Shambhala Chicago Staffing Changes
Over the last few years, Chicago Shambhala has experienced rapid growth. The first step to accommodate this new growth was to hire full time director, Tom Adducci, followed by part-time marketing and outreach coordinator, Aarti Tejuja. Last year, the organization went on to hire part time administrative assistant, Carina Gibson. After a few years of having a small paid staff, the building in Rogers Park was sold and a new flagship location in the West Loop at 37 N Carpenter Street was purchased. In addition, in the past few years, the organization has rented spaces in Des Plaines, Oak Park, Hyde Park, and the newest space in Edgewater, which will serve as the second largest space after the flagship space in the West Loop. With the addition of the Edgewater location and the West Loop purchase, new staffing needs must be met. The new staff will consist of three full time positions, and one part time position.
The newest position will be to hire a new full time administrative assistant and receptionist who will be responsible for Shambhala Chicago’s administrative responsibilities as well as being the primary face of the West Loop location. A full description of the new position can be seen here. Those who wish to apply for the position can send their cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Tom Adducci will continue in his full time role as Shambhala Chicago’s Director and will continue to be responsible for the organization’s primary leadership. He will continue to supervise personnel and program operations and will continue to work in collaboration with the Governing Council , Executive Council, and with community members who serve as volunteers or work on committees. The Director is the chair of the Executive Council and a member of the Governing Council (who consist of volunteers). The Director works closely with the Chair of the Governing Council, currently held by Shambhala Chicago member, Gina Caruso, to ensure linkage between Shambhala Chicago’s goals and its activities.
Aarti Tejuja ‘s previous role will be expanded to a full-time position as Shambhala Chicago’s Manager of Communication and Social Engagement. She will be responsible for the organization’s overall internal and external communications, and also take on the additional role of managing the organization’s newest initiatives in the realm of social engagement. She will be responsible for forming and chairing the social engagement committee, and helping to lead the committee in creating policies and procedures to create standards for social engagement project selection and implementation. She is also responsible for fostering and developing relationships with other organizations, as well as co-leading the existing project, “Creating Safe Spaces.”
Tak-Seng Lodro took on the part-time role of Volunteer and Membership Coordinator in October. He is primarily tasked with the responsibility of helping the center’s volunteer and membership base to expand by revamping the structure and policies around membership and volunteering. To aid these efforts in Chicago and across the Mandala, Tak-Seng is also working with International leadership and local volunteers to enhance various technological resources within Shambhala. He will be maintaining and restructuring the way in which we work and communicate with volunteers and members of the center while also coordinating various events.
The new staff of Shambhala Chicago is excited to work within our growing organization, and we are excited to work with all of you. We can’t wait to see all of you and meet those of you who we haven’t yet met. We are also excited for all of you to visit our newest flagship location in the West Loop. If we can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].
Getting to Know You!
As we move into our new space, we also want to know more about who you are! As part of the effort, we hope to focus our newsletter to a more community-centric approach and have you write stories about what moves you. Why do you meditate? How does it help you? Why did you decide to come to the Shambhala Center? What moves you? We want to know! If you want to help us, take our newsletter survey, to help us get to know who you are. Special thank you to volunteer, Kent Bridgeman for helping us to put it together.
