Our Leadership
The Spiritual Naturalists of Houston is a group of naturalist contemplatives that has been around for many years, although by various names and in various incarnations and formats. We have learned as we have tried different things. The group was founded by Daniel Strain, originally called the Humanist Contemplatives Club, which inspired a similar group at Harvard. Later the group was broadened to include all forms of Spiritual Naturalism. After the national organization, Spiritual Naturalist Society, came into being, the group became a chapter of SNS.
Daniel Strain is the President of the Spiritual Naturalists of Houston. He is a Humanist minister, speaker, and writer on the topics of ethics, spirituality, and ancient philosophy. Daniel is also founder of the Spiritual Naturalist Society and serves as its Executive Director. He leads meditations and speaks on occasion at Jade Buddha Temple and for the V.A. Hospital meditation program. He also serves on the Board of Directors of The Stoic Registry. Daniel is former president of the Humanists of Houston and has served in the Chapter Assembly of the American Humanist Association. He has written for the Houston Chronicle Belief page online and his work has appeared nationally in other magazines, on Houston PBS television, and the journal “Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism“. Daniel has studied the intersection of Eastern and Western ancient philosophy for over 12 years, with a specialty on the overlap of concepts between some varieties of Buddhism and Stoicism.
Kyle Kampa is Vice President of the Spiritual Naturalists of Houston. He is a meditator and spiritual-seeker. His first exposure to Buddhist thought was through Tsai Chih Chung’s cartoon adaptations of Zen sutras, which his father would bring home from his visits to Taiwan. Kyle has found meditation and the philosophy of Spiritual Naturalism to be a profound help in navigating life’s ups and downs. Kyle also serves as Council member and Newsletter Editor for the Spiritual Naturalist Society.