| Bios |
Kelley Rainwater
Executive Director
Kelley was born & raised in Fort Worth, Texas and is of Lebanese, Cherokee and Irish ancestry. Described
as a "very aware" child by her father, she was deeply affected by the dynamics that she saw in her family at a
very young age and found great joy & peace in nature, animals, music & dancing. Kelley's mother Joyce &
Grandmother Ruth schooled her in the ways of womanhood as a "southern belle" while her father Walter,
her uncle Richard, & her college-preparatory education helped her develop skills & capacities to operate in
the masculine-oriented world of Big Four management consulting & as an organizational change leader in
Fortune 100 corporations. In her teens she developed a passion for psychology & spirituality & began her
inner journey to better understand herself & people in general. Kelley received her college education at
Texas Woman's University in Apparel Design, Art and Business & went on to receive her MBA from the
University of Texas at Dallas. Upon graduation, she joined Arthur Andersen's Business Consulting practice
and focused on large scale corporate transformation. During her years of consulting which included
coaching over 100 United Nations leaders around the world, Kelley found herself disconnected from
community & experiencing a profound sense of aloneness. She had consulted and coached executives in
the biggest companies in the world, published award winning articles, and lived a luxurious life but she felt
empty. She began to question herself, her life choices and most of all, began to feel as if something was
missing. She felt as though she was loosing her soul and, though she was in psychotherapy, this did not
seem to help her understand her feelings of loss. Her mind was consumed with the desire to understand
how human beings got to where we are today and what that meant for society. She began to research and
work with social transformation activists to understand how social change occurred. Around this same time,
life called her to support her partner in his struggle with terminal cancer and as a result of this experience
she began a coaching practice to support people with life transitions including the final transition of death.
Some years, after reaching a mental and physical breaking point, she took a sabbatical from her marriage,
work and raising her 4 dogs and went on solitary retreat. It was during this retreat, that she understood and
experienced what she had been missing. During her journaling, she heard a voice inside herself ask a
critical question that would bring her in contact with a powerful energy .. the question was, " What is
Woman?" In the years that followed, Kelley followed her heart and began to search for the answers to this
question. The answers seemed to show up effortlessly as her journey progressed and she found many
others who helped her and served as therapists, teachers & spiritual guides along the way. Her teachers
have been Jungian Analysts, Tricksters, Shaman, Pagan and Kali Priestesses, counselors, animals,
ancestors, the dying & grieving, her body, her dreams, nature, the land and most of all, The Great Mystery.
Her life and her experience of herself changed profoundly and she began to experience the world much
differently than before. In 2005, she began a Master's in Transpersonal Psychology with an emphasis on
Indigenous & Ancient Wisdom and completed clinical courses and hours in grief counseling. Kelley is also
a student and practitioner of Native American & Goddess ritual, symbolic healing , sacred design & dream
incubation. Kelley spends her time supporting Dhaturra, serving as a mentor and spiritual guide, writing,
dreaming, volunteering for animal rescue organizations, consulting and coaching leaders on changing their
organizations and mentoring consultants in organizational change.
Kelley's knowledge & experience in designing & implementing large-scale transformation will support
Dhaturra in creating offerings that have cultural & social impact. Additionally, Kelley is a recognized futurist &
has created models of leadership in the 21st century that have been published, presented at major
conferences and implemented in organizations.
