Penelope has been a practicing Buddhist since 1987; her first teacher was Thich Nhat Hanh, with whom she studied in Plum Village, France and she attended many of his US retreats. She is a member of his Order of Interbeing. She led a sangha in Los Angeles for 10 years; at the same time, she participated in a traveling sangha for 9 years, studying with Spirit Rock teachers. In 2000, she joined the Zen Center of Los Angeles(ZCLA) and studied with Roshi Egyoku Nakao. She was a resident member for 11 years and served many positions. She was shuso in 2009 for a year. She moved to the East Bay in 2016, joined BZC, where she serves on the Membership and HEAR committees. She is a retired clinical psychologist and hospice chaplain. Currently she sings in a Threshold choir, at bedsides for terminally ill persons. She has one grown daughter, who lives in Berkeley. She is a poet and a lover of poetry.