Panduranga “JT” Heater, Board President
Panduranga Heater first became associated with Ananda at the Dallas center in 1991. Following three years of discipleship in Dallas, he moved to Ananda Village in 1994 and became a permanent resident there. Panduranga is a licensed architect with 38 years of experience and has provided design expertise to Ananda communities throughout the world. His work includes the Temple of Light at Ananda Village and in Seattle, the Living Wisdom Center and Expanding Light Reception Center at the Village and the Moksha Mandir at Crystal Hermitage. An accomplished musician, Panduranga is also a member of the music ministry and regularly performs with the Ananda Choir, while also producing three albums of devotional instrumental music. The long term stability of Ananda is a key goal for Panduranga, and he brings his experience in the construction and business world to support the Ananda Janaka Foundation. Devi Novak, Director
Devi is one of the founding members of Ananda having lived at Ananda and several of its other communities since 1969. She has served in various functions of community life, including being a community correspondent and a teacher at Ananda’s Retreat: The Expanding Light.
She is married to Jyotish Novak and together they serve as Spiritual Directors for Ananda Sangha Worldwide, which includes directing the spiritual activities of Ananda Village and Ananda Communities throughout the world. Having dedicated 40 years of her life to Ananda and its outreach programs, Devi is also the author of several books published by Crystal Clarity, including Faith is My Armor, a biography of Swami Kriyananda, the founder of Ananda. Latika Parojinog, Director
A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda since 1977, Latika moved to Ananda Village in June 1981 from the East Coast. With a background in administration and financial management, she has served in many aspects of Ananda’s work since then, including publications, The Expanding Light retreat, Mountain Song (a retail store in Nevada City), and fund raising. She is presently the CFO of Ananda, overseeing financial management at Ananda Village and helping to coordinate and support a number of all-Ananda projects. Latika has a strong interest in seeing the work of Ananda continue into the future with strength and clarity of purpose.
Narayan Romano, Director
Narayan was one of the founding members of Ananda on the East Coast. He lived at Ananda Village for six years before Swami Kriyananda asked him and his wife, Dharmadevi, to lead Ananda Los Angeles. He has served in various ways including the start of Ananda’s Virtual Community, the Kriya Ministry, and The Expanding Light Retreat. Now he co-leads Ananda’s publishing arm, Crystal Clarity Publishers.
Mai Lee, Director
In 2008, Mai discovered meditation and yoga through the Ananda Los Angeles community. Thrilled with the changes in herself she was able to experience in her busy life in Los Angeles, she took her exploration further in 2016 by moving to Ananda Village. Mai has held numerous senior development positions, including directing HYPE Los Angeles, The Midnight Mission, and currently, Ananda Sangha Worldwide, where she the Director of fundraising.
Kent Williams, Director & Treasurer
Kent first became involved with Ananda in Seattle in 1991. For 20 years he worked in the Seattle area as a sales executive for a major international healthcare equipment manufacturer. In 1998, when he retired, he moved to Ananda Village where his personal philosophy of financial stewardship led him to support various projects including the founding of the Ananda Janaka Foundation. He brings 25 years of business experience along with a strong commitment to expanding the work of Yogananda and Kriyananda through the Ananda movement.
James Noh-Kuhn, Director
James Noh-Kuhn was introduced to Ananda by his wife and became her first yoga and meditation student in 1997. He is a former senior executive with a San Francisco based coffee company. His calm, cheery management style in a fast-paced environment is born of many years of yoga and meditation practice. He and his wife moved to the Palo Alto/Mountain View Community in 2014, where both teach yoga, meditation, and a variety of other classes. Serving in the Palo Alto Sangha since 2017, James is one of the co-managers, and serves on the Board of Directors for Ananda Palo Alto and the Ananda Valley Farm in Half Moon Bay.
