Derek Kolleeny is one of the Westchester Meditation Center Founding Board Member and Teachers. Derek began the practice and study of Buddhism in 1976 and soon became a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1977. He earned a B.A. from Harvard College in the Comparative Study of World Religions, focused on Buddhism, including study of Sanskrit and Tibetan languages. He was the assistant coordinator of t HH the XVIth Gyalwa Karmapa US tour in 1980 and attended the Vajradhatu Seminary and the Kalapa Assembly in 1981 at Lake Louise, in Alberta, Canada.