Board of Directors

Lin Bauer, Chair

Indralaya welcomed me the first time I set foot on her acreage and has been my spiritual home since. The community is wonderful no matter what program one attends, making Indralaya a unique and special place. Every program and every person who comes to camp contributes to the energy that has been healing people’s bodies, minds and spirits since its founding nearly 100 years ago. Living, learning, growing, and being of service together is such a gift. Now in my 4^th decade of attending camp, I have been to many different programs and work parties, including teaching numerous Therapeutic Touch courses, lifting my voice (and drum) for Deep Singing, being on fellowship and daily staff and head cooking many times.  I previously served on the Indralaya board and on the fundraising committee.

I live in Oregon on 80 acres and am a retired Special Education teacher. I volunteer with several different non-profits. It is an honor to serve again on the Indralaya board.

Merry Bullock, Vice-chair, Treasurer

Like so many, Indralaya touches me in profound ways, from its physical self to its spiritual aura, and evokes a desire to both cherish and shepherd its journey. As a Board member, I try to listen to Indralaya, and to the people who call it “their” place, whether long time participants or new-comers.

I bring experience as a university teacher, psychology researcher, and advocate for the development of a broad, culturally based understanding of human and organizational behavior. I have been a leader across different organizations, and like to think I can navigate from big picture to micro-processes with a collaborative, learning perspective. I’m a hands-on techie, like to think outside the box (but within practical realities) and value joining others who are committed to keeping Indralaya alive, engaged, and an embodiment of ahimsa. I wear many hats – Treasurer, vice-chair, search committee chair, web master, and currently registrar!

As Indralaya Treasurer I will do my very best to shepherd our finances, protect our tax status, and work collaboratively with the Board and office staff to meet our current and future financial goals. As board vice-chair, I look forward to another amazing Indralaya year.

Marilynne Gardner, Secretary

I arrived at camp 45 years ago knowing nothing about theosophy. I found a place where I could grow in self-awareness and be part of a caring community. I was on fellowship, then daily staff, participated in many work parties/programs/discussions. I experienced Indralaya’s history and values. I forged a deep spiritual connection. It is a place where my children and grandchildren experience quiet, friendships, and the meaning of being part of a community. I want to help preserve this opportunity for future generations. I am retired – once a social worker with runaway teens, aging adults, and young people with addictions, a city planner, and finally and joyfully, over a dozen years as the financial and operations officer with a large urban library system. This is my 5^th year on the board. I am the Board Secretary, serve on the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, and coordinate recruitment for the Stewardship Program.

Josh Anderson, Director

I first came to Indralaya for Deep Singing. A longtime visitor told me before I left for that first visit – “you need to pay attention to everything you see, feel, and learn. Go and feel, stay and be.” I fell in love the moment I crossed onto the property and, as someone who has spent a lifetime in both non-profit and spiritual circles, I became overwhelmingly grateful for the vision of those scrappy young theosophists nearly a hundred years ago who so firmly believed that, even if just for a short week in the wilds of northern Washington, we can add to study and meditation and truly be in service in a theosophical life. It is through this gratitude that I wish to be of service to the stewards, the families, the elders, and those yet to discover the beauty and necessity of a place where all people can be with the spirits and the seekers that have made Indralaya home. As a member of the board, I bring experience in programming, marketing, and sustaining both educational and transformational experiences, as well as familiarity with the traditions and trends in the broader Theosophical Movement.  I am honored to serve and to call Indralaya my sacred home.

Andrie Levey-Bates, Director

The summer of 2020 our family celebrated 50 years of coming to Indralaya.  As a kid you naturally learned about ahimsa, felt the importance of community and the pride of working together, appreciated nature and were encouraged to always have an open mind. Becoming a teenager you snuggled up listening to speakers and thus inquiring about science, philosophy, the arts and their importance in theosophy.  To learn meditation and therapeutic touch naturally with talented presenters and to have meaningful discussions with everyone was such a gift. Interacting with people of all ages on various projects and being respected, included and valued was wonderful in such a place of beauty.

Indralaya is a special place where people can come to learn, work, rejuvenate, be curious, and reflect especially during these interesting times of living in a world with Covid.   I hope to give back and keep the place sustainable for many more years providing people the opportunity to be part of a meaningful community with the opportunity to live theosophy.

Tessa Ormenyi, Director

Indralaya is a foundational part of my life. I first came with my parents when I was a few months old. From Family Camp to Theosophical talks to Yoga to Deep Singing and of course all the Work Parties, Camp helped to shape who I am and how I live in the world. I was on Fellowship in 2010 and Kitchen Manager for the 2016 program season – and never left! I still live on Orcas Island and am now a licensed electrician. Indralaya keeps me grounded in its community. The many projects and activities, singing, laughter, and the food we share. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Board, honoring the almost 100 year history of Indralaya and stewarding this wonderful land and place on new paths ahead.

Indralaya is a special place where people can come to learn, work, rejuvenate, be curious, and reflect especially during these interesting times of living in a world with Covid.   I hope to give back and keep the place sustainable for many more years providing people the opportunity to be part of a meaningful community with the opportunity to live theosophy.

Leonie Van Gelder, Members’ Representative, Director

Indralaya has always been part of my life.  As a young person I remember the sense of freedom I felt, and I delighted in the sense of community and multi-generational friendships that have lasted throughout my life. As I grew up, I became conscious of and came to value the Theosophical principles aspired to and engendered in the daily living and life way of Indralaya. I think throughout my life I sensed the sacredness and life of the land and atmosphere, the container that is Indralaya. It is palpable and sends a homing signal to our hearts.

As a teen and young(er) adult I worked in the kitchen including many stints as head cook. I also worked in the garden, cleaned cabins, helped to reroof a few cabins and even built some stairs.  All this Indralaya experience, as well as that of my family’s  held me in good stead for when my husband, Minor Lile and I became resident managers at Indralaya in 1995, a week after we were married. All together we did this for about 17 years— 1995-to the end of 2006 and 2010 to the end of 2017/mid 2018. This was a strong period of growth, expansion of the program season and financial stability for the camp.

As a board member I value our wonderful history. I do believe we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before, and I also recognize that change is a constant in life.  I love Indralaya.