Program Staff
Linda Lantieri, MA – Director
Director, The Inner Resilience Program
Linda has been in the field in education for 40 years in a variety of capacities: classroom teacher, assistant principal, director of a middle school in East Harlem, and faculty member at Hunter College in New York City. Currently she serves as the Director of The Inner Resilience Program whose mission is to cultivate the inner lives of students, teachers and schools by integrating social and emotional learning with contemplative practice. In 1985, she co-founded the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP), a researched based k-8 social and emotional learning program that has been implemented in over 400 schools. Linda is also one of the founding board members of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). She is the coauthor of Waging Peace in Our Schools (Beacon Press, 1996) editor of Schools with Spirit: Nurturing the Inner Lives of Children and Teachers (Beacon Press, 2001), and author of Building Emotional Intelligence: Techniques to Cultivate Inner Strength in Children (Sounds True, 2008).
Madhavi Nambiar, MA
Deputy Director of Programs
The Inner Resilience Program
Madhavi is one of the cofounders of The Inner Resilience Program and in its early years assisted in all aspects of program coordination and delivery. Madhavi has received a Masters degree en route to a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies/Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is in her final year as a Ph.D. candidate. Madhavi has advanced certifications in federal contract and grant administration and an extensive background in extramural fund management from UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior where she has worked for the past six years. She returns as Deputy Director of Programs with a renewed commitment to serving students, teachers and schools and furthering the mission of The Inner Resilience Program.
Dana McCloskey, MA
Deputy Director of
Administration and Finance
Dana manages the Inner Resilience Program’s finances and the human resources issues. She has MAs in Non-Profit Management and Marriage and Family Therapy, plus a specific interest in conflict resolution, leadership skills and emotional intelligence. She has counseled families and individuals in the roles of both therapist and social worker.