Founding Teacher

Zen Master Seung Sahn Zen Master Seung Sahn was the founding teacher of the Kwan Um School of Zen. The 78th patriarch in his line of dharma transmission in the Korean order of Chogye Buddhism, he founded Zen centers all over the world. After a long illness, he died at his home at Hwa Gye Sah Temple in Seoul on November 30, 2004.

JDPSN, Guiding Teacher

Rebecca began practicing Zen meditation in 1995.  She took Senior Dharma Teacher precepts in 2007, Bodhisattva precepts in 2016, and in December, 2020, received Inka.  She is a founding member of Prairyerth Zen Center.  She lives in Topeka with her husband, Ken and is retired from her profession as a nurse midwife.

Former Guiding Teacher

Zen Master Dae Kwang is an ordained monk and former Abbot of the Kwan Um School of Zen. He was the Guiding Teacher of the Great Lake Zen Center since its inception in 1995 until retiring in 2025. He currently resides in Providence, RI.

BT, Co-Abbot

Bodhisattva Dharma Teacher Susi Childress serves as the Co-Abbot of the Great Lake Zen Center. Susi has been practicing in the Kwan Um School of Zen since 1995 and took Dharma Teacher precepts in 2001, Senior Dharma Teacher precepts in 2007, and Bodhisattva precepts in 2009. Susi is a retired high school special education teacher.

DT, Co-Abbot

Dharma Teacher Claudia Orjuela, has been practicing with the Kwan Um School of Zen since 2010. An art educator and naturalist, she integrates the arts into her work as a means of fostering cultural connections and environmental awareness. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Claudia earned a BFA from the University of Barcelona in Spain and an MS in Art Education.from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2019. She currently works at the Lynden Sculpture Garden in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

SDT, Do Gam

Senior Dharma Teacher Laura Otto-Salaj has been practicing in the Kwan Um School of Zen since 1992. She is a retired research psychologist whose research focused on the intersection between addictions, trauma, and sexual risk behavior.

Senior Dharma Teacher

Pete Neuwald, Senior Dharma Teacher, is the former Abbot of the GLZC, and has been practicing in the Kwan Um School of Zen since 1994. He is a retired Software Engineer. He moved to Brooklyn, NY in 2025 to be closer to his two daughters and their families. He continues to practice with the GLZC virtually from Brooklyn.

Dharma Teacher

Gretchen Neuwald, Dharma Teacher, has been practicing since 2004 and became a Dharma Teacher in 2011. Gretchen has a B.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and worked as a library technician in a public library for many years until she retired in 2020. She is married to Pete Neuwald. They moved to Brooklyn, NY in 2025 to live closer to their two grown daughters and their families. She is practicing with the GLZC virtually.