Tonen O’Connor is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest and was the resident priest at the Milwaukee Zen Center from 2001 to 2011. She received ordination from Tozen Akiyama in 1994, dharma transmission in 1999 and in 2000 performed the ceremony of zuise at Eihei-ji and Sojiji, head temples of the Soto school in Japan. She trained in Japan at Shogoji Hosshinji and Hokyoji, and holds the rank of nitokyoshi wiithin the Japanese Soto system as well as a four-year assignment as kokusaifukyoshi. For 14 years she has worked extensively with inmates within the Wisconsin correctional system, serves on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Religious Practices Advisory Committee and was invited to give a presentation on this work at a conference in Tokyo in 2008. Tonen is active in interfaith programs, is a past President of the Board of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association and with Zuiko Redding of the Cedar Rapids Zen Center is co-founder of the Great Sky Sesshin, held annually for the past seven years at Hokyoji Zen Practice Community in Minnesota. Prior to entering the Zen world, Rev. O’Connor had a 40-year career in the professional theater and was managing director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater from 1974-1995. She has two sons, four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and lives happily with two splendid cats.