MEET THE TEAM

Susan joined HeartWell in March of 2024 after three decades in the non-profit sector where she found her calling, advocating for health equity and social justice. From an early age, Susan felt a deep sense of responsibility to speak up for those she perceived as vulnerable to harm or neglect, a value that has guided her career and personal choices.

Susan is an enthusiastic community connector and communicator, who seeks out opportunities to bridge diverse perspectives, by finding common ground between seemingly disparate viewpoints.

Her approach not only exemplifies her commitment to social advocacy but also underscores her belief in mindfulness as a cornerstone for personal and professional growth.

Susan attributes her journey towards resiliency and hopefulness to her practice of Vipassana meditation, a discipline she has embraced for many years to maintain her well-being.

Susan holds a BS in human service management from Leslie University, Cambridge, MA, and is working towards her master’s in public health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a Bloomberg Fellow with a concentration in addiction and overdose.

Susan views mindfulness as a journey rather than a definitive endpoint, highlighting the importance of embracing imperfection in oneself and others as a pathway to peace.

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be peaceful.

May all beings be liberated.

Coqui Negrón is a health educator, mindfulness teacher and changemaker with over three decades of experience in public health. Coqui has received training in different healing modalities such as Reiki, Polarity Therapy, Laughter Yoga and mindfulness and is committed to making those accessible to individuals and communities. Her work is inspired by her belief in the power of people and communities to heal themselves. She is a member of different collectives and community organizations in Worcester, Massachusetts that fight for economic, racial and language justice and brings to them her passion for creating welcoming, accessible, and inclusive environments for people of all ages, genders, and racial backgrounds. Coqui holds a Master of Education, with a concentration in Health, from Worcester State University and completed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher training at Brown University. Coqui is fluent in English and Spanish. 

Amy Ebbeson, LCSW is the Director of Vision and Content at Worcester ACTs (Addresses Childhood Trauma) and a Consultant for the Collaborative for Youth and Community Justice at Clark University. She has Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Boston University and has worked in a variety of social service settings, including the Devereaux School, City Year and the Department of Mental Health. She has taught Mental Health content to students at the undergraduate and graduate level including Worcester State, Springfield College, and the Wheelock College School of Social Work. She was the 2018 recipient of the YWCA Erskine Award in Education for her work to empower women and eliminate racism.

Suzanne was a Registered Nurse and Primary Care physician, providing patient care in Intensive settings, Public Health, and Primary Care from 1973 until 2017. Her service to patients was supported by the practices of Contemplative Prayer and meditation. Suzanne became an MBSR teacher at Harvard University Health Services where she was a PCP, and at Cambridge Health Alliance Center for Mindfulness and Compassion before becoming certified as a Cognitively based Compassion Teacher in 2019. 

After her retirement from medicine in 2017, she completed the first unit of clinical pastoral education at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She continued there as a volunteer until the Covid epidemic began. She resumed volunteering in a spiritual care capacity at Hebrew Senior Life.

During the last 5 1/2 years, Suzanne has been leading online practices of mindfulness and loving kindness three times a week for the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion. 

She has continued to train in contemplative care, finishing the Foundations of Contemplative Care program at New York Zen. 

Carolina Bautista-Velez is a Latinx social changer who believes in the power of individual and collective liberation. Through her work as a Certified Mindfulness Teacher, Certified Professional Coach, and Diversity & Trauma-Informed Consultant, Carolina works with individuals, groups, and organizations by co-creating spaces where her clients can focus on learning sustainable tools to navigate stress, societal conditioning, goals, life/work balance, and difficulties. 

Carolina is the founder of CVelez Consulting & Metamorphosis-Coaching. She holds a degree in clinical psychology with a specialization in social psychology and psychoanalysis. Certified Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher by the University of California San Diego. Certified in the Mindfulness Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP).

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Jorge Armesto is a clinical psychologist, yoga therapist, and instructor based in Massachusetts, United States. His work focuses on the intersection of Buddhist psychology, yoga, and self-compassion as resources for healing emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Jorge is the Educational Director of the Self-Compassion and Psychotherapy (SCIP) program at the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and a professor in the Mindfulness and Psychotherapy program at the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy (IMP). As a Certified Mindfulness and Self-Compassion (MSC) instructor, Jorge facilitates this 8-week program in various organizations, community and online settings. Jorge practices in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and is a member of the Order of Interbeing. For more information, visit his website: www.goslowly.com.

