Sumi Loundon Kim

Sumi Loundon Kim is the Buddhist chaplain at Duke University and the minister for the Mindful Families of Durham.

After receiving a bachelor’s from Williams College and master’s in Buddhist studies and Sanskrit from the Harvard Divinity School, she was the associate director for the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Massachusetts.

Originally brought up in a Soto Zen community in the 70s, Sumi has been a student of the Theravada (insight) tradition since her teens. She is the author of two books, Blue Jean Buddha (2001) and The Buddha’s Apprentices (2005), among many other chapters and articles.

Sumi lives with her husband and two children in Durham, North Carolina.