Meet Our Board
Leonard Sussman
President
Upon arriving back in the US in the beginning of 1968, Leonard integrated back into society always carrying this deep connection with Master. After several years of devotion and two more visits with Master Kirpal before He died, Leonard felt there was meaning in his life and found himself full of deep love. Over the next 30 years, he stayed devoted to his spirituality while obtaining a Master's Degree in Special Education and working in education. He left teaching several years later to go back to insurance, founding Sussman & Associates and obtaining the designations of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC).
Leonard attributes all of his success to Master Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj's grace. This left Leonard with a longing to honor Master and give something back to society, which started coming to fruition in 2004 when he began searching for land to create a sacred place where people of all walks of life could come to seek meditation. He felt if he could create such a place, he would assist in helping evolve the planet and make it a better place. Kirpal Meditation and Ecological Center was founded under this mission. Now semi-retired, in addition to directing KMEC, Leonard devotes himself to serving his clients, his family and school children as a substitute teacher in Battle Ground, WA where he lives with his wife and family.
Kirpal Meditation and Ecological Center is the manifestation of love and gratitude from Leonard to his Master and the rest of the world. He is grateful that you have found this place.
Lisa Berthuot
Secretary
A massage therapist by trade for the past 18 years in the state of Hawaii, and since 1992 in Australia.. She owns and operates a small day spa on the south side of Maui and has done so for 14 years. In that time she has also owned and managed several other yoga studios and day spas throughout the island. She has worked with chiropractors, acupuncturists, estheticians, yoga and other dance instructors, as well as massage therapists, of course. She spends her time between Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and California where she is working on an App for in-home massage utilizing Cannabis in the application of oils for massage. By the end of 2018, the launch of this app should be active in the state of Oregon. Back in Hawaii, she is a resident of nearly 30 years. Her time on the west coast is spent on research in the natural medicine industry and being on the board of a non-profit based in Portland.
Born in San Diego and migrated to the Bay Area in San Francisco for college, Lisa has lived in Australia, Germany, France and Denmark and travelled quite a bit over the years.
In the past, she held a degree for audio and video engineering from San Francisco State University. Her background is supportive of her on-line presence with her current, as well as future endeavors for all her spa projects. She has worked in the Broadcast Communication Arts realm in California and Hawaii, both in the engineering capacity, as well as in finance and bookkeeping. She runs all aspects of her own endeavors, including, but no limited to marketing, advertisement, management, hiring, all accounts payable and receivable, yoga instruction, body treatments, massage therapy and day to day operations.