Urmila Devi Dasi
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Urmila Devi Dasi, previously known as Dr. Edith E. Best (born 1955 in New York City) is one of the leading female disciples of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) specialising in primary and secondary education within the movement.
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[edit] Early days
Urmila devi earned her Masters of School Administration and Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She became a disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1973. Urmila struggled to be treated equally in the early days of the male sanyasi-dominated ISKCON of the 1970s. She gained inspiration when she met Srila Prabhupada, who was both fair and compassionate on her situation as a young mother. Srila Prabhupada would often speak nicely with her own family, including her own father, which helped her spiritual life go smoothly. Urmila’s husband, three children and six grandchildren are all active in Krishna consciousness.
[edit] Variety of services
Urmila Devi Dasi has been principal of elementary and secondary schools in ISKCON for 18 years, and has managed and taught in a pre-school for 5 years. For 10 years she was a member of ISKCON’s international board of education, and for 7 years was vice-chairman of the North American board. Urmila continues to develop and teach local, national, and international seminars for trainers, educators, and managers which she has done for 22 years. She has developed and taught numerous courses for elementary, high school, college, and adult learners in a wide variety of subjects using interactive and experiential learning in addition to lecture. She’s the author of a book on management and teaching and is a writer and editor for Back to Godhead, an international magazine. Urmila is a member of the Grhastha Vision Team, which is coordinating courses and materials to strengthen marriage and the family in ISKCON North America. She is also a member of the Sastric Advisory Council to the GBC.
