Staff

The College requires that teaching staff demonstrate personal integrity, expertise in their respective fields, and competence as teachers, lecturers, and mentors.

Abala is originally from Greece, and read ‘Western Philosophy with Religious Studies’ in Oxford, where she also gained a PGCE in Religious Education (Secondary-level). At the College, she currently teaches Philosophy and Religious Studies and coordinates the much-esteemed Bhakti Shastri Course. Abala strongly believes in helping young people - especially ISKCON’s second generation - in realizing their distinctive potentials and in securing social and economic stability. She co-ordinates the College’s mentoring scheme and it’s recently-launched career-guidance service.

Urmila Dasi (Dr. Edith Best) has a Bachelor's of Science (BSc) from Excelsior College of the University of the State of New York in Religion and Education; Master of School Administration (MSA), and Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research is in the field of job satisfaction of teachers, and she's done the only comprehensive, international study of the primary and secondary schools in the Hare Krishna Movement. Urmila is a member of the Sastric Advisory Council to ISKCON's Governing Body Commission (GBC) and has been an associate editor of Back to Godhead magazine since 1990. She has published Vaikuntha Children, a guidebook for devotional education, dozens of articles, and Dr. Best Learn to Read, an 83 book complete literacy program with technology enabling the story books to speak in 25 languages at the touch of a special "pen". Urmila has three decades of experience teaching primary and secondary students, which include 19 years of experience as a school administrator and leader.

Anuradha Dooney was awarded her BA in Social Science, from University College Dublin, and her M.St. in the Study of Religion, from Oxford University. Her masters thesis was an exploration of faith development in the Vaishnava tradition. She is currently a Fellow of the OCHS, acting as a faculty member of the Continuing Education Department. Anuradha has been a tutor for courses in London, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, and Leicester since 2003. She has acted as the principal curriculum writer for undergraduate degree courses granted by the University of Wales, Lampeter, courses taught in the UK and Belgium. She has also organised and run academic and interfaith workshops, seminars and conferences internationally. Anuradha is a respected lecturer and broadcaster.

Gopal Hari Dasa teaches Readings in Vaisnava Acharyas and Science and Religion at the Bhaktivedanta College. He is a disciple of H. H. Gopal Krishna Goswami. Gopal Hari completed a Masters in Science and Religion and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Hindu Studies at the University of Oxford, UK. His research interests include conceptions of consciousness, nature and divine agency in classical and contemporary Indian thought. Before coming to the UK, Gopal Hari completed a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Artificial Intelligence from Boise State University in Idaho, USA, where his parents run the ISKCON Boise temple. Gopal Hari is a regular speaker at interfaith events and university classes, and has been a contributor to radio and television channels on topics of religion, ethics, and science and religion.

Ravi M. Gupta, is a notable Vaishnava scholar. He is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and a member of the faculty at Bhaktivedanta College. He received his doctorate from Oxford University on the topic of Jiva Goswami's Vedanta, and has a Post-Doctoral Fellowship from Linacre College. He grew up in Boise, Idaho, where his academic accomplishments were documented in the Idaho Statesman. On April 17, 2008, he met with Pope Benedict XVI and presented a gift to him on behalf of the Hindu American community.

After finishing Encina High School in 1966, he entered the University of California, Davis, graduating in 1970 with a first place prize in Psychology and minor studies in Biology and Electrical Engineering. He then began Doctoral studies at Northwestern University in Chicago while also participating in the famous "Second City” improvisational theater troupe. Soon he became convinced that Western knowledge was lacking much that might be augmented by Oriental wisdom. His mentor, Donald T. Campbell, President of the American Psychology Association, agreed so he then headed East obtaining a black belt in Okinawan karate, and then receiving initiation and taking vows as a brahmacari, novice monk, from A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1974. He continued in this Indian tradition taking vows as a sannyasi in 1984, and becoming an initiating guru in 1994. Since 1990 Hanumatpresaka Swami has also developed a program of global lecturing and travel. This has included work as associate director of the "Bhaktivedanta Institute” which organized two "World Congresses for the Synthesis of Science and Religion", Bombay, 1985, Kolkatta, 1997. These included participation of Nobel Laureates such as George Wald, Charles Townes, Sir John Eccles, Arch-Bishop Paulos Mar Gregorios (President of World Council of Churches), the Dalai Lama and many others. In March 1999 Hanumatpresaka Swami was the Chief Guest for the University of Calcutta's critical seminar on "National Seminar on Science and Technology in Ancient India".

