The WELLKIND Board
Suvas Vajracharya — Chair and Co-Founder, WellKind
After retiring as the CEO of Lightning Bolt, where he ran a successful startup for 17 years, Suvas looked to start an organization that would create environmental and social impact through health and a care for the environment.
Suvas sits on WELLKIND’s executive board of directors and is also a board member of WELLKIND Guatemala.
Julia Forest – Co-Founder and Board Member, WellKind USA
For Julia, WELLKIND grew from her interest in how personal growth and care for the earth interrelate. She brings with her 16 years of facilitation and curriculum development experience and a passion for cross-disciplinary change work. Julia is an avid permaculturalist and the founding director of Awakened Spirit Yoga, an organization that blends yoga and mindfulness with regenerative change to support the wellness of communities. Julia advises on WELLKIND’s programming and development and is on the board of directors.
Montserrat Archila — Advisory Board Member, WellKind Garden Program
Montserrat Archila has worked at Providence St. Joseph Health for the past 15 years and is passionate about collaborating with and serving the diverse communities that comprise Sonoma County. She is the School-Based Behavioral Health Lead for the Community Health Investment department. Her focus is supporting local schools and surrounding communities by bringing resources, trainings, and convening partners, to build resilience and improve long-term health outcomes.
Montserrat immigrated to the US from El Salvador during a time of war and feels strongly about amplifying voice and story of community. She received her BA in Psychology and is completing a certificate in Interior Architecture and Design with an emphasis on Trauma Informed Spaces. As a graduate of the Stanford d.school, she champions Human Centered Design, a creative approach to problem solving that develops solutions by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process.
Montserrat resides in Windsor, California with her husband Issa and son Julian.
Maria Castells Arrosa – Board Member, WellKind Guatemala
Maria Castells Arrosa has over 20 years of experience in education and non-profit work. She received her Maestria (Master’s) in Labor Law and Maestria in Indigenous Law from the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico and the Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala, respectfully. She has a Doctora (Doctorate) in Law and Social Sciences from the Universidad de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay. Maria has launched and managed holistic health businesses and retreat centers. She is also the founder of Chi Tz’Unin Choy, a non-profit community center and library in Tzununá, Guatemala.
For WELLKIND, Maria supports program development and community outreach and sits on the board to participate in collective decision-making.
Amy Chevrolet – Advisory Board Member, WellKind Garden Program
Amy is a licensed clinical social worker and the Manager of Hospice Counseling Services at Providence. She has many years of experience as a program manager, working in health care, youth development, and the nonprofit sector.
Amy has managed daily operations, program development and planning, and the support staff for the Circle of Sisters After-School Program, the Neighborhood Care Staff Community Organizing Program, and the St. Joseph Health System AmeriCorps Volunteer Infrastructure Program.
She loves living and working in West Sonoma County.
Isaias Sipac Martin – Treasurer and Board member, WellKind Guatemala
Isaias was born and raised in Tzununá, Guatemala and belongs to a community youth organization called Aj’Po. As Treasurer for WELLKIND Guatemala, he oversees administration, accounts, spending, documentation, and reporting for the local team. He also supports program managers when necessary. As a board member of WELLKIND Guatemala, he also attends meetings for collective decision-making.
Maricela Alvarez Perez – Secretary and Board Member, WellKind Guatemala
Maricela was born and raised in Tzununá, Guatemala. As Secretary for WELLKIND Guatemala, Maricela oversees scholarship programs, staff and beneficiary training initiatives, and vocational and arts trainings. She is also a board member who participates in collective decision-making.
Christopher Szecsey – Advisory Board Member, WellKind Garden Program
Christopher comes to WELLKIND as an internationally recognized international development consultant, primarily in civil society development, with over 35 years of experience. He has worked in 50 countries, collaborating with individuals, teams, local NGOs and International NGOs, UN agencies, and government organizations.
Christopher started his international work in the 1970s with the US Peace Corps in Ecuador. His main focus was introducing and supporting school and community gardens with indigenous communities in the Andes. Years later he led the training of Peace Corps volunteers in bio-intensive gardening and nutrition in Guatemala. Subsequently, in Indonesia, Christopher designed and supported different projects in ecological agriculture and agroforestry, in collaboration with farmer groups.
In Sonoma County, Christopher has supported school gardens in his work with Bay Area nonprofits serving high schools, youth groups, and low-income communities. Most notably, he helped develop the State of California’s Blueprint for Environmental Literacy for the Department of Education, to inform K-12 standards and curriculum.
At home in West Sonoma County, Christopher loves working in his own vegetable garden and fruit tree orchard, while supporting resource stewardship for his land partnership’s Conservation Easement of 50 acres, with a local nonprofit Land Trust. He also serves on the board of a local Nonprofit, Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods.
Marya Tobias – Chairwoman of the Board, WellKind Guatemala
Marya has three Master’s Degrees (Maestrias) from the Universidad Mariano Galvez, covering three different branches of Guatemalan law: Human Dynamics, Penal Law, and Civil and Commercial and Procedural Law. She works as a lawyer and notary in the city of Sololá and the village of Panajachel, Guatemala.
For WELLKIND Guatemala, Marya supports legal matters and administration. She is also the Chairwoman of the Board.
Pat Torpie – Board Member, WellKind Guatemala
Pat Torpie has 35 years of experience as an educator, teacher and school director. She founded Amigos de Santa Cruz, an NGO based in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, and has served as its Executive Director for 20 years. Amigos supports the indigenous people of Santa Cruz and neighboring villages through education and sustainable economic development.
For WELLKIND Guatemala, Pat assists with program and organizational development and attends board meetings for collective decision-making.
Shad Qudsi – Executive Officer and Board Member, WellKind Guatemala
Shad Qudsi has over 12 years of experience in community leadership and 15 years of experience in organic gardening and farming. He is certified in Permaculture Design and has trained around 2,000 people in permaculture, teaching in locations as varied as the U.S., Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nicaragua.
Shad has lived in Guatemala for over a decade and has called the village of Tzununá his home for many years. He works closely with community members, including local youth, as a leader and organizer for WELLKIND Guatemala.
As a member of the board for WELLKIND Guatemala, Shad hosts and attends all board meetings for collective decision-making.