Dear Friends,

Losar Tashi Delek!

It is the beginning of the Tibetan New Year, and there is still so much to convey about the last one!

Today, we are sharing our progress on developing the Strategic Plan, appointing our new Executive Director, recruiting new Board members, and our 5-day face-to-face Board meeting in December 2025 at Kopan Monastery. These are some, but not all, of the topics we have been working on recently.

In our last Board Update, we communicated about the progress made on the next steps we agreed upon at the CPMT Summit in April 2025. While our progress may seem slow at times, we are committed to getting the plan and its execution right.  We feel, and hope you agree, that a transition such as the one we are all undertaking together is a large and critical challenge, best done gradually. 

Strategic Consultant | Executive Director | New Board Members |
Face-to-Face Board Meeting | Conclusion

Strategic Consultant

To refine and implement the goals and actions identified at the CPMT Summit in April 2025, our first order of business was to find a qualified Strategic Consultant. The right person for the job certainly needed to have an extensive and professional background in organizational development, but equally important was that they were part of the FPMT family with some familiarity with our unique culture.

We searched for this position in the Autumn of 2025. In December, after a number of interviews with various candidates, we were pleased to be able to select Susan Roe for the position. Susan has extensive professional experience in strategic planning, having worked with UNICEF and Save the Children Foundation. In her last posting, she spent three years as the FPMT Mongolia Director, where she made substantial contributions serving the Dharma community.

Susan began her strategic plan consultancy for us in mid-January and began by reviewing the documentation from our pre-work on this from 2025: the surveys, Regional Consultations, and CPMT Summit. This helped Susan outline the process for development and clarifying our first strategic goals and objectives.

One of the first steps was to create a core team to assist Susan in developing the Strategic Plan. This team consists of some members of the Board and the International Office. This team will assist Susan in finding support from people with experience from within the FPMT in the various specialty areas to be expanded on and developed.

We are excited to be working with Susan and are confident that with her help, we will develop an exemplary path forward for the FPMT organization in the next five to ten years that will be in harmony with our Lamas’ wishes and Visions and our commitment to implement these works in today’s world.

Executive Director

As was announced in our last Update, for the first time in our history, we initiated the process of recruiting an Executive Director. For this post, Board members worked closely with the International Office to receive submissions, interview the applicants, and form a short list. All applicants were required to have at least ten years of experience with the FPMT organization. We were impressed by the high level of professionalism of the applicants, with many showing significant competency in their professional and/or academic careers.

It took some time to make a final decision, but once the search was completed, Peeyush Agarwal from India was selected. Peeyush has years of international experience in business, working in organizational development, financial management, and strategic planning. Recently, he has also been helping at Tushita Dharamsala, where he has offered great support to the director. We expect Peeyush to be instrumental in co-creating and rolling out the Strategic Plan.

The new ED will take over the previous work of Ven. Roger at the International Office. Ven. Roger will ensure a smooth transition, after which he will be able to dedicate more time to committed projects related to Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche and his legacy. This, along with the FPMT Inc. Board responsibilities and other important tasks, will ensure that Ven. Roger’s vast knowledge and years of experience will have a positive impact for a long time to come. Ven. Roger’s dedication to Rinpoche and the FPMT is, and always will be, a source of great admiration and gratitude from us all.

Peeyush will also take over the COO responsibilities now shouldered by François, which will allow François more time to devote to the work in the Center Services Department, Teacher Services Department, and Communication Department—each of which requires major commitment on their own.

You can read more about Peeyush in the upcoming FPMT e-News. We look forward to working with him as we begin this new chapter of the FPMT together.

New Board Members

With the appointment of a Strategic Planner and Executive Director, we are now able to focus on expanding the FPMT Inc. Board. Over the next year, we intend to gradually increase the board from its present six members to nine members. We feel that in the interest of continuity, a gradual expansion is called for so that present members can retire in a measured way and younger members can replace them in a secure transition. A recruitment committee is being formed, and the call for candidates will go out through the regional and national coordinators, directors of affiliates, and dedicated students. Soon, we will provide a detailed description of the requirements for those who wish to be considered as an FPMT Inc. Board member candidate.   

Face-to-Face Board Meeting

For various reasons, such as expense, scheduling, minimizing our carbon imprint, and our individual commitments, it is not easy to meet face to face as often as we would prefer. This board usually meets every two weeks on Zoom, and most board members are working every day on board matters.

This level of engagement by the FPMT Inc. Board is a result of losing our Spiritual Guide, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, in 2023, and overseeing the organization’s welfare being left in the hands of the Board is a large task. We understand intimately that we are not the spiritual leaders of the organization. Over time, the Board will become significantly less hands-on. The International Office is invaluable in assisting the Board to carry out its mandate, and we are extremely grateful for all they do. They are truly our unsung heroes.

In December 2025, we met face to face for five days at Kopan Monastery.

Some highlights from our meeting include:

• We spent one full day hearing reports from the Executive Committee of the International Office. We were truly inspired by the full range of efforts being undertaken to fulfill the Visions of our Lamas. You will read about these accomplishments in the upcoming Annual Review, which will be released mid-March.
• Roger stressed the importance of preserving our Lamas’ lineage.
• We reviewed reports from the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW) Board.
• We reviewed the independently audited accounts of 2024, as well as the financial performance for the year to date and the 2026 budget. 
• We took a deep dive into the topic of Aligning our Vision.
• We discussed various aspects of the upbringing and education of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s reincarnation once the child has been identified.
• We had a very engaging meeting with the Kopan Management Board. Kopan does an enormous amount of work that is not widely known, both in the academic and humanitarian fields.

As you can tell, it was a very full five days!

Conclusion

The past year has been extremely busy for not just the Board but for the International Office, regional coordinators, center directors, SPCs, staff, and volunteers. While 2026 will undoubtedly be demanding we hope to have more contact with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Spiritual Advisors named by Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche before His passing: H.E. Ling Rinpoche, Serkhong Tsenshab Rinpoche, and Zong Rinpoche. The wisdom and compassion of these Spiritual Advisors can help to guide us in these challenging times.

We have an incredibly talented and committed family, and there is every reason to expect the FPMT organization to continue to have a powerful and most meaningful impact on the welfare of living beings. We pray that our individual and collective awakening mind will continue to emerge and expand.

All best wishes,

The FPMT Inc. Board of Directors:
Khenrinpoche Geshe Chonyi
Ven. Pemba Sherpa
Ven. Roger Kunsang
Karuna Cayton
Dale Davis
Paula de Wys