HZC Teachers, Practice Leadership & Board of Directors

Gaelyn Godwin Roshi, Abbot

Gaelyn has been practicing Zen full time since 1985, when she began practicing at San Francisco Zen Center, where she was in monastic and residential training for more than 18 years. She visited the Houston Zen Community at First Unitarian Church for the first time in the mid-90’s, and moved to Houston in 2003 to help establish Houston Zen Center on Heights Boulevard. More on the Abbot’s biography can be found here.

Glen Duval, Dharma name Kogen

One of the founders of HZC, Glen is one of the early group who established the sitting group at First Unitarian Church in the mid-90’s, Glen has served on the Board of Directors and the Practice Committee, and has served as Tanto, Head of Practice. He has undertaken many projects on behalf of HZC.
Glen received Lay Entrustment from Abbot Godwin and is authorized to conduct interviews and practice discussions with all members and seekers who come to HZC.

Cathy Crouch

One of the founders of HZC, Cathy is one of the early members of the sitting group at First Unitarian Church. Cathy received Lay Entrustment from Abbot Godwin and is authorized to conduct interviews and practice discussions with all members and seekers who come to HZC.

She has worked in homeless services for the past 30 years and is Executive VP of SEARCH Homeless Services. Prior to that she worked in psychiatric hospitals and later psychiatry departments at medical schools conducting research. She has co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles and presented frequently at national conferences. Cathy is co-author of the best-selling Group Treatment for Substance Abuse: A Stages of Change Therapy Manual. Her master’s degree is in social work administration from the University of Houston with a BA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mary Carol Edwards

Mary Carol began her practice with HZC when it was meeting at the First Unitarian Church. Since then she has served in many capacities, especially in the design and maintenance of the landscapes around the temple grounds. She also serves on the Practice Committee.
Mary Carol received Lay Entrustment from Abbot Godwin and is authorized to conduct interviews and practice discussions with all members and seekers who come to HZC.

Vicki Glenn

Vicki is the co-Tanto, co-Head of Practice of Houston Zen Center and is authorized to meet in informal practice discussions with members and visitors to HZC. She is a fully ordained Zen priest. She received Dharma Transmission in 2024. She also serves as the head sewing teacher, assisting everyone who is preparing to receive the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts.

Gayle Klaybor

Gayle is the co-Tanto, co-Head of Practice of Houston Zen Center and is authorized to meet in informal practice discussions with members and visitors to HZC. She is also on the Board of Directors; a full biographical statement appears below with the other members of the Board of Directors.Gayle Klaybor

Board of Directors

Zack Becker, President

Zack grew up in the Boston area before attending Wesleyan University, where he graduated with a B.A. in English. In 1999 he moved to Houston to join the Houston Police Department as a police officer; he is now a Captain in the department’s Vice Division. Zack began practicing at HZC in 2008 after taking the Introduction to Zen Meditation class, and later received the Bodhisattva precepts (jukai) from Setsuan Gaelyn Godwin Roshi in 2014, receiving the dharma name Hōdō Onkai (Dharma Way, Ocean of Kindness). In 2018 he published his first book, a private-eye thriller titled Gun Shy. Along with writing, he enjoys the outdoors, running (he ran his first and so far only Houston marathon in 2010) and CrossFit (where he gets his butt kicked on a regular basis). In 2017, he worked up the nerve to do his first 5-day retreat and is happy to report that he survived. In joining the HZC board, he is pleased to support and serve the sangha and looks at it as a way to deepen and extend his practice.

Gyōzan Royce Johnson, Vice President

Royce Johnson is an ordained Zen priest, and the resident assistant priest of Houston Zen Center. He is a senior member of HZC, teaches classes, leads meditation, and oversees the thriving temple grounds of HZC and Auspicious Cloud West.

Parmita Derden, Secretary

Parmita has had a meditation practice for many years. When she moved back to Houston in the early 1990’s she would occasionally meditate with the Houston Zen Center founders at the Unitarian Church but she did not become a full-time member of HZC until 2006. She received the Bodhisattva precepts in 2008. Parmita has served as HZC Board Secretary since 2011. She is also a member of the Finance and Personnel Committees. Since receiving her MBA degree from UT Austin in 1986, Parmita has been working in Information Technology for various Corporate America companies. Her work takes her all over the world and she has had the pleasure of visiting Zen and Buddhist temples in Asia, India, and Europe.

