerland. Adi has more than 25 years of international experience in leadership development and finance, and has worked with global Fortune 500 companies and large nonprofits across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Adi is adept with banking, international trade finance, and setting up operations for startups. His competencies also include his work in commercial real estate development, health care, pharma, the gaming industry, oil and gas and logistics. He complements his practical experience with relevant credentials, including accreditation as an ICF Certified Professional Coach (PCC), Certified Professional Co-active Coach (The Coaches Training Institute), Organizational and Relationship Systems Coaching (CRR Global), Certification in the Administration of Psychometric Assessments (MBTI), and 360 Degree Assessments (Center for Creative Leadership).

Secretary

Ailsa, whom many people call Ace, grew up in the high desert of Santa Fe, NM, and later studied Humanities at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. After college she was faced with a choice: follow the status quo or pursue something more meaningful. After moving to New York and beginning to work in sales, she realized it was more important for her to respond to the call of her heart which was yearning for spiritual growth. Ailsa went to Europe and participated in a silent retreat and spent two more months studying yoga in Madrid. She now spends her time honing the skill of being a bilingual yoga teacher under the guidance of her teacher and mentor in Mexico. Ailsa is also a KonMari consultant and Feng Shui practitioner, helping people to bring more harmony into their homes and lives.

Board Member

As Co-Founder of BetterManager, Wendy is proud of her company’s mission to help leaders at all levels create a workplace where people can thrive. She firmly believes that when companies invest in their managers, they provide the tools to create a positive culture. Wendy draws from more than 20+ years of management, executive coaching, education experience, and commitment to continuous learning.

Wendy has a BS in Special Education and has developed programs for folks with disabilities for 20 years. She earned a master’s degree in Education from Antioch University of New England in Organization and Management. In 1999, she received her coaching certification (PCC) from the Coaches Training Institute (Co-Active). Wendy co-authored The Sassy Ladies’ Toolkit for Start-up Businesses and has an ongoing podcast, Building BetterManangers.

Vice President of the Board

Jennifer Long was appointed by Council, in February of 2022, to fill Tim Rood’s seat after he resigned in December of 2021. Council member Long began her volunteer work in Piedmont as a member of the Piedmont Racial Equity Campaign (PREC) steering committee. She then went on to become a board member and co-president of the Piedmont Anti-Racism Diversity Committee (PADC), an organization that has been a fixture in Piedmont for over 20 years. Long obtained her B.A. from William Smith College, and her law degree from Howard University School of Law.

Treasurer

Stuart McFaul is president of Stuart McFaul Associates, a marketing strategy and management firm helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs.  He is the creator the Living Brand™ Marketing System, an empathy-based approach that has been leveraged by over 100 companies and has been recognized by The Smithsonian Institution as a groundbreaking way to introduce companies, products and services to consumers.

He most recently founded and led Spiralgroup, an internationally-focused full service brand marketing agency.  A seasoned business strategist, Stuart has guided B2B / B2C marketing efforts for over 200 companies all over the world, including Apple, Cisco, Getty Images, HP and Oracle to multiple startups to foreign governments.  His efforts have earned clients billions of dollars and program ROI as high as 23,000%.  He is a frequent lecturer at major universities, including Wharton, Stanford and USC Marshall School of Business.

President of the Board

Chuck Roppel served as a Catholic Priest in the early years of his career. From this role his professional life evolved into health promotion and disease prevention work within the framework of Community Mental Health Centers in Kentucky and California.  He has been the Director of the San Francisco Mental Health Association, and for 13 years the Director and Founder of the California State Department of Mental Health’s Office of Prevention and Mental Health Promotion.  He was a Master Certified Coach through the International Coaches Federation. From 2000 – 2015, he was a faculty member of the Coaches Training Institute, maintaining a private life coaching practice while training Co-Active coaches throughout the world.

Co-Founder, Senior Advisor

David Steindl-Rast, OSB, studied art, anthropology, and psychology, at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts (MA) and the University of Vienna (PhD).  In 1953, he joined Mount Saviour Benedictine Monastery in New York State. In 1975 he received the Martin Buber Award for building bridges between religious traditions. His books include Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer; A Listening Heart; and Deeper Than Words.  Currently, Br. David serves as senior advisor of Gratefulness.org.

Co-Founder, Senior Advisor

David Steindl-Rast, OSB, studied art, anthropology, and psychology, at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts (MA) and the University of Vienna (PhD).  In 1953, he joined Mount Saviour Benedictine Monastery in New York State. In 1975 he received the Martin Buber Award for building bridges between religious traditions. His books include Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer; A Listening Heart; and Deeper Than Words.  Currently, Br. David serves as senior advisor of Gratefulness.org.

Co-Founder, Emeritus Board Member, and Sr. Advisor to the CEO

Co-founder, Emeritus Board Member 

Co-Founder