Our Team
Noah Koski
Founder, Executive Director
Noah Koski grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho, and after high school, took a gap year to see the world—and never quite stopped. That early adventure planted something deep: a love of travel, people, and transformative experiences found in uncomfortable situations. It was that spirit that eventually led him to the Flourish Foundation in 2014, when he was 23 years old.
What began as a job guiding students in India became something much larger. Over the next twelve years, Noah grew within Flourish, helping expand the Compassionate Leaders Program (CLP) from six students a year to more than 90, building it into the largest teen program in Idaho’s Wood River Valley. CLP became something alive and far-reaching, with students gathering for weekly meetings in Idaho, restoring trails on environmental stewardship retreats in Hawaii, and carrying their open hearts into the streets of Morocco, the centers of Mexico, the villages of Ladakh, and the townships of South Africa.
Now Noah has brought that work to New York City, and he loves it here. He is embracing an exciting new chapter.
When he’s not working with students, Noah is most likely somewhere uncomfortable and happy about it: rock climbing, surfing, skiing remote mountains, performing on stage, or sitting quietly on a cushion. He spends much of each year in India, South Africa, and around the world. A certified Wilderness First Responder and AMGA-certified guide through the American Mountain Guides Association, he brings that same attentiveness and care to everything he does.
At the heart of it all is a simple commitment: to help young people discover belonging, and to keep discovering it himself, right alongside them.
Our Board
Ryan Redman
Board ChairAt an early age, Ryan developed a keen interest in the mind and its influence on daily life. This interest led Ryan to India to study meditation and Yoga philosophy. Upon his return, Ryan began teaching contemplative based practices while at the University of California in Santa Barbara (UCSB). In addition to completing an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies at UCSB, Ryan met his primary mentor Dr. Alan Wallace.
After graduation Ryan traveled back to India several times and spent three years deepening his personal practice and furthering his understanding of various contemplative traditions. As a result of these early life experiences, Ryan has dedicated his adult life to exploring the interrelationship of heartmind cultivation and personal and planetary well-being.
Ryan has been teaching in Sun Valley, Idaho for the past 20 years and has completed a Masters degree in Contemplative Education from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. In addition, Ryan is a lead teacher and the director of curriculum for Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB).
Through his work at Flourish and CEB, Ryan continues to create and facilitate programs that nurture life skills and transformation through ethics and values, meditation, and experiential inquiry. Ryan is actively involved in local community service as a Rotarian and a Hospice volunteer. Along with his love for teaching and philanthropy, Ryan is a devoted husband and father of two growing boys. With his family he enjoys gardening, camping, hiking, biking, skiing, soccer, unicycling and surfing.
Contact Ryan:
Tel: 208-450-9309
Noah Koski
Board of Directors
Jennifer McConnell
Board of DirectorsJennifer McConnell is a founding board member of Flourish NYC. She has also been actively involved with the Flourish Foundation in Idaho, where she has served as a facilitator in the Mindful Awareness Program (MAP) for students in kindergarten, first-, and second-grades. She has also helped write and edit MAP’s K–5 curriculum as part of the Foundation’s ongoing accreditation process.
Jennifer currently teaches English as a Second Language at Columbia University’s Community Impact Adult Education Center. Earlier in her career, she worked as a preschool through third-grade classroom teacher and, prior to returning to education, had a long career on Wall Street as an information technology manager.
She holds an MBA from Columbia University with concentrations in Finance and Nonprofit Management and an MS in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys biking, hiking, reading, and spending time with her son.
Earle Birney
Board of DirectorsEarle grew up an avid sports fan in North Vancouver, Canada, chasing games, the outdoors, and music festivals with the kind of restless energy that later sent him wandering the world after high school. An unplanned two-year stay in New Zealand introduced him to yoga, meditation, and Buddhist philosophy, which he has since centered his life around. That instinct led him deep into practice — including a three-year, three-month, three-day silent meditation retreat, a stretch of stillness that reshaped how he moves through the world.
Earle has spent many years working with youth, from prisons and schools to backcountry programs. These days he leads the Yoga Studies Institute, running retreats and bringing yoga and mindfulness programs to students around the world. Earle lives in Sedona, Arizona, with his wife, Sarah, chasing life balance, time with friends, and a slightly obsessive love of coffee.
Contact Earle:
Tel: 347 248-6569
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Curious about joining our staff? We are not hiring at the moment, reach out and we’ll be in touch about future opportunities.