Leadership

Teachers

Rev. Dr. Deborah Barrett

Dr. Deborah Barrett is a minister and teacher at ZCOC. She has been a serious meditation practitioner for over 30 years in both the Christian and Zen traditions. She was formerly a Roman Catholic sister for 15 years, working in Chicago, Africa and San Diego. She was ordained a Zen priest by Charlotte Joko Beck in 1994. Deborah is a certified pastoral counselor with a Ph.D. in psychology and an M.A. in theology. She has a law degree (Juris Doctor) from DePaul University and is licensed to practice law in Illinois and federal courts.

Deborah engages in private practice as a pastoral counselor. She is a certified fellow of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, #6011 (www.aapc.org). Deborah served as a full-time hospice chaplain for four years. She teaches “Comparative Mysticism” and “Contemporary Practices of the World’s Religions” in the Comparative Religion Department at Cal State Fullerton. She also has taught “Spirituality and Aging” and “Death and Dying” at Cal State. Her email is Barrett@zcoc.org

Rev. Carol Aguilar

Rev. Carol Aguilar is a minister and teacher at ZCOC. She has been a Zen practitioner for over 30 years. In addition to teaching and administration, Carol directs ZCOC’s prison project. She represents ZCOC at community events and is active in women’s studies, environmental issues and anti-war activities.

Carol is owner of Zen Home Stitchery, providing meditation cushions at affordable prices for thousands of Zen students and hundreds of Zen Centers.Carol has a B.A. degree in Asian history from the University of California, San Diego. She is currently working on her M.A. degree in Philosophy at Cal State San Diego, with emphasis on Dogen studies.Her son David has his B.A. degree in Latin American studies at UC Irvine. Her daughter Amy completed her B.A. from UCSD in international affairs and ethnic studies. This year Carol became a grandmother and enjoys Amy’s son, Sol. Her email is Aguilar@zcoc.org

Sr. Virgie Luchsinger

	Sr. Virgie Luchsinger is a teacher at ZCOC. She is a Professor of Ikebana in the Ikenobo tradition (flower arranging) and she is a chanoyu (tea ceremony) teacher. She is a registered nurse, with an M.A. degree in theology from Loyola University, Chicago. Sr. Virgie’s spiritual background is as a cloistered Carmelite nun, and currently as a Sister For Christian Community.

Though well-grounded in the classical Christian contemplative and mystical tradition, she has been a pioneer in contemporary forms of contemplation and spirituality, especially in relating Zen to apophatic prayer. She offers tea and flower arranging on a regular basis at ZCOC.Virgie’s interests include travel, piano, calligraphy, modern art, astronomy, and architecture.Her email is Luchsinger@zcoc.org

Senior Practitioners

Tad Sullivan

Tad Sullivan is a Senior Practitioner at ZCOC. He has been practicing at ZCOC for seven years, and participating in the Center’s prison project for almost as long. He has served as the Practitioner Coordinator for five years and is available at almost all programs. He regularly leads a Zen Study Program and assists at Introduction to Zen Meditation workshops. He provides a 30 minute orientation for new practitioners at the Center.

Tad has a B.A. degree from Occidental College, majoring in English/Drama with an emphasis on creative writing, and a minor in Philosophy. He manages a sales rep business to college book and art stores, and a family wholesale business in the paper and packaging markets.

Tad lives with his wife Chris, an artist and art professor at Coastline Community College, in Corona Del Mar. They have a son, Riley, in college, and have enjoyed being married for over thirty years.

Tad is a founding member of Poetry on Broadway, which has met for the past twelve years in Costa Mesa (on Broadway). He enjoys music, theater, nature, and practices Zen Meditation and haiku on a daily basis.

His email is: Sullivan@zcoc.org

Bob Posert

	Bob is a Senior Practitioner at ZCOC. Bob has been practicing at ZCOC since 2001. He serves as a Zen Friend, someone who provides additional help and support to new practitioners during their first few months at the Center. He regularly leads a Zen Study Program and assists at Introduction to Zen Meditation workshops. He oversees the website and computer-related projects at ZCOC.

Bob has a B.S. in Computer Science from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo.

Bob works with computers as technology manager, specializing in information lifecycle management.

Bob is married with two children. His son Rich is studying pre-med at Reed College. His daughter Katie is a student at Corona Del Mar high school and has aspirations to be a chef.

Bob’s interests outside of the Center include leading crews which build houses in Mexico with a non-profit group (Corazon); cooking, especially Asian food; and reading.

His email is: Posert@zcoc.org