Leadership

Toni Carey

Vice President of Strategic Communications | RYT 500

Toni Carey serves as Vice President of Strategic Communications at Yoga Alliance and is a recognized leader in the health and wellness industries—most notably as the co-founder of Black Girls RUN!. With more than a decade of experience in marketing and communications strategy, her previous roles include Director of Marketing at The Public Good Projects (PGP), where she developed innovative campaigns to address some of the nation’s most pressing health challenges. Prior to that, she led the marketing strategy for Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). Toni has worked with numerous consumer and non-profit brands with an intentional focus on ensuring that the stories of marginalized communities are seen and heard. She was also named one of the “50 Most Influential People in Running” by Runner’s World and received Toyota’s Standing O-Vation Award presented by Oprah. She holds a B.S. in Mass Communications with minors in Marketing and Spanish from Middle Tennessee State University, as well as a M.A. in Strategic Communications from Seton Hall University.

Kristina Graff

Managing Director, Yoga Alliance Foundation

Yoga Alliance Foundation Managing Director, Kristina Graff, is a global public health professional with a passion for social justice. Over the past 20+ years, Kristina has worked both locally and globally to combat inequities and to contribute to a healthier, more compassionate world. She has pioneered initiatives to expand and improve health services in high-need communities, advancing policy, service delivery, and research. As head of the Yoga Alliance Foundation, Kristina draws on her body of work in the nonprofit, city government, and academic sectors to identify, measure, and scale innovative platforms that expand both yoga’s reach and impact. Kristina earned a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University. She appreciates yoga’s gifts of mindfulness and centering, and she finds her greatest inspiration through her journey as a parent to her two children and as a partner to her husband.
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Hilary Mughloo

Chief of Staff

As Chief of Staff and in collaboration with the President & CEO of Yoga Alliance and the Yoga Alliance Foundation, Hilary Mughloo focuses on strategic project management and execution, identifying and solving roadblocks by paying close attention to the daily needs of the organization in support of the team. She works in service to the mission, the members, and the broader yoga community as a whole. Hilary thrives on creating, supporting, and leading initiatives that create collective social impact in local and global communities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and, over the past two decades, has studied community economic development, nonprofit management, leadership, holistic health, yoga, and other healing arts.
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Dani Reese

Vice President of Community Engagement | RYT 500

Dani Reese is the Vice President of Community Engagement at Yoga Alliance. She has more than 10 years of experience in the wellness industry and nearly a decade with the organization. During Dani’s time at Yoga Alliance, she played a key role in the association’s global expansion with a thoughtful focus on community support. She oversees member experience, growth and retention, benefits, and partnerships.

Dani’s passion for community building, yoga, and service was forged throughout her professional life, having worked in ecotourism and sustainability early in her career. As a yoga teacher, Dani has taught in school systems, studios, gyms, international retreats, and conferences. Her history within Yoga Alliance paired with her experience as a yoga teacher give her unique insight and perspective into her membership-centric role. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Shannon Roche

President & Chief Executive Officer

A yoga student for 20 years, Shannon Roche’s career has centered around building bridges between mainstream institutions and community and coalition-driven initiatives to drive progressive social change. Prior to joining Yoga Alliance and the Yoga Alliance Foundation as Chief Operating Officer in 2017, Shannon served on the Obama Administration’s economic policy team, where she led stakeholder engagement for the U.S. Commerce Secretary. She also played key roles on the founding leadership teams of three innovative nonprofits, including the Democracy Alliance. Shannon has a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Duke University and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and her most enlightening and humbling teachers of all, their two children.
Pronouns: she/her/hers

A.K. Sharma

Head of Shared Services

A.K. Sharma is the Head of Shared Services at Yoga Alliance, carrying with him more than 15 years of experience working in the federal and state government. He leads the People and Culture team, supporting the evolution of the organization and its critical functions, including finance, HR, IT, administration, procurement, compliance, and legal. Prior to joining Yoga Alliance, A.K. served as Director in the Office of Disaster Strategic Engagement and Effectiveness at the Small Business Administration (SBA) where he oversaw human capital and disaster programmatic operations. There he led the agency’s response to the largest financial disaster in the history of the United States – the Coronavirus pandemic. With this, A.K. was awarded the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence in 2021 for his role in supporting the government’s fiscal response to COVID-19. A.K. also worked with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership where he led business outreach and the organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives.

He holds an undergraduate degree in Human Resource Development and Computer Information Systems from James Madison University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration in Management and Marketing from California State University. A.K. is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Executive Management Program.