Leadership

Maya Breuer

Head of Research and Yoga Advancement | E-RYT 500, YACEP, Certified Vippassana Meditation Instructor

Maya Breuer is the Head of Research and Yoga Advancement for Yoga Alliance, and she provides support for the advancement of cross-cultural competency across all Yoga Alliance programming and activities. Celebrated as one of America’s distinguished Black Yogis by Black Enterprise Magazine, Maya is the co-founder and Emeritus President of the national Black Yoga Teachers Alliance and a preeminent yoga teacher, speaker, practitioner, author, and community activist. Maya has been training and certifying yoga teachers throughout the United States at her Santosha School of Yoga since 2001. In 1998, she founded the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color™, offered bi-annually at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, where she is Emeritus Trustee. She has been featured in Yoga Journal Magazine, Black Enterprise, Essence Magazine, Heart and Soul Magazine, Common Ground, Black Women’s Health, Upscale Magazine, and many Kripalu publications. Maya co-authored an NIH study, now included within the Annals of Internal Medicine; “Back to Health: Yoga vs. Physical Therapy for Minorities with Chronic Low Back Pain”. Her mission and dharma (right living) for the past 30 years has been to educate and support people of color to integrate yoga practices and its philosophical perspectives into their daily lives. Maya promotes global equity in yoga to empower all to renew body, mind, and spirit.
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Toni Carey

Vice President of Strategic Communications | RYT 500

Toni Carey serves as Vice President of Strategic Communications at Yoga Alliance and is a recognized leader in the health and wellness industries—most notably as the co-founder of Black Girls RUN!. With more than a decade of experience in marketing and communications strategy, her previous roles include Director of Marketing at The Public Good Projects (PGP), where she developed innovative campaigns to address some of the nation’s most pressing health challenges. Prior to that, she led the marketing strategy for Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). Toni has worked with numerous consumer and non-profit brands with an intentional focus on ensuring that the stories of marginalized communities are seen and heard. She was also named one of the “50 Most Influential People in Running” by Runner’s World and received Toyota’s Standing O-Vation Award presented by Oprah. She holds a B.S. in Mass Communications with minors in Marketing and Spanish from Middle Tennessee State University, as well as a M.A. in Strategic Communications from Seton Hall University.

Kristina Graff

Managing Director, Yoga Alliance Foundation

Yoga Alliance Foundation Managing Director, Kristina Graff, is a global public health professional with a passion for social justice. Over the past 20+ years, Kristina has worked both locally and globally to combat inequities and to contribute to a healthier, more compassionate world. She has pioneered initiatives to expand and improve health services in high-need communities, advancing policy, service delivery, and research. As head of the Yoga Alliance Foundation, Kristina draws on her body of work in the nonprofit, city government, and academic sectors to identify, measure, and scale innovative platforms that expand both yoga’s reach and impact. Kristina earned a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University. She appreciates yoga’s gifts of mindfulness and centering, and she finds her greatest inspiration through her journey as a parent to her two children and as a partner to her husband.
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Dani Hayes

Vice President of Community Engagement | RYT 500

Dani Hayes is the Vice President of Community Engagement at Yoga Alliance. She has more than 10 years of experience in the wellness industry and nearly a decade with the organization. During Dani’s time at Yoga Alliance, she played a key role in the association’s global expansion with a thoughtful focus on community support. She oversees member experience, growth and retention, benefits, and partnerships.

Dani’s passion for community building, yoga, and service was forged throughout her professional life, having worked in ecotourism and sustainability early in her career. As a yoga teacher, Dani has taught in school systems, studios, gyms, international retreats, and conferences. Her history within Yoga Alliance paired with her experience as a yoga teacher give her unique insight and perspective into her membership-centric role. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Hilary Mughloo

Chief of Staff

As Chief of Staff and in collaboration with the President & CEO of Yoga Alliance and the Yoga Alliance Foundation, Hilary Mughloo focuses on strategic project management and execution, identifying and solving roadblocks by paying close attention to the daily needs of the organization in support of the team. She works in service to the mission, the members, and the broader yoga community as a whole. Hilary thrives on creating, supporting, and leading initiatives that create collective social impact in local and global communities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and, over the past two decades, has studied community economic development, nonprofit management, leadership, holistic health, yoga, and other healing arts.
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Jocelyn Prudencio, CPA

Vice President of Finance

Vice President of Finance for Yoga Alliance and the Yoga Alliance Foundation, Jocelyn Prudencio is a nonprofit leader with a track record for achieving superior performance through effective management of finances, people, information, and technology. Certified as a CPA in 2003 after graduating from American University in 1999, Jocelyn brings with her experience and knowledge working with all levels of contributors in a wide spectrum of nonprofits, including trade associations, charities, and both private and public foundations. As an innovative leader who blends passion, integrity, entrepreneurial strategies, fiscal acumen, and results-oriented change, Jocelyn prides herself on maintaining an open mind and learning from all experiences that life presents to her.
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Shannon Roche

President & Chief Executive Officer

A yoga student for 20 years, Shannon Roche’s career has centered around building bridges between mainstream institutions and community and coalition-driven initiatives to drive progressive social change. Prior to joining Yoga Alliance and the Yoga Alliance Foundation as Chief Operating Officer in 2017, Shannon served on the Obama Administration’s economic policy team, where she led stakeholder engagement for the U.S. Commerce Secretary. She also played key roles on the founding leadership teams of three innovative nonprofits, including the Democracy Alliance. Shannon has a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Duke University and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and her most enlightening and humbling teachers of all, their two children.
Pronouns: she/her/hers

A.K. Sharma

Head of Shared Services

A.K. Sharma is the Head of Shared Services at Yoga Alliance, carrying with him more than 15 years of experience working in the federal and state government. He leads the People and Culture team, supporting the evolution of the organization and its critical functions, including finance, HR, IT, administration, procurement, compliance, and legal. Prior to joining Yoga Alliance, A.K. served as Director in the Office of Disaster Strategic Engagement and Effectiveness at the Small Business Administration (SBA) where he oversaw human capital and disaster programmatic operations. There he led the agency’s response to the largest financial disaster in the history of the United States – the Coronavirus pandemic. With this, A.K. was awarded the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence in 2021 for his role in supporting the government’s fiscal response to COVID-19. A.K. also worked with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership where he led business outreach and the organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives.

He holds an undergraduate degree in Human Resource Development and Computer Information Systems from James Madison University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration in Management and Marketing from California State University. A.K. is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Executive Management Program.

Erin Vennie

Head of Professional Support

Erin Vennie brings her background of nonprofit management, positive psychology, strengths-based leadership, and appreciative inquiry to her role as Head of Professional Support. Prior to joining Yoga Alliance, Erin served as the Executive Vice President at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, MA. During her nine-year tenure at Kripalu, she oversaw the schools of yoga, Ayurveda, and integrative yoga therapy as well as the presenter programming, guest services, R&R, healing arts, and the Institute for Extraordinary Living. Erin’s early career was in the theatre, and it was there where she was introduced to yoga and meditation as means to combat performance anxiety and to cultivate focus and grounding through daily practice. Today, she is inspired by her family to continue to serve yoga and hold a vision of elevating consciousness for present and future generations.