About Sheryl Petty, Founder

Founder & Spiritual Director, Sheryl Petty, Ed.D., (Odu Lami; Ngakma Shé-tsal Wangmo), has been a priest and practitioner of Lucumi and Yogic Vajrayana Buddhism for nearly 30 years. She teaches and is ordained in Lucumi & Tibetan Nyingma lineages, and is authorized to share practices based in Bön Buddhist Dzogchen (the Indigenous tradition of Tibet). She was ordained in the Nyingma Buddhist tradition by Ngak’chang Rinpoche, joint holder of the Aro gTér lineage, and was authorized in Bön-based practices via Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s community. She also practices deeply with multiple Nyingma, Gelug, Sakya and rimé Buddhist lineages. Her root teachers are Ying-rig Dorjé, Marcy Vaughn, Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Pema Khandro / Tröma Rinpoche.

She is a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher (asana and pranayama; practicing hatha, vinyasa and ashtanga for 40+ years), and is also certified as a Nejang Yoga instructor (one of the many Tibetan Buddhist yogas). She has initiations in other African-based systems, a masters in Systematic Theology from Graduate Theological Union, and a doctorate in Leadership & Change. 

Her full-time career for 30 years supports organizations around the U.S. and internationally, to heal and clear blockages to realizing the fullness of their visions and missions for societal and environmental well-being. She partners with clients with significant regional, national and global footprints via her consulting firm Movement Tapestries, providing multi-year Deep Equity & Systems Change capacity building support (inc. strategy planning, processes, relationships, culture and structures; speaking and publishing). She also provides transformation support on the integration of Spiritual/Contemplative Practice & Deep Equity in institution-wide and field-level change. Her work supports systems to function in more rigorous, courageous, loving and healthy ways for the benefit of all. Given profound demand, she also focuses on Field Building with equity & organizational transformation practitioners. This contributes to the development of a deep and skilled-enough pool of networked consultants and practitioners, to support the healing of organizations and systems as far and wide as possible.

=================

[*May 2024, RE: Lion’s Roar article: To those who read the Lion’s Roar article, I want to apologize for the inaccuracies that were introduced into the article I was asked to contribute. I am working with the editors to correct the original photo, caption and language which was altered. May there be benefit.]