Staff & Board Circle

Nadia's perfect day would go a little something like this: a run in the neighborhood arroyo, morning meditation, tea and dharma talk with her partner, a walk in nature, completing a painting, joking around, having meaningful conversation over a meal (with loved ones or strangers), and freedom from sadness around suffering in the world. Having been more "inwardly" spiritually oriented until now, she is eager to learn from the people at Wisdom & Money, people who are seasoned in both inward and collective/systemic orientation.

Prior to joining Wisdom & Money, Nadia grew up in the DC area, spent her 20s in France, was reeled back in to DC by love, co-owned an acupuncture clinic there, sold it in 2020, and moved to Santa Fe, NM, where she now resides.

Chairperson of the Board

Robin is a non-profit administrator who has worked for social justice for over 40 years. S/he has held both administrative and programmatic roles in organizations whose mission included increasing the self–sufficiency of women with emotional, social, and economic barriers; advocating for survivors of domestic violence; providing medical, dental, and quality afterschool programs in under-resourced communities; and awarding grants to grassroots social justice projects. Intrinsic to this work was responding to institutionalized racism, sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, transphobia, and class oppression.

As a child, Robin's faith in God was strong. However, when Robin was a teenager, s/he left the Church due to encounters with oppressive theology. As a result, Robin spent decades viewing her/his social justice work as separate from God's work. In 2014, Robin became a member of City of Refuge UCC, a radically inclusive church, and began the transformation of integrating her/his social justice work with her/his spiritual path. "Joining the board circle of Wisdom and Money continues that journey." Robin received a MA in Leadership and Innovation in Ministry from Luther Seminary in June 2022.

This picture of Caroline Marvin shows her singing. She loves to sing informally among friends, and especially hymns of all varieties. But she almost chose a photo of herself participating in a Zoom Meeting because it's been the only way she and her friends from Wisdom and Money have been able to be together over the past two years.

That Zoom photo shows one of those paradoxical times during the months of covid. She was technically “alone” at home, but also in that moment she was truly connected to her Wisdom and Money community, especially to her long term /deep diving friendship and spiritual practice group, "The Boston Circle,” now 16 years into it’s journey.

Caroline was born a Preacher’s Kid which she now defines as an attitude of “living near the Church,” (usually metaphorically, but sometimes literally). From her father Caroline inherited many things including a keen sense of Racial Justice and Injustice, and also a belief in Church, however it shows up, as a location for wisdom and action.

Caroline is the mother of an only child, an adult son, Tom, who carries his grandfather’s spirit and also his own great privilege of having worked closely with Congressman John Lewis for the last 12 years of the Congressman’s life. Caroline hopes that voice will never be silenced. "Never give up. Never give in….."

Caroline is nearly retired from her long professional life as a psychologist. In that work she helped to create and sustain a free standing Training Institute where mental health professionals
learn how to facilitate change. In her own mind this Institute is it’s own kind of “church. ” It’s where she still teaches the nuanced and compassionate form of family therapy that she helped to develop.

Caroline believes deeply in the work of Wisdom and Money. It feels to her like the necessary next step to take “everything further." She is so grateful to be invited.

Board Member

Maria came upon the work of Wisdom & Money while researching the practice of Centering prayer. This unexpected discovery felt Spirit-led: it has been sheer grace to meet regularly with persons for whom having brave and open conversations about money is a form of doing social justice work.

Maria taught Literature and Humanities at the community college level prior to becoming a spiritual care practitioner and psychotherapist. She has worked in a variety of health care settings and in the community with individuals released from prison. She is engaged in the ministry of spiritual direction and facilitates retreats and workshops related to spiritual growth in Toronto, Canada, where she presently resides.

Board Member

Kristina Flanagan is delighted to introduce the “what is mine to do” discernment which brought her to Wisdom and Money. After being “sent” from CAC’s Living School class of 2023, she was immediately contacted by a staff member, inviting her to join the Wisdom & Money (W&M) Board. She was reluctant as they seemed “too Christian” to her. But because W&M is W&M, they said, “Great, would you like to join a Virtual Circle and be a Board Buddy so you can learn more and sit with your questions?” Wow.

