Board of Directors – Members

John Rothermich, Co-President (he/him)

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, John went to law school and worked as an attorney in New York City before moving to Portland in 2007 with his wife, Shelley, and son, Emmett. John and Shelley began attending KCC Sunday morning meditations in 2011, while Emmett participated in the KCC Children’s Program. John and Shelley took refuge with Lama Michael Conklin in 2012 and volunteered as teachers in the Children’s Program in 2013-14. John has participated in several KCC retreats, attended KCC’s annual Mahamudra seminar in 2019, and has taken personal retreats at SCOL.John also served for 10 years on the Board of Outside In, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center supporting homeless youth and marginalized populations. John has been a practicing trial lawyer for 20 years, helping clients resolve business disputes and government investigations, most recently with K&L Gates.

Jennifer Chang, Co-President / Treasurer (she/her)

Jennifer started attending KCC in January 2018 having been interested in dharma since her early 20s.  She took refuge on January 1 2019 and attended the Mahamudra seminar in the fall of 2019.  Jennifer helped bring the KCC library to fruition, managed the redevelopment of the KCC website and enjoys being an active member of KCC’s Dharma Digger gardening group.

Jennifer is a Kansas native and a graduate of the University of Kansas. Her 20 year career in the Federal government was as an emergency planner and responder.  “Prodding the bureaucracy to move smarter and faster” is the simplest way to describe her role in disaster response.  She hopes her experience as a civil servant will help her serve the KCC community and all sentient beings.

Jay Kline (She/Her - They/Them)

Judatha came to KCC in 2003 and took refuge in 2004 with Lama Tsang Tsing and Lama Sonam. She was a student of Lama Michael Conklin for many years and a member of an early Capital Campaign Committee to fund construction at SCOL.

In 2006 Judatha moved to CA. From there they maintained their sitting practice and connection to KCC and Lama Michael. They attended retreats at Cloud Mountain, the annual New Years Retreat, and Mahamudra retreats at SCOL. Judatha traveled to Bodhgaya in 2014 to attend a Mahamudra retreat with Khenpo Lodro Donyo Rinpoche. She moved back the Portland area in 2016 and has been an active volunteer at KCC.

For nearly 20 years, Judatha has worked as a psychotherapist including as a Clinical Supervisor, Program Manager, and entrepreneur. They also have experience in non-profit resource development, academia, and corporate contracts administration. Judatha is honored to join the KCC Board with a wish that her experience and service will benefit the dharma and all beings.

David Thornburgh (he/him)

David discovered the importance of meditation during the HIV epidemic when teachers from the Bay Area came to Oregon to help individuals cope with impermanence. This experience led him to establish a daily meditation practice in the early 1990s. In 1997, he took refuge with Lama Michael Conklin and Lama Tara Goforth at Salt Spring. Subsequently, he attended Kyabje Bokar Rinpoche’s Mahamudra Program in India each year for several years.

For forty years, David worked as a legal aid lawyer, dedicated to serving low-income communities in Oregon. Initially, he focused on representing Native Americans, and in 2001 he became the director of a statewide legal aid nonprofit and has served on the board of other nonprofits.

David has shared the joys and challenges of life for the past 35 years with his partner Larry Rogers. They are both especially grateful for this long-lasting relationship because, more than three decades ago, a doctor predicted Larry would die from AIDS within a year. In his volunteer work at KCC, David strives to embody egoless service, loving-kindness, curiosity, and humor.

Brad Upton (he/him)

Brad is from the southeastern US, having moved to Corvallis from Auburn Alabama in 1996.  His vocational background is in engineering and environmental research.

A Buddhist practitioner since 2009, Brad took refuge with Lama Michael Conklin in 2011.  He met Lama Eric Triebelhorn on a trip to Tibet in 2019 and shortly thereafter participated in a Mahamudra Seminar at SCOL.

Since then Brad has become active at KCC both as a practitioner and volunteer, and is happy to offer service on the KCC Board.  Brad currently serves on the SCOL Support Team.