By Tova Green

Zen Central was formed in 2018, under the leadership of Sozan Miglioli who was SFZC’s President at the time. The idea was to create an administrative wing for all of SFZC in order to consolidate efforts and add in professionals when needed. Zen Central consists of Accounting, Development, IT and Operations, Communications, Online Content, Hospitality And Zen Inspired Senior Living.

“Zen Central is a new approach for San Francisco Zen Center; it has restructured the way we do things,” according to Dana Velden, Senior Director of Operations. She oversees two service departments, Communications and Operations, and three income-producing areas, Hospitality, Online Content, and Development. Each of the five areas has a director who supervises staff members.

Rather than having City Center, Green Gulch Farm, and Tassajara each managing its own operations, such as reservations, IT, or social media, Zen Central consolidates those roles in one place. “It frees the temples up from a lot of their operations and administration concerns so they can focus more on temple life.” While Zen Central has added employees in positions that benefit from professional skills and offer stability, some residents also work in Zen Central and gain some real life skills in the process.

A few employees in Zen Central, including Dana, are former residents, who have a deep understanding of how San Francisco Zen Center works. “They understand how to bring the spirit of Zen practice into a business environment, how monastic practice can be woven into everyday life. Many employees have stayed in Zen Central for a long time. Students’ main focus is on their practice, and their work roles tend to turn over more quickly. This kind of churn isn’t good for things that require a deeper knowledge such as developing fundraising relationships or managing Salesforce.

“It’s a big job. I’m surprised that I love it as much as I do. Although it is business-focused and can be stressful, I love that Dharma and sangha life infuse it. It’s about bringing our practice and awareness and bodhisattva vows to our work and how our work helps SFZC be a strong and vibrant place for people to discover and practice Zen. We’re the infrastructure. It’s so important that these things are taken care of and that SFZC can keep going and adapting in this rapidly changing world.”

Zen Central was just getting its footing when the Covid pandemic hit in 2020. “This affected all the departments: closing down the temples and Hospitality, ever-changing health and safety policies, website revisions, and so on. The first two years we got thrown into the deep end as Covid rolled through. Only in the past year or two have things settled down; we don’t have to constantly respond to emergencies and problem-solve. Now we can be more planful and visionary.”

The most challenging part of Dana’s job is staffing. “The residential population became considerably smaller during Covid and while it is returning, we still have a long way to go to get back to normal.” Dana hopes that when City Center reopens after the renovations are completed, there will be a larger pool of residents who may be interested in working in Zen Central and learning about communications, fundraising, or hospitality in a practice-informed environment.

Dana began Zen practice in 1995 at City Center, went to Tassajara in 1998, and later returned to City Center for about fifteen years. In 2001 Dana was ordained by Paul Haller, who gave her the Dharma name RinSho IkuShin, Forest Lake Nourishing Heart. She led a sitting group for ten years in the East Bay and North Bay.

Dana feels strongly that “Zen has to apply to everyday life and to people’s work life. Work is a big part of who you are and what you do.”