Board of Directors

Board Mission and Vision Statement

In the Resource Sphere of All-Enriching Wisdom, the ZCLA Board of Directors oversees all the taking care of all governance, legal, and fiduciary matters. We uphold the Zen Center’s Mandala, Mission, and Vision, Core Values, Core Practices, and Sangha Sutra. We maintain a place for practice, rooted in our Bodhisattva Lineage, and nurture the widest possible view.

Nem Etsugen Bajra

Born in Nepal, Nem Etsugen Bajra studied engineering in Japan, the Netherlands and the US.  He is currently the CEO of Calsoft Systems, an IT consulting company that he started with his wife Gyokuren.  He is the teacher and advisor of the Management Philosophy Study Group, a non-profit for business-owners.  He is leading sitting groups for business owners bi-weekly on Sundays and Mondays.  Etsugen is also the Founder and President of Mitra Path, Inc., a non-profit to help women and minorities start small businesses.  Etsugen enjoys hiking and travelling in his spare time.

Bill Earth-Mirror Corcoran

Preceptor Bill Earth-Mirror Corcoran has led numerous environmental campaigns in the United States, including the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. He is currently a senior advisor to a climate advocacy funder. A practitioner at Zen Center of Los Angeles since 1997, he is exploring pathways that integrate Zen Buddhist practice and environmental action. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Christy and his son Walden.

Diane True Joy Fazio

Diane True Joy first came to ZCLA at the end of 1998 and received Jukai as part of the class of 2005. She has been a member, then Steward of the Brown Green Circle; a member of the Tenzo Circle, and the Facing Whiteness Circle and Co-founded the Encountering the Sutras study group. She works as a Landscape Architect.

Rev. Jitsujo T. Gautier

Rev. Jitsujo T. Gauthier is a resident, priest, and preceptor living at the Zen Center of Los Angeles where she serves in various capacities. She works at the University of the West as an Associate Professor and Cochair of Buddhist Chaplaincy teaching courses like Buddhist Homiletics, Spiritual Care, Spiritual Leadership, and Engaged Compassion for Master and Doctorate programs. Rev. Jitsujo is one of Five Seat-Holders for the Zen Peacemaker Order, a member of the Buddhist Ministry Working Group, and a teacher for Buddhist Healthy Boundaries. Her research and writing focus on the practical application of Buddhism within fields of Buddhist education, ministry, and peacemaking work. Her practice and pedagogy invite more tenderness and breath into meditation and the classroom.

Patti Muso Giggans

Patti Muso Giggans, ZCLA’s Board president, has been a Zen practitioner at ZCLA since 1999. She became a member of the board during a crucial time in the stabilization of Zen Center and then became president, an office which she has held for the last 15 years.   Muso has .been dedicated to trauma healing, violence prevention, gender and social justice through  her  40 years  as Executive Director/CEO at Peace Over Violence. She is grateful to the teachers, the teachings and all the sangha dharma sisters and brothers at ZCLA  who have been friends and guides along her journey. Muso lives in Los Angeles with her wife Reigen . In her spare time Muso likes to read and sometimes write poetry and loves spending time with her granddaughter Rain Justice.

Frank Genku Martinez

Frank Genku Martinez had been a member of the ZCLA Board of Directors since 2017 and has held the position of Treasurer since 2020. Genku sees his place on the Board as a “service position” and an integral part of his Zen practice.  Activities of note during his time on the Board include working with staff to oversee the Seismic Retrofit of various buildings on the ZCLA campus; and working with our business manager, Abbot and fellow Board members to ensure ZCLA’s financial stability during the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.

Genku began his Zen practice at ZCLA in 2012/2013 and received Jukai in June of 2014.  Whenever possible Genku contributes to shared practice and awakening by holding service positions, participating as an instructor in the Introduction to Zen Meditation classes, contributing live music during ZCLA celebratory events, and folding and stringing peace cranes for special occasions (including protesting the use of Fort Sill, Oklahoma to detain migrant children).  Genku is also active in ZCLA’s BIPOC affinity group.

Genku’s interest in Zen was sparked by taking a comparative religions class during college in the mid 1970’s.  This class included a site visit to a downtown Zen temple featuring an introductory sitting period and the use of the Kyosaku stick (“encouragement from the Buddha” said the monk).

During his working career Genku spent 30 years with the City of Los Angeles municipal government where he held a variety of administrative and managerial positions. Genku finished his time at the City of Los Angeles as the City Clerk where he oversaw municipal elections, legislative processing, the City Archives and land use record keeping.

Genku lives in Pico Rivera with his wife of 42 years, Maria.  They have two adult daughters who work in the education field in San Francisco.  Genku’s interests include spending time in the outdoors; and playing and studying the Tenor Saxophone and Flute while exploring the genres of jazz, rock, blues and roots music.

Mark Gensha Miller

Mark Gensha Miller, born and raised in Los Angeles, has been a Dharma practitioner for 30 years in a range of Buddhist traditions and received Jukai in 2022 at ZCLA. He is a clinical psychologist in private practice, an aspiring Buddhist chaplain, and co-director of Mindful USC, a service of the University of Southern California’s Provost Office that offers free mindfulness and self-compassion training to all members of the USC community. He lives with his wife and twins in mid-city Los Angeles.

Sensei Tom Baiten Dharma-Joy Reichert

Sensei Tom Baiten Dharma-Joy Reichert first came to ZCLA in October 1999.  He has served in a variety of positions over time, including on the Executive Circle, as a member of the Board of Directors for 10+ years, Corporate Secretary and Treasurer.  He is now Abbot and Head Priest/Preceptor.  Dharma-Joy received a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in Middle East Studies from Harvard University, and a law degree from the University of Virginia.  He served as the managing partner and then the general counsel of a law firm in Century City for 20 years.  He and his husband reside on grounds. In his “spare” time, he is an (un)professional DJ, a dog dad, and a cat servant.

John Kyogen Rosania

John Kyogen Rosania began Zen practice in his teens, sat with various Zen communities through his twenties, and began steady formal practice in his thirties at Ocean Moon Sangha (with Sensei John Daishin Buksbazen) before coming to Zen Center to study with Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao. He has been a resident at ZCLA since 2015 where he lives with his wife and dog. He is currently ZCLA’s Board Secretary and works as a psychotherapist in community mental health and in private practice.

Bob Kanzan Swan

Bob Kanzan Swan has been sitting with ZCLA since 1995. He has received Jukai and is a member of the Board of Directors of ZCLA. He has 5 children and two grandchildren. He lives in Altadena with his wife Patty.