Karen Clay, Administrative Director
Karen (she/her) is a recent transplant to Northampton moving from the Boston area in 2021. She was drawn to the area’s beauty, culture, and its unique ability to embrace the many ways to be human. Karen has held leadership roles in different non-profit organizations including affordable housing, education, and community organizing. Additionally, she is a master gardener, a lover of Japanese food, and currently lives in co-housing. Working with a spiritual community such as Insight Western Mass (IWM) truly coincides with Karen’s own meditation path and spiritual journey.
Jess Paré, Outreach and Administrative Coordinator
Jess (she/her) has lived in Northampton since 2021. She began her study of mindfulness and Buddhism in 2015, completed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program in 2019, and volunteered with the Copper Beech Institute in West Hartford for several years supporting retreats and events. Jess has mostly found refuge in her solo practice to date, and is excited to experience what it feels like to be part of a sangha in this next phase. She brings with her several decades of experience in higher education administration, nonprofit management, entrepreneurship, corporate learning and development, consulting, and life coaching. Jess is particularly fascinated by life and career transitions, and the richness that can come from letting ourselves be transformed into a new version of ourselves. She loves bird watching, walks in the woods, meditating in her kayak, reading a good book, and catching an improv show.