Kelley's life is enriched by time her family and friends, the land of New Mexico, her dogs Talulah, Hutch,
Trooper and Starsky, and all the plant and animal creatures she encounters each day. Dhaturra is the
expression of Kelley's journey and an offering of service to women everywhere.`
Sarah Astarte
Operations/Director
Sarah was born and raised in the Sacramento Valley, and is the oldest of four children, being the only
daughter. Sarah was known in her family for her creativity, independence, and supportive nature. She took
an interest at an early age in spirituality, the arts, humanities, and international studies. Sarah was born to
Pakistani parents and was raised Muslim, and has had the experience of what it means to be a minority in
America. She has been a social and political activist since age thirteen, when she attended a protest to end
the arms embargo on Bosnia, and has been picketing, marching, networking and organizing events ever
since. Sarah also won numerous awards for her essay writing and film-making projects in junior and senior
high schools. Sarah attended University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), where she received her Bachelor
of the Arts degree in Psychology, with a minor in Communication and Rhetoric. She was a mover and
shaker in her campus Muslim Student Alliance (MSA) in which she spoke at numerous events, including
Muslim-Jewish Folktale Night, Islamic Awareness Week, Japanese-American Day of Remembrance, and a
forum addressing discimination on campus in front of the UCSC chancellor; she was also a member of the
Asian-American Student Association. She went on to the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP), where
she received a Masters in Psychology, and is currently a doctoral candidate. Her research is on body-image
in adult males and females, Jungian psychology, and the Lover archetype. Sarah is specializing in creative
expression, and spiritual guidance in her graduate program. She has also studied feminism, shamanism,
and numerous spiritual traditions. In her mid-twenties, Sarah was given a new last name, "Astarte," the
Middle-Eastern goddess of love and war; this name suits her very well.
Sarah has also been an advocate for diversity, and was part of the Office of Diversity at ITP, as well as a
longstanding member of the ITP Diversity Committee, which puts on educational and social events, such as
the Sex and Gender Diversity Panel, ethnic holiday celebrations, and promoting a breadth of diversity issues
on campus; this organization also serves as a support network for students. She has also been a co-
facilitator for the Multicultural Awareness Training workshop for all in-coming first year students for the past
four years. She was part of the research team evaluating ITP's academic programs inclusion of diversity
issues, the results of which she went on to present at the National Conference of Race and Ethnicity in
Higher Education in May of 2008. She also spent a year as the coordinator for the Center for the Divine
Feminine, a non-profit organization connnected to her school which brought together women scholars,
writers, artists and activists. As a volunteer for the Spiritual Care Program at Stanford Hospital, Sarah hopes
to go on to become a chaplain and eventually have her own spiritual guidance practice, as well as be
teaching and writing about her various interests. Sarah enjoys painting, belly-dancing, fire-spinning (poi),
cooking, reading, writing poetry and stories, watching movies, traveling and trying new things, indulging in
sweetness, dressing fashionably, and being a social butterfly with her many friends.
Sedara Burson
Advisory Board Member
Sedara recalls her tour guide in Ghana saying that, “when the women in our community are healthy our
communities are healthy” and that statement was both simple and profound for her. It captured the
essential role that women play in their community and communities all over the world. Dhaturra’s goal to
help women envision, define, explore and understand their womanhood in new ways supports the physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual health of women and the communities they touch. The creation of optimal
health is her personal goal and Dhaturra’s goal accomplishes that by bringing tools that support self-
determination for women of every kind.
Sedara earned a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, a
Bachelor’s in Business Management and an Associate’s in Liberal Studies from Kentucky State University.
She is a member of the student American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She is working on
obtaining her Marriage and Family Therapist license in the state of Georgia.
As a student in her graduate program she provided psychotherapy and psycho-education for individuals,
couples, families and groups. Prior to graduate school Sedara was an Executive Director for a small
substance abuse prevention non-profit for four years and had several years of experience as a community
activist. Not only was she the primary fundraiser and grant writer, she also provided program and staff
development while organizing and strengthening community linkages. Sedara is known for her ability to
bring residents, key stakeholders and other community representatives together in order to address
community needs. Sedara is a strong advocate for prevention and education. Before participating in the
non-profit world, Sedara worked in Corporate America for almost three years after graduating from her
undergraduate program as a computer programmer.
Her experience as a woman of color, her transpersonal education and training, her work in the non-profit
and corporate worlds, and her sense of community brings a unique perspective and a wealth of experience
to her work and Dhaturra.