Panduranga Heater first became associated with Ananda at the Dallas center in 1991. Following three years of discipleship in Dallas, he moved to Ananda Village in 1994 and became a permanent resident there. Panduranga is a licensed architect with 38 years of experience and has provided design expertise to Ananda communities throughout the world. His work includes the Temple of Light at Ananda Village and in Seattle, the Living Wisdom Center and Expanding Light Reception Center at the Village and the Moksha Mandir at Crystal Hermitage. An accomplished musician, Panduranga is also a member of the music ministry and regularly performs with the Ananda Choir, while also producing three albums of devotional instrumental music. The long term stability of Ananda is a key goal for Panduranga, and he brings his experience in the construction and business world to support the Ananda Janaka Foundation.
Devi is one of the founding members of Ananda having lived at Ananda and several of its other communities since 1969. She has served in various functions of community life, including being a community correspondent and a teacher at Ananda’s Retreat: The Expanding Light.
She is married to Jyotish Novak and together they serve as Spiritual Directors for Ananda Sangha Worldwide, which includes directing the spiritual activities of Ananda Village and Ananda Communities throughout the world. Having dedicated 40 years of her life to Ananda and its outreach programs, Devi is also the author of several books published by Crystal Clarity, including Faith is My Armor, a biography of Swami Kriyananda, the founder of Ananda.
A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda since 1977, Latika moved to Ananda Village in June 1981 from the East Coast. With a background in administration and financial management, she has served in many aspects of Ananda’s work since then, including publications, The Expanding Light retreat, Mountain Song (a retail store in Nevada City), and fund raising. She is presently the CFO of Ananda, overseeing financial management at Ananda Village and helping to coordinate and support a number of all-Ananda projects. Latika has a strong interest in seeing the work of Ananda continue into the future with strength and clarity of purpose.
Narayan was one of the founding members of Ananda on the East Coast. He lived at Ananda Village for six years before Swami Kriyananda asked him and his wife, Dharmadevi, to lead Ananda Los Angeles. He has served in various ways including the start of Ananda’s Virtual Community, the Kriya Ministry, and The Expanding Light Retreat. Now he co-leads Ananda’s publishing arm, Crystal Clarity Publishers.
In 2008, Mai discovered meditation and yoga through the Ananda Los Angeles community. Thrilled with the changes in herself she was able to experience in her busy life in Los Angeles, she took her exploration further in 2016 by moving to Ananda Village. Mai has held numerous senior development positions, including directing HYPE Los Angeles, The Midnight Mission, and currently, Ananda Sangha Worldwide, where she the Director of fundraising.
Kent first became involved with Ananda in Seattle in 1991. For 20 years he worked in the Seattle area as a sales executive for a major international healthcare equipment manufacturer. In 1998, when he retired, he moved to Ananda Village where his personal philosophy of financial stewardship led him to support various projects including the founding of the Ananda Janaka Foundation. He brings 25 years of business experience along with a strong commitment to expanding the work of Yogananda and Kriyananda through the Ananda movement.
James Noh-Kuhn was introduced to Ananda by his wife and became her first yoga and meditation student in 1997. He is a former senior executive with a San Francisco based coffee company. His calm, cheery management style in a fast-paced environment is born of many years of yoga and meditation practice. He and his wife moved to the Palo Alto/Mountain View Community in 2014, where both teach yoga, meditation, and a variety of other classes. Serving in the Palo Alto Sangha since 2017, James is one of the co-managers, and serves on the Board of Directors for Ananda Palo Alto and the Ananda Valley Farm in Half Moon Bay.
The Staff
Parvati Hansen, Executive Director
Parvati is one of the founding members of Ananda, and is one of Ananda’s most widely traveled and experienced ministers. She moved to Ananda in 1972, and was made a minister by Swami Kriyananda in 1981. With her husband, Pranaba, she has been involved in the creation and direction of Ananda centers and communities in Palo Alto, Portland, Seattle, Dallas, and Assisi, Italy. Parvati has served as the Executive Director of the Ananda Janaka Foundation since March 2004.
