Episode 340: Zen Hospice Project with George Kellar

George Kellar is the Executive Director at Zen Hospice Project, responsible for directing its pioneering integration of social and clinical caregiving services grounded in compassion, spirituality and humanity. 

He leads all aspects of the non-profit organization - caregiving at the Guest House, a residential hospice house offering 24/7 care; volunteer caregiver programs at the Guest House and Laguna Honda Hospital; and the Mindful Caregiver Education program to teach professional and family caregivers how to reduce suffering for those who are seriously ill and at end-of-life, and to practice self-care in order to build resilience and reduce burnout.

George also oversees Zen Hospice Project engagements with community partners such as UCSF and Hospice By The Bay; with the San Francisco Palliative Care Committee, whose mission is to improve the care of seriously ill San Franciscans through research, education and outreach; and with healthcare organizations such as The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA), The American Society on Aging (ASA), and the California Hospice & Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA).

He has over three decades of executive-level leadership experience, and has held numerous positions at the San Francisco Zen Center, one of the largest community-based organizations in the San Francisco Bay area.

These roles include: Board member and Chairman of the Board, and finance, vision/strategic planning, fundraising/development and healthcare task force committees.  George also serves on the Advisory Board of Rock The Earth, a national non-profit environmental organization committed to protecting natural resources through partnerships within the music industry and environmental community.