With over 20 years of Board experience in major opera houses and 30 years of struggle with inherited wealth, Kristina has lived in questions of money, morality, movement and, frankly, miracle. The questions are like lingering guests: familiar, sometimes exasperating, always revealing themselves more deeply. Wisdom & Money is a place of restful knowing for her. Their slow invitation into full participation has been one of the greatest gifts in her life.

Board Member

James Ebert, AIF®, is a wealth advisor with Financial Planning Suite, Inc., an independent firm in Greater Hartford serving clients for more than 40 years. He helps individuals, families, and nonprofits gain financial clarity and make mindful decisions through thoughtful, fee-based planning and investing. A Yale graduate, he has co-founded several real estate development companies and has served on nonprofit boards including the Yale Alumni Fund and Renbrook School. As a cyclist, he also co-founded Hartford Cranksgiving and previously raced competitively. He has been deeply influenced by Wisdom & Money’s warm community and its reflective practices integrating action and contemplation.

Board Buddy

Danny Torrance is passionate about helping individuals and organizations thrive and reach their full potential. He works as a senior development manager at the Center for Action and Contemplation, an educational non-profit at the intersection of personal transformation and systemic change. His focus is on creating meaningful, mission-aligned experiences that support giving as a spiritual practice. Inspired by author and fundraiser Lynne Twist, he believes that money is like water – it flows to our highest commitments and can nourish ourselves and our world.

Alongside his work at CAC, Danny runs a short-term tiny house rental called The Tiny House of Happiness. He hopes that guests experience a lifestyle of sufficiency and simplicity, connection instead of consumption, and intentionality and purpose. Danny also enjoys facilitating support groups to help people with hoarding disorder gain skills to declutter, increase their health, and the safety of their homes. 

Danny holds a master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a teacher trainer practicum in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. He loves coffee, long runs along the river trail, and lives with his wife in Philadelphia, PA.

Treasurer

Cindy Kroll is a CPA, financial consultant, and executive coach whose work bridges financial leadership, organizational values, and responsible stewardship. With experience in CFO leadership and nonprofit finance, she has helped mission-driven organizations strengthen governance, sustainability, and clarity of purpose.

Over time, she recognized that financial decisions are shaped not only by strategy, but by the personal and cultural stories leaders carry about money. This perspective informs her commitment to cultivating financial practices that align with values and mission while supporting human dignity and the common good.

She is drawn to settings where resources are stewarded with care and accountability in service of broader human well-being. Serving as Treasurer of Wisdom & Money is a natural extension of her vocation to connect sound stewardship with spiritual wisdom and inner exploration. She lives in Bloomington, Minnesota with her two children and enjoys spending time in nature and learning from its wisdom.

Board Buddy

John Bloom founded John Bloom Advisory LLC in 2021. In 2020, he retired from RSF Social Finance, San Francisco, where he served for 23 + years leading organizational culture. As part of his work at RSF he developed and facilitated programs that address the intersection of money and spirit in personal and social transformation. He has written about governance and led many workshops on that topic for numerous non-profits. He continues to deepen all this work independently as a founder of Spirit Matters. He has written extensively on money and culture and has fostered collaborative dialogues on the challenging social aspects of economic life and culture change.

He is a founder and trustee of Living Lands Trust, a US nationwide land trust committed to supporting land-based regional economies. He has published two books, The Genius of Money, and Inhabiting Interdependence, (SteinerBooks), and is a staff writer for Das Goetheanum Weekly. He lives in San Francisco.

Board Buddy

Steven Bonsey was born in Ho’olehua on the island of Moloka’i. He has worked as an Episcopal priest in parish, campus and retreat ministries, and served as Canon Pastor of the Cathedral Church of St Paul in Boston. He was co-founder of the Leadership Development Initiative in the Diocese of Massachusetts and was co-founder and co-director of Wisdom & Money.

Steven studied with Cynthia Bourgeault in her Wisdom Schools, and he currently teaches Mystical Christianity for the Nine Gates Mystery School. He also advocates for repairing the legacy of slavery in the Episcopal Church. He lives with his wife Elisabeth Keller in Cambridge, MA; Vineyard Haven, MA; and Alexandria, LA; and he enjoys visiting his children and grandchildren in Cambridge; Paris, France; and Cairo, Egypt.