About Us

Call of Compassion NW is part of a worldwide emergence of the Compassionate Communities Movement. We are fueled by the fundamental compassion teachings found in all of the major world religions and spiritual practices. The original inspiration for our work includes the Dalai Lama’s visit to Seattle for “Seeds of Compassion” in 2008 and the Charter for Compassion, for which the eminent religious scholar and writer Karen Armstrong won the 2008 TED Prize.

In 2010, Seattle’s mayor and city council affirmed The Charter, becoming the first partner to the Ten Year Plan for Compassionate Cities. Call of Compassion NW is continuing the essential work of creating ever more compassionate communities in the Pacific NW. We do this by engaging an inclusive network of people who are committed to social and environmental justice, by cultivating alignment among radically diverse stakeholders, and by spreading solutions that elevate compassionate living conditions.

Meet the Board

Mark R. Jones, Ph.D. / President
CEO, The Sunyata Group Leadership Innovation of Sunyata (LIOS)

Mark R. Jones is an educator, researcher, and senior executive leader with over 35 years of entrepreneurial and entrepreneurial experience. He has led the Sunyata Group for-profit and non-profit entities since 2004, hosting and participating in “collaboratory educational, operational, and research projects to address extinction-level issues and high-leverage/impact problems such as social and environmental collapse and spiritual crisis (https://www.sunyatagroup.ws/tiki-index.php).

His focus is the development of enlightened communities (Bodhisangha) as resilient high-performance communities (Beloved Communities) to heal and sustain all aspects of the world (tikkun olam). . Jones has over 28 years of leadership experience in corporate, non-profit, elected, and appointed positions, including over 5 years at the executive level. He is responsible for over a billion dollars in cost savings, cost avoidance, and revenue generation for both his clients and employers. Moreover, Jones is a major advocate of international higher education institutions and corporate training programs.

Sally Renn / Treasurer
Past President, Lake Forest Rotary Club

I was born in 1935, the worst year of the depression (or so they say). I’ve been blessed with a very full and enriched life. Now that I’m in retirement, I have the time and energy to give back to our community, and to the world at large. Born in the heart of Missouri, on a farm without electricity or indoor plumbing, I was raised by compassionate parents who were deeply involved in community-building and service. Our community had a one-room schoolhouse and only one church.

This close proximity taught us to take care of one another, to share and to always be kind. At the age of 13, however, we moved to Costa Mesa, California, where I went to high school, worked, and attended Orange Coast Community College. My most recent career was with Merrill Lynch, where I worked as a stockbroker for 24 years.
John O. Renn and I have been married for over 31 years, and I am the mother of a daughter, a son and 8 stepchildren. For many years, I’ve been involved with the Interfaith Community; including attending events in Mexico, Egypt, and Italy; to spend time with the Dalai Lama. I have been honored and humbled to serve as:
• Past President – Lake Forest Park Rotary Club Foundation
• Past President – Lake Forest Park Rotary Club
• Past President – Diplomats of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce
• Executive secretary and office manager for the March of Dimes, State of Alaska

Mark Hower, Ph.D. / Secretary
Chair, Antioch University MS Management and Leadership Program

Mark has been a founding core faculty member in the Center for Creative Change at Antioch University Seattle for 15 years.  Over that time, he also held numerous administrative and leadership positions at Antioch, including director of the MS Management and later the BA Liberal Arts programs, and interim president of the institution.  Mark’s scholarship and teaching emphasizes collaboration, global pluralism, transformative leadership, community building, and experiential learning.  These interests are informed by Mark’s many years of association with the Peace Corps. 

Mark’s parents were Peace Corps staff in Brazil and Guyana, and his earliest memories come from that time.  After completing his undergraduate degree, Mark served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa in a rural water supply program.  Mark later held several Peace Corps staff positions including: Country Desk Officer (stateside logistics coordinator) positions for start-up programs in the Baltics, Ukraine and Russia, and Country Director in the Kingdom of Tonga, South Pacific.

John Hale / CEO & Executive Director

John Hale is CEO/Executive Director of Call of Compassion NW and President of Northwest Interfaith Community Outreach.  He is applying his education and more than 20 years of extensive executive management experience to achieve clear and actionable goals through compassionate action in these non-profit organizations.

John is a mission-based strategist skilled at identifying and creating new, value-enhancement possibilities. He manages with a collaborative style and his lifelong dedication to spiritual action both guides and drives how he walks in the world.

Honored Advisors

Anne Stadler
Heide Felton
Jeff Vander Clute
Rabbi Ted Falcon
Imam Jamal Rahman
Rev. Karen Lindquist
Denise Henrikson
Susan Russell
Jason Frelot

Michael Ramos
Marilyn Turkovich
Tamara Johnson
Rory Pease
Karli Christiansen
Karyn Lorenz
Kate Thompson
Martha Van de Mark
Silvana Hale