Helen Parnisi
Advisory Board Member
Helen Parnisi is a senior digital marketer with deep experience working on many high-profile projects with
world-class brands, successfully implementing a wide variety of strategic marketing initiatives in the
Corporate, Retail and Entertainment industries. She was a principal for her own Marketing and
Communications company and held a senior level Sales and Marketing position for DG Fast Channel
(formally Point 360), a nationally renowned audio-visual asset management company, where she was a
member of an account team that oversaw campaigns for global brands such as Sony, Comcast, Toyota,
Lucas Films, and Yahoo, as well as for many advertising agencies such as Goodby Silverstein, Ogilvy
Interactive, Publicis & Hal Riney, Grey Worldwide and others. Most recently, Ms Parnisi served as Account
Director for iCrossing, a leading international Interactive Marketing Agency, representing clients such as
Coca Cola, Colgate-Polmolive, Adobe, Master Card and others. Her expertise includes developing and
maintaining long-term strategic relationships, team leadership, sales development, new business and
account management. Passionate about current technology trends, she has earned certifications in web
programming and production, search optimization and social media. Her solid blend of skills and
experience is complimented by a desire to create great marketing experiences that drive value for her
clients and –quite simply--work.
Joyce Rainwater
Advisory Board Member
Joyce is a retired educator who taught middle school children with learning disabilities for 24 years with an
emphasis on social skills,organization behavior modification and self-esteem. She received her BS from
Texas Christian University in Human Resources and in Education. She attended Graduate School at Texas
Woman's University and Texas A&M. She was selected as a Who's Who Among Outstanding Teachers in
America and served in various organizations in a leadership capacity including Goodwill Industries of Fort
Worth as a Board Member and President of Auxiliary for Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital
Dedication
"The inspiration & passion behind Dhaturra came from my mother Joyce Kelley Rainwater and my
Grandmother Ruth Kelley who showed me I could become more than what society told me a woman
was."
- Kelley Rainwater May 2008
Executive Director
Kelley was born & raised in Fort Worth, Texas and is of Lebanese, Cherokee and Irish ancestry. Described
as a "very aware" child by her father, she was deeply affected by the dynamics that she saw in her family at a
very young age and found great joy & peace in nature, animals, music & dancing. Kelley's mother Joyce &
Grandmother Ruth schooled her in the ways of womanhood as a "southern belle" while her father Walter,
her uncle Richard, & her college-preparatory education helped her develop skills & capacities to operate in
the masculine-oriented world of Big Four management consulting & as an organizational change leader in
Fortune 100 corporations. In her teens she developed a passion for psychology & spirituality & began her
inner journey to better understand herself & people in general. Kelley received her college education at
Texas Woman's University in Apparel Design, Art and Business & went on to receive her MBA from the
University of Texas at Dallas. Upon graduation, she joined Arthur Andersen's Business Consulting practice
and focused on large scale corporate transformation. During her years of consulting which included
coaching over 100 United Nations leaders around the world, Kelley found herself disconnected from
community & experiencing a profound sense of aloneness. She had consulted and coached executives in
the biggest companies in the world, published award winning articles, and lived a luxurious life but she felt
empty. She began to question herself, her life choices and most of all, began to feel as if something was
missing. She felt as though she was loosing her soul and, though she was in psychotherapy, this did not
seem to help her understand her feelings of loss. Her mind was consumed with the desire to understand
how human beings got to where we are today and what that meant for society. She began to research and
work with social transformation activists to understand how social change occurred. Around this same time,
life called her to support her partner in his struggle with terminal cancer and as a result of this experience
she began a coaching practice to support people with life transitions including the final transition of death.
