Ken Vorndran – is Interim Chair of the Board of Directors. Over the course of forty years, he taught in three high schools, two community colleges, and one university. He retired from Pima Community College, where he spent the last fifteen years of his career as the honors coordinator for the college and teaching the honors research and honors writing courses. Ken represented Pima on the Arizona State Honors Council, for which he was also chair, as well as on the Western Regional Honors Council and the Arizona English Articulation Taskforce. While at Pima, he served as lead faculty and department chair, and he was also an active member of PCCEA, where he served as a campus rep and on the meet-and-confer team. Prior to running the honors program at Pima, Ken taught writing, creative writing, and literature. His essays, stories, and poems have been published in various newspapers, magazines, and literary magazines. He received his BA from the University of Delaware and his MA and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Ken is serving this year with Dave Wehner (with help from Frannie Walsh) as the Interim Co-Director of Wisdom’s Way.
Frank R. Williams is the former Chair of the Board of Directors and former Co-Director/Director of Tacheria School. He retired in 2017 as the Social Services Director at Casa de la Luz Hospice. Previous to his service with hospice he was in several positions, including Executive Director of Family Counseling Agency (now Our Family Services) and before that served twenty years on the Family Studies faculty at the University of Arizona. He is a United Methodist minister and served churches in California and Arizona and was founding pastor of St. Francis in the Foothills, United Methodist. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona, his Masters of Sacred Theology from Boston University School of Theology and his doctorate from Boston University.
Cathy Stafford, Ed.D spent over 35 years in the education profession as a teacher, reading specialist, university professor, and public school administrator. In 2012, after serving in Avondale Elementary School District for 20 years, she retired as their Superintendent. Cathy is a 2013 graduate of Tacheria Interfaith School of Spiritual Direction where the Spirit stirred the creative longing of re-membering being a teacher. With the support of the Tacheria Interfaith Spirituality Center Board in 2014, Cathy became the Director of Wisdom’s Way Interfaith School in Phoenix as a “sister” spiritual direction school. Cathy’s husband, Gil Stafford Ph.D., D.Min., has been her partner in this pilgrimage. He is a writer and retired Episcopal priest. Cathy retired from Wisdom’s Way in June 2022 and became a Board Member working especially on Tacheria’s special events and workshops. Cathy is a seeker of Wisdom (Sophia) and a pilgrim of compassionate presence. Her passions are her holy grandboys who are her best teachers, spiritual companioning, The Circle Way, and being open to the Divine in her journey of growing and learning.
Chuck Kirchner, Treasurer, is a 2021 graduate of Tacheria, has had a life-long yearning for the spiritual in our lives, especially our creative lives. An accomplished photographer and photo educator, Chuck has led workshops on photo creativity and it’s spiritual components at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico and the Grunewald Guild in eastern Washington state. While an interesting career in environmental and transportation planning provided a steady source of income over the years, the passion for traveling the world to see first-hand the realm of cultures, rituals and spirit never ceased, nor the desire to create photographs of the journeys. He grew up in a traditional Roman Catholic family and, over the years, transitioned to the Episcopal tradition, currently a member of St. Philip’s in the Hills in Tucson. He has had, and continues to have, a fascination with religions and rituals world-wide and finds kernels of truth in all of them. After living in the Puget Sound area most of his life, he and his wife and daughter relocated to the Sonoran desert over three years ago and finds the Spirit alive and well in the open spaces of the desert as he did in the open spaces of the ocean.
Betty Stauffer, graduated from Tacheria School for Spiritual Direction in 2004. She was first introduced to spiritual direction through the Church of the Savior in Washington D.C. in 1985. She has been in spiritual direction herself and served as a spiritual director and retreat leader since that time. Betty is a former Elder in the Presbyterian Church USA and was very active in their Hunger Ministries. She is a social worker who has served as an Executive Director, first of New Life Community in Cleveland, Ohio and from 2002 to 2020 at Literacy Connects in Tucson, AZ. Betty became a Co-Director of Tacheria with Frank Williams in 2018. She became Director in 2021.
Phyllis Winters is a native of Phoenix and has a deep appreciation for the desert that surrounds us. She also has a long-standing love for the Pacific Northwest, and the beauty of its forests, rivers, and ocean. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Oregon, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Romance Languages and Secondary Education. After teaching briefly, life brought her back to Phoenix and the business world. She loved her work, first in training and development, then in human resources and executive management. After retirement, Phyllis wanted to focus more on her spiritual self, which led her to become a 2021 graduate of Wisdom’s Way. She continues to learn and grow, and
is now discerning where her path will lead her.
Dave Wehner Through a journey filled with youthful struggles, addictions, seeking happiness “everywhere but within” Dave ended up what he calls “emotionally, spiritually, and financially bankrupt” and ended up in the 12-Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. He then discovered that the key to happiness came from within. He says, “Not only did I lose my desire to escape my feelings and sense of self, but conversely, developed a passion for self discovery.” It’s been this journey to self awareness, that led him to the Institute for Emotional Healing with the desire to sit with and companion others on their journey through life on life’s terms. Dave has spent the last 26-plus years sponsoring and mentoring others in recovery while exploring and developing his own spirit-based core. He is a recent graduate of Tacheria Interfaith School of Spiritual Direction, based in Tucson. The life skills that Dave brings to his practice have shaped him into a wise and compassionate guide with a heart that is open and courageous. Dave and his partner, Tina, live in Chandler, AZ
Trish Harris is a 2021 graduate of Tacheria. She is a seeker of deeper understanding of herself and others. Living in Tucson for 25 years she raised 5 wonderful kids and loves empty nesting now with her husband and their cat. The owner and teacher of Divine Journey Yoga since 2018 Trish finds such fulfillment in teaching others how to understand and nurture themselves through breath and movement. As of June of 2022 she completed the coaching certification in Organic Intelligence, a nervous system regulation process through conversation. She looks forward to serving as secretary on the Tacheria board starting September of 2023.
The Rev. Philip Shaw served as St. Luke’s Episcopal Interim Rector from February of 2022-2023 has returned serving St. Luke’s Episcopal, Prescott, as an Assisting Priest.
Rev. Mike Wilkerson was born in Ocala, Florida, and moved around while growing up, mostly in the southeast part of the country. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the Navy, attended the University of Florida through an ROTC scholarship, then served as an officer in submarines. After thirteen years of military service, Mike left the Navy, got a master’s degree, and then moved to the Phoenix area where he worked as a component design engineer at Intel Corporation for twenty years. After serving in various roles at Song of Life UMC in Queen Creek, Arizona, Mike discerned a call to serve as an ordained elder in the United Methodist tradition. In 2018, he attended Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary for three years. serving in Yuma, AZ. Mike met his wife, Brooke, and they were married in September of 2022. Mike is very grateful for the opportunity to serve now at, St. Francis in the Foothills, Tucson, together with his wife and stepson. In his spare time, Mike enjoys racquetball, hiking, and playing board games.