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 Gelug and rimé Buddhist lineages.

She is a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher (asana and pranayama), has initiations in other African-based systems, a masters in Systematic Theology from Graduate Theological Union, and a doctorate in Leadership & Change.  She is currently based outside New York City and lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Her full-time career for nearly 30 years supports organizations around the U.S. and internationally, to heal from systemic racism and other forms of inequity, blockages, fear and dysfunction. She partners with clients with significant regional, national and global footprints via her consulting firm Movement Tapestries, providing long-term, multi-year Deep Equity & Systems Change 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.

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[**March 23, 2024: RE: Recent Lion’s Roar article  — To those who have read the recent Lion’s Roar article I was asked to contribute, I want to apologize for the inaccuracies that were introduced into the article without my approval. In addition to the photo and caption — (which I did not see or consult on) — some language was added, changed or deleted contradicting my final edits. I’ve reached out to the editors to request that they correct the language, and include a photo and caption that are in keeping with my lineages and practice. May there be more accurate representations of African-based traditions in such mainstream publications, and may the greatest benefits result!]