Meet our Instructors and Staff
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Staff
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Rosanne Kates, M.Ed., Project Founder and Director
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Rosanne is the Coordinator of Community Connection and serves on the Steering and Advisory Committees. Having an extensive background in the field of education, Rosanne leads the Nourishing Teachers/Strengthening Classrooms Project for Open Spirit. This is a community outreach program that supports both teachers and students in mindfulness practice and mind/body awareness. Rosanne has experience as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, and an adjunct faculty member of Framingham State University. She has also served as a board member of the Massachusetts Reading Association, where she developed the Teachers as Writers Project. Rosanne can be reached at rosanne@nourishingteachers.org.
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Dara Berry, Director
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Dara has been the Director of Operations at Open Spirit since 2017 and now also serves as the Director of the Nourishing Teachers/Strengthening Classrooms project​. Prior to joining Open Spirit, Dara worked in communications and market research for many years and is a summa cum laude graduate of Northeastern University and an MBA candidate at Boston University. She is the parent of three students in the Framingham Public Schools and has spent many years volunteering with the PTO. Dara can be reached at dara@nourishingteachers.org.
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Program Leaders
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Eve Costarelli, Teacher of Yoga, Mindfulness for teachers and students of all ages
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Eve is passionate about bringing the joy of movement to all-bodies. Through her interactive, self-designed mindful movement program, Always Be Dancing: The Art of Movement, Eve uses yoga, dance & social consciousness to create a healthy, diverse, inclusive environment. Eve has been teaching and performing in the Boston community for over two decades and knows that yoga and dance help develop happier, healthier, more wholesome people. Eve's programs are fun, upbeat, and wholly inclusive. Focus is always on abilities, never disabilities.
Eve is the Yoga & Mindfulness coordinator for the Common Street Spiritual Center, the lead yoga & mindfulness educator for Open Spirit's Nourishing Teachers/Strengthening Classrooms Project and facilitates all-inclusive yoga and dance programs throughout Massachusetts. Through her exploration of flamenco and its connection to the subtle body (the heart and mind bodies), Eve's dancing personifies the power and stillness held within the music of Spanish gypsies. Ms. Costarelli provides educational and experiential flamenco performances and workshops throughout New England.
Eve specializes in building harmonious yogic practices for each client, all ages, all abilities, for classrooms, families, professional development, one-on-one yoga session for either self study or to develop teaching skills. Eve loves designing practices that will enhance your quality of life. Practitioners are welcome on a mat, in a chair, however is needed.
Eve would love for you to enjoy the experience of her yoga. Each session is one-of-a-kind! Eve is passionate about bringing the freedom of movement to all-bodies. She facilitates mindful movement experiences that increase positive vibrations and is on a mission to open people’s hearts and minds and will use all means necessary.
Email: Adamant_Eve@hotmail.com
Website: AlwaysBeDancing.com
Instagram: @Always_Be Dancing
Instagram: @Mindful_Book_Reviews_By_Eve
Twitter: @AlwaysBeDancing
Linked-In: Always Be Dancing
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​Katherine McClean, LDN, CYT, CPT, CMT, Teacher of Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness for teachers and adolescents
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Katherine has been teaching yoga and meditation for over 20 years and has practiced the art of meditation much longer. "Because meditation has been such a supportive and transformational practice for me." she writes, "I'm passionate about sharing it with others."
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In addition, Katherine is a licensed nutritionist and certified personal trainer. She offers private supportive sessions which include comprehensive evaluations and tailored strategies to support diet and fitness goals.
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Having graduated from the School of Conscious Healing she provides transformational counseling sessions and facilitates energetic healings.
Katherine is a certified yoga teacher and currently teaches Hatha Yoga on Tuesdays at 5:30pm and Guided Meditation with the Masters on Mondays at 7:30 pm
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Contact Katherine directly at katherinemcclean@verizon.net or visit her site at www.katherinemcclean.com
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Danielle Rousseau, PhD, LMCH, Teacher of Yoga, Mindfulness for teachers
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Danielle Rousseau, PhD LMCH is a professor, researcher, clinical therapist, and certified yoga teacher. Her focus is in both policy and practice. She considers herself to be a scholar activist and a justice educator. Both her research and teaching are informed by her experience in the field of forensic psychology and trauma informed interventions. Dr. Rousseau’s professional focus has been in trauma services, gender advocacy, and advocating or equal access to justice. She is a social justice researcher and practitioner. Dr. Rousseau worked in the field of forensic mental health as a therapist in correctional facilities, winning multiple awards for her service. She also served communities doing crisis response and victim advocacy.
