About Us
The Berks Mindfulness Initiative was founded in July of 2023. Learn more about the members of our organization below:
Willie Katinowsky
Founder/CEO and Head Mindfulness Guru
Born and raised in Berks County, Willie spent over a decade working as a teacher and counselor for at risk youth before pivoting into a role that focuses on helping small business owners. He has been practicing yoga and meditation for 7 years, and began teaching others in 2017. While some would call Willie an unlikely guru, his "average Joe/Joleen" attitude and down-to-earth approach to mindfulness led to his first published book, and ultimately to the start of The Berks Mindfulness Initiative.
When he is not working or meditating, Willie spends his time parenting. Sometimes he has to meditate while he is parenting, and sometimes he has to parent while he meditates. It's our hope you'll book a class with us soon and see for yourself that you don't have to be perfect to find a path to a higher spiritual plane.
Ross Harter
Board Member
Ross is a former high school teacher turned financial advisor with a passion for education, financial literacy, and community service. In his free time, he practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, delves into philosophy and historical fiction/nonfiction, and volunteers for organizations like the Veterans Coalition of Pennsylvania, Blankets of Hope, and the Friends of the Reading Police K-9 unit. As a board member of the Berks Mindfulness Initiative, he's dedicated to promoting mindfulness practices that foster well-being and resilience. He's always eager to expand his knowledge, challenge himself, and make a positive impact on the world.
Kayla Seader
Board Member and Teacher
Mindfulness has been an integral part of Kayla's life both professionally and personally, so when she saw a post about Berks Mindfulness Initiative, it felt natural to move towards seeing how she could be involved in this group.
Teaching and engaging with others to build community is a passion of Kayla's, so it made sense to her to join the program committee as a volunteer. This later opened the door to being a board member.
She has seen and personally experienced the healing mindfulness can bring to mind, body, and spirit, and is beyond grateful and excited to be able to extend this to others.
Michelle Ward
Board Member
Michelle an experienced board member of nonprofits in the Berks and Montgomery counties and a graduate of Leadership Berks. Michelle is an experienced CPA that brings 25 years of experience helping small businesses and nonprofits in all areas of accounting and tax.
Michelle met Willie at an event they both attended and connected on social media afterwards. When Michelle heard that Willie was creating a new nonprofit to bring mindfulness to the Berks County community, she knew she wanted to participate.
Michelle feels that mindfulness, meditation and feeling connected and aligned has changed her life for the better. Learning and practicing on a regular basis is something that Michelle believes can help others too and is very excited to be part of the Berks Mindfulness Initiative.
Crystal Noll
Teacher
Crystal started her meditation journey about 15 years ago when she attended a group meditation class. During this class, she experienced a deep level of mind body relaxation. A level she had never experienced before. From that moment, she began to read everything she could to learn about the benefits of meditation.
Crystal learned that not only can you relax but you can heal wounds to the soul through meditation. She began guiding others through deep relaxation and healing meditations while strengthening her own meditation practice.
Angela Iacolucci
Head of Marketing
Angela has been practicing mindfulness and meditation for the past 5 years. While it started as a calming tool to alleviate her own anxiety, she realized modeling the techniques could help her children learn to cope with their big feelings as well. Raised in Pennsylvania, Angela recently relocated to a small town in upstate New York with her husband and two sons. Around the same time, she joined the Berks Mindfulness Initiative.
Angela has a Bachelor's in Psychology, and is currently pursuing her Master's in Data Science. She works in marketing for a startup and is a board member of the Ballston Area Recreation Commission, a non-profit organization that provides low-cost sports and enrichment programs to children in the Ballston Spa school district. In her free time, Angela likes to knit, crochet, paint, read, listen to music, and play board games with her family.
Megan Scornavacchi
Fundraising Volunteer
Megan was born and raised in Berks County. She recently took on the adventure of becoming a small business owner and opening up her own thrift boutique.
Mindfulness, mental health and the community are all things that Megan cares deeply about. After losing her father to suicide she made a promise to herself to never stop working on herself, even on the hard days.
In her “down time” Megan enjoys cheering her son on at his soccer games, getting outside, spending time with people she loves, traveling, a good book and will never say no to Mexican food!