Some years, after reaching a mental and physical breaking point, she took a sabbatical from her marriage,
work and raising her 4 dogs and went on solitary retreat. It was during this retreat, that she understood and
experienced what she had been missing. During her journaling, she heard a voice inside herself ask a
critical question that would bring her in contact with a powerful energy .. the question was, " What is
Woman?" In the years that followed, Kelley followed her heart and began to search for the answers to this
question. The answers seemed to show up effortlessly as her journey progressed and she found many
others who helped her and served as therapists, teachers & spiritual guides along the way. Her teachers
have been Jungian Analysts, Tricksters, Shaman, Pagan and Kali Priestesses, counselors, animals,
ancestors, the dying & grieving, her body, her dreams, nature, the land and most of all, The Great Mystery.
Her life and her experience of herself changed profoundly and she began to experience the world much
differently than before. In 2005, she began a Master's in Transpersonal Psychology with an emphasis on
Indigenous & Ancient Wisdom and completed clinical courses and hours in grief counseling. Kelley is also
a student and practitioner of Native American & Goddess ritual, symbolic healing , sacred design & dream
incubation. Kelley spends her time supporting Dhaturra, serving as a mentor and spiritual guide, writing,
dreaming, volunteering for animal rescue organizations, consulting and coaching leaders on changing their
organizations and mentoring consultants in organizational change.
Kelley's knowledge & experience in designing & implementing large-scale transformation will support
Dhaturra in creating offerings that have cultural & social impact. Additionally, Kelley is a recognized futurist &
has created models of leadership in the 21st century that have been published, presented at major
conferences and implemented in organizations.
Kelley's life is enriched by time her family and friends, the land of New Mexico, her dogs Talulah, Hutch,
Trooper and Starsky, and all the plant and animal creatures she encounters each day. Dhaturra is the
expression of Kelley's journey and an offering of service to women everywhere.`
Sarah Astarte
Operations/Director
Sarah was born and raised in the Sacramento Valley, and is the oldest of four children, being the only
daughter. Sarah was known in her family for her creativity, independence, and supportive nature. She took
an interest at an early age in spirituality, the arts, humanities, and international studies. Sarah was born to
Pakistani parents and was raised Muslim, and has had the experience of what it means to be a minority in
America. She has been a social and political activist since age thirteen, when she attended a protest to end
the arms embargo on Bosnia, and has been picketing, marching, networking and organizing events ever
since. Sarah also won numerous awards for her essay writing and film-making projects in junior and senior
high schools. Sarah attended University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), where she received her Bachelor
of the Arts degree in Psychology, with a minor in Communication and Rhetoric. She was a mover and
shaker in her campus Muslim Student Alliance (MSA) in which she spoke at numerous events, including
Muslim-Jewish Folktale Night, Islamic Awareness Week, Japanese-American Day of Remembrance, and a
forum addressing discimination on campus in front of the UCSC chancellor; she was also a member of the
Asian-American Student Association. She went on to the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP), where
she received a Masters in Psychology, and is currently a doctoral candidate. Her research is on body-image
in adult males and females, Jungian psychology, and the Lover archetype. Sarah is specializing in creative
expression, and spiritual guidance in her graduate program. She has also studied feminism, shamanism,
and numerous spiritual traditions. In her mid-twenties, Sarah was given a new last name, "Astarte," the
Middle-Eastern goddess of love and war; this name suits her very well.
Sarah has also been an advocate for diversity, and was part of the Office of Diversity at ITP, as well as a
longstanding member of the ITP Diversity Committee, which puts on educational and social events, such as
the Sex and Gender Diversity Panel, ethnic holiday celebrations, and promoting a breadth of diversity issues
on campus; this organization also serves as a support network for students. She has also been a co-
facilitator for the Multicultural Awareness Training workshop for all in-coming first year students for the past
four years. She was part of the research team evaluating ITP's academic programs inclusion of diversity
issues, the results of which she went on to present at the National Conference of Race and Ethnicity in
Higher Education in May of 2008. She also spent a year as the coordinator for the Center for the Divine
Feminine, a non-profit organization connnected to her school which brought together women scholars,
writers, artists and activists. As a volunteer for the Spiritual Care Program at Stanford Hospital, Sarah hopes
to go on to become a chaplain and eventually have her own spiritual guidance practice, as well as be
teaching and writing about her various interests. Sarah enjoys painting, belly-dancing, fire-spinning (poi),
cooking, reading, writing poetry and stories, watching movies, traveling and trying new things, indulging in
sweetness, dressing fashionably, and being a social butterfly with her many friends.
