Executive Director:

Bobbie Perkins is Executive Director of the Dallas Meditation Center. She began working at Dallas Meditation Center in 2011 as Personal Assistant to the founder, Brother ChiSing, and became the Executive Director in 2016 after Brother ChiSing's passing. Bobbie managed the successful renovation and relocation of Dallas Meditation Center to its new space in 2017.

Bobbie teaches a monthly Meditation Workshop which offers tools and techniques that are essential for establishing a meditation practice. She has led classes and workshops at various businesses and corporate events, teaching methods to reduce stress and anxiety while developing mindfulness and presence. Bobbie leads Interbeing Sangha, (a meditation group that meets weekly at the Dallas Meditation Center), facilitates other meditation gatherings and oversees planning of special events.

Bobbie is an ordained member of the Order of Interbeing, having attained ordination after two years of study and work with several mentors. The Order of Interbeing is an organization established by Thich Nhat Hanh in 1963, during the Vietnamese War. His aim was to create a community of monks, nuns and laypeople who would work to create peace, love and compassion in our fractured world. The Order now includes thousands of people from all walks of life and all parts of the globe.

Bobbie is a retired public school teacher and an amateur musician who enjoys singing, writing haiku poems, drawing mandalas and reading. She is dedicated to living in harmony with the vows of the Order of Interbeing to promote peace, love and compassion within herself so that she can share those qualities with others.

Operations Director and Musician:

Cornell Kinderknecht is a professional musician and a software engineer. He serves Awakening Heart as one of the directors, facilitator, webmaster and musician. Cornell's first career is as a software engineer and he has worked in the high tech industry for many years, developing Internet applications and specializing in security and privacy. He also provides web site development.

Cornell has been involved with Awakening Heart since its beginnings in 2007 and the Dallas Meditation Center since it was established in 2010. He has served the organization as a musician and music coordinator at gatherings and events. He manages the websites and takes care of most things technological. He is also a meditation teacher and facilitator, leading the Mindful Mondays meditation group which focuses on Practical Mindfulness for Everyday Living.

Cornell's musical resume includes performing his original works at the prestigious Carnegie Hall, a GRAMMY nomintation, and numerous recordings and awards. He performs and teachers throughout the United States. He is the director of the annual Pacific Northwest Native American Flute Gathering on Vashon Island, serves on the board of directors of the United States Ocarina Association, and was on the board of directors of Earth Rhythms. See Cornell's musical biography at www.cornellk.com

Mindfulness, Meditation and Music… three things that he tries to integrate into all aspects of life. Cornell's Dharma name given by Thich Nhat Hanh is "Virtuous Star of the Heart."