Sean Sands

Sean is a nonprofit leader committed to following the Buddhist practice of right livelihood to help improve his adopted hometown of Washington, DC, and broader society as a whole. He is currently chief of staff of a nonpartisan research institute focused on the intersection of politics, religion, and culture in America. Prior to this role, he spent 13 years in the public sector, working for the agency overseeing the promotion of the District of Columbia as a leisure and business destination for travel and tourism.

Sean began studying Tibetan Buddhism in 2004, eventually discovering the Great Perfection teachings and then becoming a member of Rigpa’s Washington, DC, sangha. He is an active volunteer in the sangha, having led the registration team for seven national Rigpa retreats, and in 2019, he joined the Rigpa US Board and serves as its secretary.

Originally from South Carolina, Sean earned an MBA in organizational leadership from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. He also holds a BA in communications and journalism from the University of Maryland University College, as well as a certificate in diversity and inclusion from the ILR School at Cornell University. He lives in Washington with his spouse Shawn and their two rescue dogs, Terra and Jomo.