Sedara Burson
Advisory Board Member
Sedara recalls her tour guide in Ghana saying that, “when the women in our community are healthy our
communities are healthy” and that statement was both simple and profound for her. It captured the
essential role that women play in their community and communities all over the world. Dhaturra’s goal to
help women envision, define, explore and understand their womanhood in new ways supports the physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual health of women and the communities they touch. The creation of optimal
health is her personal goal and Dhaturra’s goal accomplishes that by bringing tools that support self-
determination for women of every kind.
Sedara earned a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, a
Bachelor’s in Business Management and an Associate’s in Liberal Studies from Kentucky State University.
She is a member of the student American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. She is working on
obtaining her Marriage and Family Therapist license in the state of Georgia.
As a student in her graduate program she provided psychotherapy and psycho-education for individuals,
couples, families and groups. Prior to graduate school Sedara was an Executive Director for a small
substance abuse prevention non-profit for four years and had several years of experience as a community
activist. Not only was she the primary fundraiser and grant writer, she also provided program and staff
development while organizing and strengthening community linkages. Sedara is known for her ability to
bring residents, key stakeholders and other community representatives together in order to address
community needs. Sedara is a strong advocate for prevention and education. Before participating in the
non-profit world, Sedara worked in Corporate America for almost three years after graduating from her
undergraduate program as a computer programmer.
Her experience as a woman of color, her transpersonal education and training, her work in the non-profit
and corporate worlds, and her sense of community brings a unique perspective and a wealth of experience
to her work and Dhaturra.
Helen Parnisi
Advisory Board Member
Helen Parnisi is a senior digital marketer with deep experience working on many high-profile projects with
world-class brands, successfully implementing a wide variety of strategic marketing initiatives in the
Corporate, Retail and Entertainment industries. She was a principal for her own Marketing and
Communications company and held a senior level Sales and Marketing position for DG Fast Channel
(formally Point 360), a nationally renowned audio-visual asset management company, where she was a
member of an account team that oversaw campaigns for global brands such as Sony, Comcast, Toyota,
Lucas Films, and Yahoo, as well as for many advertising agencies such as Goodby Silverstein, Ogilvy
Interactive, Publicis & Hal Riney, Grey Worldwide and others. Most recently, Ms Parnisi served as Account
Director for iCrossing, a leading international Interactive Marketing Agency, representing clients such as
Coca Cola, Colgate-Polmolive, Adobe, Master Card and others. Her expertise includes developing and
maintaining long-term strategic relationships, team leadership, sales development, new business and
account management. Passionate about current technology trends, she has earned certifications in web
programming and production, search optimization and social media. Her solid blend of skills and
experience is complimented by a desire to create great marketing experiences that drive value for her
clients and –quite simply--work.
Joyce Rainwater
Advisory Board Member
Joyce is a retired educator who taught middle school children with learning disabilities for 24 years with an
emphasis on social skills,organization behavior modification and self-esteem. She received her BS from
Texas Christian University in Human Resources and in Education. She attended Graduate School at Texas
Woman's University and Texas A&M. She was selected as a Who's Who Among Outstanding Teachers in
America and served in various organizations in a leadership capacity including Goodwill Industries of Fort
Worth as a Board Member and President of Auxiliary for Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital
Dedication
"The inspiration & passion behind Dhaturra came from my mother Joyce Kelley Rainwater and my
Grandmother Ruth Kelley who showed me I could become more than what society told me a woman
was."
- Kelley Rainwater May 2008