Martin W. Janowitz

Marty Janowitz has been affiliated with Naropa since its inception in 1974 when he was invited by its founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, to serve as its first chief administrative officer (then titled executive director). He was a founding member of the Board of Trustees and its chair since 2000.

Janowitz has been a senior teacher within the Vajradhatu and Shambhala Buddhist community and served as a senior member of Trungpa Rinpoche’s staff. He’s a member of the boards of Vajradhatu, Nalanda Foundation and Shambhala International. In 1986 he and his family immigrated to Nova Scotia with Rinpoche. In 1998 Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Trungpa’s spiritual heir as leader of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, appointed Janowitz Warrior General, responsible for advancing Shambhala’s commitment towards the emergence of transformative enlightened societies.

Janowitz earned his BA from Brandeis University and his MA from Dalhousie University. He served as executive director of The Clean Nova Scotia Foundation, Atlantic Canada’s largest environmental education organization, and as president of both the Nova Scotia Nature Trust and Genuine Progress Indicators Atlantic. He’s involved in diverse initiatives locally and internationally focused on a sustainable future. He’s vice president of sustainable development for Stantec, a leading global provider of environmental, engineering, design and planning services. He currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.