President
Venerable Tianwen Shi, MS, MED, MPHIL
Ven. Tianwen is a Buddhist monk ordained in the Chinese Buddhist monastic tradition. He was born and raised in Malaysia. He graduated from University of Calgary, Canada with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies, and received his Master of Science in Social and Cultural Anthropology from University of Oxford, Master of Education in Early Childhood Education from Monash University, and Master of Philosophy in Educational Research from University of Cambridge. He was the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Scholar at Harvard Divinity School’s Buddhist Ministry Initiative program 2014-2015. He completed the one-year Clinical Pastoral Education Residency program at Stanford Health Care, 2018-2019. He has been teaching Buddhism and providing spiritual care to patients in Hong Kong, Macau and North America. His areas of interests are Buddhism and spiritual care, healthcare chaplaincy, and interfaith ministry.
Vice President
Reverend Acala Xiaoxi Wang, MDIV, ACPE-CEC
Rev. Acala is an ACPE Certified Educator Candidate and Buddhist practitioner of Thai Forest Tradition. She serves for spiritual care education programs at New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care since 2021. Acala received her lay Buddhist minister initiation in 2015. Her ministry is endorsed by Mid-America Buddhist Association. Acala has a Master of Divinity in Buddhist Chaplaincy from University of the West. She had her Clinical Pastoral Education Residency with Stanford Health Care and served as an interfaith chaplain there afterwards. Acala's ministry experiences also include served as a Buddhist chaplain for Calipatria State Prison, a Dharma teacher for BOCA Dharma Seal Temple, and the president of the Buddhist Association of University of the West.