Board of Directors

Jeffrey Fracher, President, is the President of the Board of Directors and chief cat herder, a position that he has held since 2012. He has been a meditator since 1972. Jeff is a retired Clinical and Forensic Psychologist who lives with his wife, Kay, and their rescued Golden Retriever. He has two grown sons. Jeff is also a teacher at IMCC. In his spare time, Jeff pursues his interests in music, spending time in nature, and community affairs.

Pat Coffey began his meditation practice over 30 years ago and has taught meditation since 1996. He studied with numerous Asian and Western teachers in the Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen traditions. Pat is founder of IMCC, co-founder of the Meditation Teacher Training Institute, and co-founder of the Blue Ridge Prison Project. Pat was selected and trained as a meditation teacher in the joint teacher training program of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center under the tutelage of Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein. Down-to- earth, real-world, practical dharma is the hallmark of his teaching. The father of two children, owner of several businesses, and holder of several patents, he draws on his varied and rich life experience to articulate the dharma.

Bill Anderson, Treasurer. Bill started meditating with IMCC at Common Grounds in 2016 shortly after discovering Thich Nhat Hanh. He has found his practice to be a compassionate way of finding and practicing goodness and beauty and to be a way to wisdom, freedom and peace. He first came to Charlottesville in 1976 to earn his MBA and met his wife. They returned in 2003 after his career in finance in NYC, Miami, Richmond and Ithaca. Living on a farm with his Corgi Roughouse, he has developed an interest in gardening. His daughter lives in NC and his son and grandsons are in Santa Barbara.

Judy Blooms, Secretary, has been curious about the inner workings of the mind and heart for a long time.  However, it wasn't until she took a class on  loving-kindness from Sharon Salzberg in DC, did she discover a path towards greater understanding.  Judy is drawn to many things, but her favorites include gardening, birds, the piano, vocal music, and her dog, Tully.

Bill Detmer has been a member of IMCC since 2010 and joined the Board of Directors in 2016. He has a lifelong interest in Buddhism and healing practices, which began as a student in Southeast Asia, carried into training and practice of internal medicine in San Francisco, and continues here in Charlottesville with programs that teach mindfulness for health, well-being, and workplace harmony.  Bill and his wife Angeline Lillard are the parents of two daughters who are currently exploring big city living in New York and Boston.  Bill’s hobbies include sculling, photography, piano, and tending rural lands.

Laura DeVault has been a long-time member of IMCC, with an extended hiatus for a 3-year stint living in glorious Monterey, CA. In addition to being a Board Member, she is an at-large member of the Executive Committee. She's been meditating since 2006, and finds the benefits accruing at a gratifying pace. She's a Retreat Manager for IMCC and a member of several KM groups. You'll find her teaching a bit for IMCC at Common Ground and Monday evenings at Fluvanna Women's Correctional Center. She is currently participating in a mindfulness teacher training with the Mindfulness Training Institute in San Francisco. 

Sharon Beckman-Brindley, a clinical psychologist and a long time meditator, joined Pat Coffey as an IMCC teacher in 2000, blending deep inquiry into the Dhamma with practical insights from modern western psychology.  She is also a senior teacher of the relational meditation practice of Insight Dialogue which she teaches worldwide. She writes a blog (sharonbb.org) whose aim is to integrate western psychological understandings with the wisdom teachings of Buddhist psychology. Sharon is a stepmother and a grandmother and, when not teaching, she is traveling or out in the garden with Hal, her husband of 48 years.

Phil Dupont began meditating in September, 2010 – both mediating and the fellowship of IMCC have felt familiar and comfortable for him.  He became a member of the IMCC Board in 2013.  Since then he has served as the Volunteer Coordinator and Ad-hoc Care Committee Chair.  His volunteer and board experiences contribute to a sense of community, and being a part of the growth process at IMCC has been rewarding.  Phil also enjoys talking with newcomers and sharing his experience with meditation and the sangha, and hearing other’s stories about how they learned about, or were drawn to IMCC.  When not meditating, he works full-time as a child and family psychologist, does as much cycling as the weather and his body allows, and spends time on the dance floor, dancing consciously. 

Susan Kaufman, Vice President is a psychologist in private practice who draws on mindfulness practices in her work. She is on the teaching team for the Blue Ridge Prison Project. She participates in the Mindful of Race training and has a strong interest in the sangha's work in bridging separation. Susan and her husband Peter have two adult children and love to travel, hike, and bike.

Barbara Maille first discovered meditation while living and working as a volunteer in India in 1987. She’s been a member of IMCC since 2007 and currently serves as the Volunteer Coordinator. Barbara teaches Mindfulness Based Eating Awareness Training, and is one of IMCC’s Noon Meditation Instructors at Common Ground Healing Arts.  

Mindfulness is central to her work as a psychotherapist, and she regularly attends residential retreats to support and strengthen her practice. Barb enjoys music, being in nature, creating things with clay, and spending time with her husband David and their two fairly mindful adult children.

Tom Raney - Bio and photo to come.

Philip Schrodt has been a meditator since 1990 and a member of IMCC since moving to Charlottesville in 2014. Phil is an introverted (of course) software developer specializing in data analytics, whose wife, Cecilia, insures that he periodically engages in at least limited social interactions. He enjoys music, travel and not owning a television.

Ann Marie Smith began meditating in 2008 when she took a MBSR course with IMCC teacher Susan Stone.  Meditation re-oriented her life and sangha enriches it. She joined the IMCC Board in January 2018 overseeing the Care Committee.  Ann Marie graduated with a Master of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond in May 2018 and completed the Chaplaincy Residency at the UVA Medical Center in August 2020.  She is also a formal student at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, which specializes in end-of-life and bereavement care.  Locally, she serves as an advisor to Congregate. She lives in Charlottesville with her husband, two daughters, son, dog and cat!