Dragana Jagusic (Jahnava Lila Dasi) is the head librarian, a tutor for the Introduction to Western Philosophy course and the Bhakti Shastri modules online and on-site. She holds an MA in Philosophy and Comparative Religion from the University of Zagreb. She has Bhakti-Shastri, TTC 1 & 2 and BS TTC certificates from Bhaktivedanta College.

Krishna Kshetra dasa (Dr. Kenneth R. Valpey) holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.A. in Religious Studies from Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, an M.St. in the Study of Religion from Oxford University, and a D.Phil. (Ph.D.) from Oxford University (2004) for his thesis on Caitanya Vaisnava image worship. He has taught at the University of Florida, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Pula (Croatia), and (since its inception) Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium, he has taught a module on the Caitanya-caritamrita to third-year College students since 2007. He also teaches other courses at BC, and serves as the Dean of Studies. In addition to various published articles and his published doctoral thesis, he is now collaborating with Radhika Ramana dasa (Dr. Ravi M. Gupta) on a pair of books on the Bhagavata Purana, to be published by Columbia University Press, New York. He is a permanent Research Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

Ana joined ISKCON in Croatia in 1995, where she did congregational preaching and Deity service. She holds a M.A. in philosophy and religion from the Jesuit College at the University of Zagreb and a B.A. in theology from Bhaktivedanta College. Previously she taught philosophy and religion at a high school. At Bhaktivedanta College Ana teaches World Religions.

Mahendra Dasa teaches Classical and Medieval Philosophy. He began practicing Krishna consciousness in 1989 in Bulgaria and served as the ISKCON temple president in Sofia in the mid-1990s. He was the headmaster of the former children's school in Radhadesh for two years. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy (Sofia University) and a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Information Systems and Management (University of London, London School of Economics).

Rembert Lutjeharms is the Librarian and Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. He was awarded his BA and MA in Oriental Studies from the University of Ghent, Belgium, and successfully completed his D.Phil. in Theology at the University of Oxford in 2010, focusing on the theology of the sixteenth-century Caitanya Vaishnava poet and literary theorist Kavikarnapura. At Bhaktivedanta College, Rembert currently teaches Vedas and Upanishads and, with Ravi Gupta, Pre-modern Indian Theologians: Rupa and Jiva Goswamins.

Pranava Dasa teaches Modern Hinduism at year 3. He has previously taught courses such as The Six Classical Indian Philosophies and Science and Religion. He started his academic career in the year 2000 and has been a teacher at the Bhaktivedanta College since 2002. He has completed a M.A. and Ph.D. in History of Religions at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. He is the academic director of the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre in Kolkata and a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. He and his wife, Kamala Priya, live in Stockholm.

He joined ISKCON in 1973, inspired by the political activism of the In God We Trust Party for Purified Leaders, organized by members of ISKCON. He is a member of the Governing Body Commission and head of the Ministry of Educational Development. He served as the temple president of both Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia; as the Managing Editor of Back to Godhead magazine; and as the North American Secretary of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. He attended the United States Military Academy and later received a degree in Political Science from the State University of New York, Albany. In 1991 he earned a Juris Doctor degree from the UCLA School of Law. He lives in Alachua, Florida, with his wife and two daughters.

Yadunandana Swami has been the Principal of Bhaktivedanta College since its opening, in 2002. He joined ISKCON in 1977 in Spain and received initiation from Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami and later sannyasa initiation from Jayadvaita Swami (both disciples of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada). He has performed leadership and educational services in ISKCON since 1982. The latter include ministering spiritual education and counseling to many persons; teaching scriptural, academic, and vocational courses; and lecturing in more than twenty universities. He holds a MA in the Study of Religion from the University of Wales. He is the ISKCON Minister of Educational Development in Europe and the Rector of the Instituto de Estudios Bhaktivedanta in Spain.