AVI USA BOARD
The AVI USA board has raised funds in support of Auroville and its ideals for 50 years! We work every day to make the dream manifest.
Meet an AVI USA board member!
If you would like to talk to one of our board members, or meet in person and find out more about Auroville and AVI USA work, click the contact buttons below to email them and connect.
Our board members are located in California, Washington, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts and New York. Scroll down to check locations and click the contact button to send an email.
Matthew is in Amherst, Massachusetts
Matthew Andrews, President
Matthew is a writer, musician, entrepreneur, spiritual activist, and yoga teacher. He serves as AVI USA’s Executive Director, and is also co-owner of Shraddhā Yoga. He teaches yoga philosophy rooted in Sri Aurobindo’s writings in yoga teacher trainings, and organizes yoga-oriented retreats in North and South India. Matthew first visited Auroville in 2000 as part of the Living Routes program, and was immediately attracted to the spiritual vibration and aspirations toward human unity. You can read Matthew’s monthly letters on Auroville here.
Binah is in Denver, Colorado
Binah Thillairajah, Vice President
Binah Thillairajah was born the same year as Auroville. First arriving in the community as a small child with her mother, she spent her formative years watching the countless sapling planted in dry, barren earth mature into the lush, vibrant forests that now lend their cooling shade to the entire area. A childhood spent living simply off the land and learning the local language in the surrounding Tamil villages had an indelible effect on how she views the world.
In the early 1990s she traveled to the U.S. to pursue higher education, attaining a BA in Government and Asian Studies at Skidmore College and a Master’s degree in International Development at American University. In the time since she has worked in International Development at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and at various other non-profits. She is both proud and honored to be able to offer her expertise to benefit her hometown and foster collaboration between the United States and Auroville.
Maggie is in Toledo, Ohio
Maggie Greer
Maggie was accepted as an Aurovilian by Mother in 1972. She originally lived in Sincerity and worked in the community kitchen at the Matrimandir worker’s camp. Later, she moved to live and teach at Equals One, an experimental school in Pondicherry for children from Auroville and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. In 1975, she traveled to the U.S. for a three-month visit that lasted until 2010 when she was first able to return to Auroville for a short visit. Accepting her path was in the U. S, she earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and taught students from kindergarten through graduate school, retiring in 2013. At the beginning of 2022, she began working at Children’s Rights Collaborative, eventually filling in as Interim Executive Director for two years. She retired again in mid-2024.
Maggie currently serves on the boards of AVI-USA, Auroville International (AVI), and Children Rights Collaborative of Northwest Ohio (CRC). Whenever possible, she spends extended time in Auroville. And, while she lives in Toledo, Ohio, she considers Auroville her true home.
Bill is in Seattle, Washington
Bill Leon, Secretary
Bill Leon, Ph.D. is a former President of AVI-USA and has been a member of the Board since 1992. He is a professional evaluator, geographer, educator, and community developer. He has developed and managed programs to bring university students to Auroville and assists many Auroville units with their projects.
He is President of Geo-Education & Research near Seattle, where he works with nonprofits, Tribes, government agencies and foundations to evaluate programs dealing with homelessness, health, education, environmental and other issues. He has co-published a collection of expressions of oneness (see www.theonebook.world) and continues to collect them for his website blog. He is engaged in other nonprofit work with a local environmental nonprofit and an itinerant homeless camp.
Mary Alexander, Treasurer
Mary Alexander lived in Auroville during its early years, and later moved to the USA, where she headed AVI USA’s operations as Vice President with her husband, Jack Alexander, for many years. She has recently helped organize several Auroville reunions, and joined the Board again in 2005.
Julian is in Woodstock, New York
Julian Lines
Julian spent the summer of ’72 in upstate New York with Robert and Deborah Lawlor, Marjorie Spalding, Robert McDermott, Adm. Rutledge Tompkins, Prof. Jehangir Chubb and others learning about Auroville and Integral Yoga. He has been involved in helping Auroville ever since. He served on the Board of the Foundation for World Education, as Executive Director of Auroville International and from 2009-2017 he was appointed to the Auroville International Advisory Council by the Government of India.
He and his wife, Wendy, who lived in Auroville in the seventies, are trustees of Matagiri Sri Aurobindo Center near Woodstock, NY. They completed a two story super-insulated building called “Auroville House” where they hold yoga and movement classes, concerts and “Awareness Through the Body” trainings. Books and handicrafts from Auroville are for sale as well.
Jack is in Sacramento, California
Jack Alexander
Jack Alexander came to Auroville in the early ’70s after a period of studying at The East West Cultural Center with Jyotipryia (Dr Judith Tyberg) in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Mary and his one year old son, Satyavan, landed at The Matrimandir Workers Camp in the Fall of ‘72 for 5 years before returning to The States. Satyavan now lives in Auroville with his wife, daughter of 11 and son age 8. Jack and Mary owns BMH Equipment and live in Sacramento, CA.
Judi is in San Francisco, California
Judi Checo
Judi joined the AVI USA board in 2024. She is currently the Program Manager in the East-West Psychology & Asian Contemplative and Transcultural Studies branch of the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS). Judi completed her Masters in East/West Psychology with a special certification in Spiritual Counseling in 2022 and is currently pursuing her PhD. Judi is an advanced yoga practioner, meditation instructor affiliated with Applied Psychology for Yogi’s.