Tyler Norris

Tyler Norris

Board Chair, Trustee, Elected 2013 (ON LEAVE)

Oakland, California

EDUCATION:

BA, Colorado College; MDiv, Naropa University

Tyler Norris, MDiv, is a social entrepreneur and trusted advisor to philanthropies and partnerships working to improve the well-being of people and place. For more than four decades, he has shaped health and development initiatives in hundreds of communities in the U.S. and around the world, and built over a dozen business and social ventures.

Tyler serves as board chair of Naropa University; co-chair of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health; and as a board member for Mindful Philanthropy, the National Academies of Sciences’ Child Well Being Forum, Build Healthy Places Network, the Fireside Project, and the Global Flourishing Study. He was recently named as Visiting Fellow of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Until recently, Tyler served as founding CEO of Well Being Trust for its first 5½ years was an impact philanthropy with a mission to advance mental, social and spiritual health of the United States. In this period, Well Being Trust invested over $65 million in 200+ initiatives and helped build a portfolio of sustaining organizations to accelerate the social movement for mental health and well-being. Previously, Tyler led Total Health at Kaiser Permanente, applying system payroll, purchasing, and investment portfolios to benefit the economic, social, and environmental contributors to health.

Over the decades, Tyler helped start Step Denver; facilitated the opening of the Abraham Path through the heart of the Middle East; and led the Kuhiston Foundation to help establish the national park system and micro-finance in Tajikistan.

Tyler is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Executive Leadership Program, earned a Master of Divinity from Naropa University, and has a bachelor’s degree in World Political Economy from Colorado College. He lives and serves in the communities of the Wood River Valley of Idaho and Oakland, California. See www.tylernorris.com.

YOU ARE READY.

This is where experiential learning meets academic rigor. Where you challenge your intellect and uncover your potential. Where you discover the work you’re moved to do—then use it to transform our world.

“*” indicates required fields

Search Naropa University

Search

Academics

Contemplative education brings together the best of Western scholarship and Eastern world wisdom traditions. Therefore, your pursuit of wisdom at Naropa means learning both about academic subjects and about your own place in the world. This innovative approach places Naropa on the cutting edge of the newest and most effective methods of teaching and learning.  

Admissions & Aid

If you’re seeking an education that resonates with both personal fulfillment and global impact, Naropa could be your top choice. At Naropa, you will experience a comprehensive curriculum that integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational approaches. Explore how Naropa can fuel your journey of intellectual and spiritual development.

Life at Naropa

Through its incredibly vibrant and welcoming community,  “Naropa offers a home for those who aren’t willing to conform to convention—the mystic, the healer, the prophet, the rebel, the artist, the revolutionary, the oddball—those who are incredible contributors to the evolution of society and of our planet.”—Core Associate Professor Zvi Ish-Shalom

The Naropa Difference

How is Naropa different from other universities? At Naropa, a liberal arts education balances rigorous academics with powerful interpersonal skills and self-awareness to educate the whole person. Naropa’s contemplative approach is inspired by Buddhist philosophy and the conviction that we can build a diverse, contemplative, enlightened society when we have transformed education to affirm the basic goodness of every person. 

About Naropa

Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired, nonsectarian liberal arts university that is recognized as the birthplace of the mindfulness movement. Naropa offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs that emphasize professional and personal growth, intellectual development, and cultivating compassion. 

Naropa Logo

Naropa Campuses Closed on Friday, March 15, 2024

Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024.  All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.

Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.

Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.

As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.  

Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.  Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.