Marc Martinez, Treasurer

Marc began his Zen practice at the Houston Zen Center in 2021 and received the Bodhisattva precepts in 2023. He was given the dharma name Yōshun Genjō (Swiftness of the Sun, Profound Stillness) by Setsuan Gaelyn Godwin Roshi. Marc has a B.A. in Finance and a B.A in Supply Chain from the University of Houston as well as a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Rice University. Marc has worked in the Energy Industry for over 14 years and has supported a variety of projects including the development of New York City’s first offshore wind farm. Marc’s life motto is that he always has time to do the right thing and his professional motto is to always go where there is a business need.

Judson Dunn, Member-at-large

Judson has been a practitioner at Houston Zen Center since 2011, and was given the Dharma Name Heido. Born in Memphis, TN, he moved to Houston in childhood. Judson holds a BS in Microbiology and Cytogenetics from UT Austin and MD Anderson Cancer Center. He worked in genetics labs at Labcorp and MD Anderson before moving into information technology roles supporting various lab workflows, applications and software. He is certified as a LEAN/Six Sigma Green Belt process for organizational workflow and efficiency improvement. Judson volunteers as HZC’s Membership Coordinator and IT Coordinator, managing various applications that are in use. Outside of HZC, he is also an active volunteer with ACLU Texas the Houston GLBT Political Caucus.

Anna Mastantuono Gonzalez, Member-at-large

Anna, Kyoshin / Bridge of Truth, has co-led the Entering the Path of Practice Program and has also led several advanced classes at HZC. She is currently a Mortgage Loan Officer at Liberty Home Equity Solutions. Anna Mastantuono Gonzalez brings experience from previous roles at Intercontinental Capital Group, Inc., Lane Bryant and Dillard's Inc.

Joy Tober, Member-at-large

Tenshō Joy Tober has been a member of Houston Zen Center since 2014 and is the current Administrator of Auspicious Cloud Zen Retreat Center. After receiving her master’s degree in Historic Preservation, Joy worked in various aspects of preservation for both non-profit and local government before branching off as a private consultant. In 2017, Joy joined HZC as Administrative Assistant where she enjoyed using her skills to help newcomers and members as well as aid in the growth of the urban center. As Administrator of ACZRC, she now assists outside groups seeking a restorative space for retreats and workshops. In her spare time, Joy enjoys traveling with her family, reading and writing.

Sally Muñoz, Member-at-large

Sally grew up in Argentina and Bolivia before coming to the United States for university. After graduating with a B.A. in Elementary Education & French from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, she began her life in Houston as a third-grade teacher in HISD, and received a MEd in Bilingual Education from Houston Baptist University. Following her time in the public school system, Sally taught at Duchesne Academy for 30 years. While there, she began a Mindfulness for Children program. Sally speaks four languages, lived in Saudi Arabia and Barcelona, where her children were born, and is one of the leaders of our Zen en Español group. She first came to HZC in 2002, when she took the Introduction to Zen Meditation class. In 2016 Sally received the Bodhisattva precepts from Abbot Gaelyn Godwin Roshi who gave her the dharma name Meiya Konraku (Luminous Night, Establishes Joy). Sally co-leads the Establishing the Path of Practice program and teaches Mindfulness for Children at HZC. She is honored to join the board as another way to support the sangha and her practice.

Mary Carol Edwards, Member-at-large

Mary Carol began her practice with HZC when it was meeting at the First Unitarian Church, in the late 1990’s. Since then she has served in many capacities, especially in the design and maintenance of the landscapes around the temple grounds. She has served as the Head Student and co-led an intensive practice period. She also serves on the Practice Committee.

She is the founder of Green Star Wetland Plant Farm. She previously worked as the stormwater wetland specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Texas Community Watershed Partners, as well as TCWP’s freshwater wetland restoration program. She is a Houston native, raised on Galveston Bay. She has a BS in Biology and an MA in Architecture from the University of Houston.

Cathy Crouch, Member-at-large

One of the founders of HZC, Cathy is one of the early group who established the sitting group at First Unitarian Church in the mid-90’s. Cathy was the long-time chair of the Finance Committee until stepping down in 2018.
Cathy received Lay Entrustment from Abbot Godwin and is authorized to conduct interviews and practice discussions with all members and seekers who come to HZC.