Our Board of Directors

  • Thor Keika Cary

    he/him/his
    President

    Professional Mediator
    Board member since May 2022

  • Jessica Valle

    she/her/hers
    Treasurer

    Freelance Certified ASL Interpreter
    Board member since November 2021

  • A middle-aged white man with blue eyes is smiling. His brown beard is closely cropped, as is his hair, which is beginning to thin. A chain link fence is behind him, and trees beyond.

    Jesse Rentai Parrish Lewis

    he/him/his
    Outreach Coordinator

    Project Director at Deaf & Hard of Hearing Service Center, Author, and Artist.
    Board member since May 2020

  • Taishin Michael Augustin

    he/him/his
    Secretary

    Soto Zen Buddhist Priest in residential practice
    Board member since September 2026

  • Tess Wenderski Jennings

    they/them/theirs
    Accessibility Coordinator
    (non-voting member)

    Certified ASL Interpreter
    Board member since September 2026

  • Ōshin Jennings

    he/him/his
    Spiritual Director, Ex Oficio
    (non-voting member)

A white man in his 30's with a shaved head and black glasses. He is wearing black monk robes and an okesa. He has various facial piercings and gauged ear lobes.

Taishin Michael Augustin
he/him/his

Our Priests

Taishin started practicing Zen with the Santa Barbara Zen Group in 2012. He received the Bodhisattva precepts during a Jukai ceremony in 2015 at the Santa Barbara Zen Center, and again during a Shukke Tokudo ceremony in 2023 at O-An Zendo. He is a student of Ōshin Jennings, Sensei, as well as Ōshin Sensei’s Jisha.

Taishin studies Nyoho-e style sewing in the tradition of Tomoe Katagiri; organizes and leads a Recovery Dharma meeting to support those in recovery from addictions of all kinds; and writes about the Dharma, recovery, and the intersection of the two for his Substack, “A Phoenix’s Hut.” Prior to training and serving as a Zen Priest, he earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara, then taught at Purdue and Penn State.

In January 2026, Taishin entered residency at Jikoji Zen Center, where he currently serves as Ino (Temple Manager).

Our Support Team

  • A white femme-presenting person in their late 20's with long brown hair, clear glasses, and a green sweater is standing outside in the sun light, there are trees in the background.

    Tess Wenderski, MA, NIC

    they/them/theirs

    Lead ASL Interpreter
    Member of NBZ since 2018

  • A line drawn graphic of hands pressed together with a tan background.

    Shop Steward

    More information coming soon

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    Sustainability Director

    More information coming soon

  • Taishin is a white man in his late 30's with a shaved head, glasses, and multiple piercings. He is wearing robes and Okesa standing outside in a wooded area.

    Taishin Michael Augustin

    Teacher's Assistant / Jisha

    More information coming soon