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Dr. Rousseau is an advocate of integrative, holistic approaches that support embodied self-care. She serves as the Director of Evaluation 4 Change, a non-profit that supports curriculum development and evaluation in the yoga service sector. She experience collaborating with multiple yoga and mindfulness organizations including Yoga 4 Change, yogaHOPE, the Yoga Service Council, Sensory Enhanced Yoga, and the Open Spirit Center.
Dr. Rousseau’s work is published in The Prison Journal, Criminal Justice Policy Review, Gender, Race, and Justice, Law and Society Review, The Annals of the Academy of Political and Social Sciences, The Journal of Yoga Service and many other academic journals and books. Dr. Rousseau is an author on the Yoga Service Council’s Best Practices for Yoga in the Criminal Justice System and the editor for Best Practices for Yoga and Resilience: Empowering Practices for Survivors of Sexual Trauma.
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Rana Chudnofsky, Ed.M., Teacher of Mindfulness, Meditation for teachers
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Ms. Chudnofsky is Director of the Education Initiative for the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and leads training in Stress Physiology and Meditation. Her portfolio of training certifications includes Biofeedback from Boston Behavioral Medicine; Vipassana Meditation from Vipassana Meditation Center; Qigong under the tutelage of Medical Qigong Master Yadong Yang; and Reiki. In 2014, Ms. Chudnofsky completed a fellowship at Mass General, through the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care. Ms. Chudnofsky is a frequent speaker across the country on the topics of Stress Physiology, Meditation and Health Technology and lectures regularly at Harvard Medical School continuing education programs. She previously presented on the topic of 'Digital Health Meets Ancient Meditation' at TEDMED in Washington, DC. Rana is a leading voice in the recognition and implementation of effective personal development strategies at the nexus of education, technology and healthcare.
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Collaborative Partners
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Cheryl Aglio-Girelli, DNP MSN RN
Adolescent Health Nurse, Framingham Public Schools (Retired)
As an adolescent health nurse Cheryl has extensive experience in child and adolescent mental health and in reproductive and sexual health, Cheryl coordinated the Framingham Public School district’s teen pregnancy and parenting program and lead an initiative that brings mind-body education and mindfulness practices to students and staff. As part of the Adolescent Health Team, Cheryl and her colleagues were awarded multiple grants to address healthy relationships, reduce unintended adolescent pregnancies, advance LGBTQ health, and mitigate stress through mind-body practices. Her work is rooted in strong community partnerships, positive youth development, and holistic nursing. Throughout all aspects of her practice she focuses on addressing health inequities. Cheryl holds a doctoral degree in population health, a master’s degree in nursing leadership, and certification in Lamaze childbirth education. She works per-diem at Newton-Wellesley Hospital teaching various perinatal health classes.
Mynette Shifman, MSN, FNP-BC
Adolescent Health Nurse, Framingham Public Schools (Retired)
Mynette Shifman brings over 25 years of experience working with adolescents as a Nurse Practitioner and Adolescent Health Nurse. She holds certifications as both a Family and a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. Mynette has worked in medical settings, suburban schools, and college campuses. For the last 13 years, Mynette worked within the Framingham Public Schools to coordinate the teen pregnant and parenting program and provide sexual health services and education to adolescents. As part of the Adolescent Health Team, Mynette focused on strengthening adolescents, teachers and staff by bringing opportunities to the district for mind body practices. In addition, she developed a role within the district supporting LGBTQ students and staff. Through multiple grants, the Adolescent Health Team expanded their role and focus to include pregnancy prevention services with a focus on young men, healthy relationships, LGBTQ youth, immigrants and community engagement. Mynette works as a registered nurse at Newton Wellesley Hospital on the maternity unit.
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