Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith, MBA

Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith, MBA, has been practicing meditation for over 25 years and studying the Dharma in the Theravada tradition for more than 15 years. Ramona Lisa considers herself a dedicated lay practitioner of the Dharma and has spent the last four years undertaking contemporary vows and living as a lay renunciate householder. She enjoys scholarly programs and has completed East Bay Meditation Center’s Commit to Dharma Program (C2D3) and Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s (SRMC) Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP6). Her teacher training includes certification through the Mindfulness Training Institute and completion of East Bay Meditation Center’s two-year Spiritual Teacher and Leadership training. As a member of the inaugural cohort of the 2023 Dharma Relief 2 Fellowship program, Ramona Lisa looks forward to sharing the Dharma with diverse communities from her perspective as an indigenous Af’Rican Caddo and Taino+ being. Ramona is a certified Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy (IFOT) Practitioner and is inspired to include earth based indigenous practices in her offerings as a meditation and Dharma teacher. Ramona Lisa is nourished and sustained by long, silent retreat practice. She is a Free Spirit who creatively weaves together real life experiences into her Dharma interpretation and teachings, using authenticity, kindness, humor, music and joy!