Sandy joined The HeartWell Institute in 2022 as marketing & administration manager. After a brief hiatus, Sandy returned to HeartWell as director of programs & special projects in July of 2024. In this new role, Sandy is creating email marketing and media relations campaigns, collaborating with new partners on improving program structure and building new community relationships.

As a professional in marketing and public relations, Sandy provided caregiver training and client development for Guardian Angel Senior Services; advised CEO and strategic planning communications for Advocates, launched social media presence and crisis communications for Becker College, built the marketing plan for the inaugural Women’s Initiative and Stepping Up for Girls at United Way of Central Massachusetts, and created audience and volunteer communications for WICN Public Radio.

Sandy has begun teaching mindfulness classes locally and online, developed her own mindfulness brand, Feel Better/Oh YES!, and will complete her Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Training with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield in 2025. Since beginning her career in the mindfulness field, Sandy has completed a Mindfulness-Based Stress Relief cohort, Power of Awareness training, and an Awakening Body, Mind, and Heart retreat.

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Give care

Be responsible

Show respect

Indicate a willingness to learn

--All About Love, by bell hooks

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Nancy’s commitment to human beings’ birthright to innate dignity, education, access to health care, economic freedom, communicative autonomy and holistic wellness, has been the driving force and motivation for her dedication to social and language justice work. Nancy is a public health leader, certified healthcare interpreter, educator, community organizer, and mindfulness teacher who has spent her career working on the front lines of some of our community’s most pressing public health challenges. Her career has been dedicated to serving communities disadvantaged by the system, advocating for equity and social change and combating the root causes of health disparities. Nancy’s work includes educating healthcare and community interpreters, community health workers, and healthcare providers. For over two decades Nancy’s work included providing culturally competent language access services, working to dismantle systemic disparities in access to healthcare. Her work also includes experience in community participatory research working with diverse populations.

Kelsey Hopkins is a public health professional and Executive Function Coach with extensive experience in volunteer management, higher education, and community engagement. She specializes in helping individuals achieve their goals by developing their organization, project management, and task initiation skills. She is a graduate of Worcester State University, BS in Public Health, and Clark University, MA in International Development and Social Change. Kelsey has expertise in supporting individuals with diverse executive function challenges, as well as a deep understanding of the evidence-based methodology of behavior change.

Juan-José Carreón-Granados was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (1965-1969) at the FacultaId de Ingeniería, FI, at National University, UNAM, Mexico; where he was a full-time professor of Intelligent Systems (1999-2019). He has a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies at Political and Social Sciences Faculty, UNAM, where he has been professor of Social History, and he has been Head of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences at FI, UNAM.

He has been a shareholder and advisor to numerous companies, and to more than a dozen research and interest groups, on issues related to information and communication technologies, as well as the social impact of technology. He has published more than 2,100 articles, in addition to having participated in hundreds of academic, technological and business events.

César Alberto Sobrino Chávez has given more than 500 workshops and conferences on topics related to mindfulness and neuroscience applied in the classroom for the creation of a culture of peace, leadership, altruism, and compassion, in Mexico and globally. His workshop topics include "Creative Leadership,” "Be the Leader of your life,” "Chase your dreams," "Open your eyes," and "CREACTIVATE." Cesar has taught as a professor at eight universities and is currently a professor at the Felipe Carrillo Puerto Higher Technological Institute, in Business Management Engineering. Cesar holds a Bachelor's Degree in Tourism Business Administration (1997), a Master's Degree in Business Planning and Regional Development (1999), a Bachelor's Degree in Bureaucratic Law (2013), and a Master's Degree in Education and Neurosciences (2021).

Violeta Hoshi Espinoza is a psychologist, MBA, Neuroscience PhD candidate, MBSR and CCT Certified teacher. Master Coach Certified, with more than 30 years of experience. Offering consulting services, Mindfulness, Compassion and Self-compassion programs, accompanying learning processes of people, teams and organizations for the generation of value, developing socio-emotional skills, leadership skills and teamwork. Teaching for 30 years at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in undergraduate and graduate courses and at the Centrum Business School. In charge of Business Coaching programs, training and certifying professional coaches. Co-founder of Centro Anukampa, opening a Mindful space for practicing, teaching and reflecting about Mindfulness, Compassion and Self Compassion.

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