Board of Directors
Mike Millios (he/him)
Board Chair
Mike, a former Army Judge Advocate and public defender in Minnesota, is passionate about serving others and building community. Realizing that he needed healthy ways to manage stress and trauma, he found that yoga and meditation worked well for him. Mike wants to bring yoga, meditation, and other healthy life practices to communities impacted by the legal system.
A yoga, meditation, and compassion-based mindfulness teacher in the Minnesota criminal justice system and Veterans community, Mike also serves on the Veterans Yoga Project Board of Directors and volunteers with the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans.
Mike manages a small law firm dedicated to helping Veterans and Servicemembers. In his spare time, he coaches his son’s sports teams, plays hockey, and practices yoga and meditation (of course).
Reach out - Michael.Millios@karunacmn.org
Jenilee Rowley (she/her)
Board MEmber
Jenilee serves as licensed social worker dedicated to helping individuals as a dispositional advisor with the Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office. She also teaches Vinyasa and Yin yoga to women in the Ramsey County Correctional Facility. In addition to helping clients, Jenilee provides wellness training for fellow social workers and those serving clients in need. Jenilee teaches yoga at Studio One and recently completed Mindful Resilience for Trauma Recovery with the Veterans Yoga Project. Before serving at the PD office, Jenilee used her training to help people suffering with mental health issues.
Erin R. Hunter (she/her)
Board Member
Erin is a Sentencing Advisor/Mitigation Specialist and owner of Sentencing Alternatives, LLC. She is hired by attorneys and law firms to assist in creatively, intuitively, and professionally telling a client’s life story, providing insight into any challenges that they may face within a legal system. Additionally, she helps coordinate services for those who need mental or chemical health programming.
Before starting Sentencing Alternatives, LLC, Erin worked for 16 years in various social services positions for both private and state agencies and has has a successful career helping indigent and homeless individuals with mental health concerns as well as those who struggle with addiction.
Her passion for advocating for those who need support as they navigate the stressful landscape of the legal system is what drew her to Karuna Community’s work.
Satveer Chaudary (he/him)
Board Member
Satveer is an attorney who focuses on advocating for people in the immigration system. A former member of the Minnesota Senate and Minnesota House of Representatives, he was the first Asian-American member of the Minnesota Legislature. Satveer enjoys mindfulness practices such as yoga and sharing those practices with the community.
Jennifer Grubba (she/her)
Board Member
Jennifer Grubba is the Founder MN YOGA + Life Magazine and hosts yoga retreats as the Founder of Blue Lotus Yoga Retreats. She is passionate about making yoga, mindfulness, and wellness more accessible to others, and travel for personal growth. Jennifer is also a proud mother, and a School Psychologist with graduate degrees in psychology and education. Jennifer is a 200 hour registered yoga teacher, and teaches in corporate settings, studios, and events such as the Minnesota State Fair, and the Minneapolis Yoga Conference. She also teaches meditation workshops, parent-child yoga, and yoga for youth athletes.
Brendan Lynch (he/him)
Board Treasurer
Brendan brings a variety of experience to our Karuna community. As an undergraduate at Loyola College, he studied political science with a focus on international relations. He has since served twice in the US Peace Corps, first in Benin as a middle school teacher, and later in Madagascar as an agricultural project manager. Additionally, Brendan brings business know-how to our organization, having held several financial analyst positions. He holds the Charter Financial Analyst designation and is a graduate of the ESSEC Global MBA program in Paris, France.
Drea Dalzell (she/her)
BOARD MEMBER
Drea comes from a background of lived experience that funneled her through the justice system. As a recovering alcoholic for over 10 years, she found her irrevocable connection to yogic philosophy and asana as she rebuilt herself in sobriety. Yoga brought her deep understanding and allowed her to process her time spent in an Arizona prison years ago. She guided other inmates through practices, not knowing how impactful those would be throughout her life. Having gone through a 200 YTT with Return Yoga and trauma informed trainings, her desire to give back to what ultimately saved her life is crucial.
Working in the stressful payroll industry, a mother of two daughters, and a wife to a husband who is a first responder, the ability to hone in on her yoga practice is the foundation of everyday wellness.
She was inspired by the change in narrative that Karuna is bringing to the criminal justice system. Knowing first hand the residual shame and trauma that is inflicted upon individuals, there was no doubt that she wanted to be a part of the movement.