The Board of Directors

Jason Caplan is the Founder and President of The Bridge Institute.  In 2004, Jason began to create and implement The Universal Language Room.  He has devoted his life to interpersonal communication and bridge building through improvisational music.   

Recently, Jason partnered with a team of professors and researchers at the University of Memphis.   The team has run studies on The Universal Langu

Felicia Peat, Education and Outreach Manager; WKNO Channel 10

Felicia Peat, education and outreach manager, portrays Teacher, Teacher and holds a BS in social work and a master’s in business administration. She develops and implements reading, math and science programming for early learners and leads literacy and STEM workshops for Pre-K-5 educators and parent & child workshops for families with E

 Vaneet Singh is a member of Memphis area’s Sikh community. Vaneet is quite active in the community activities and have managed and participated in various community efforts and discussions. Vaneet is particularly interested in the interfaith outreach efforts to know and share more about different faiths, cultures, and beliefs. Vaneet is an active member of the Sikh Temple (Gurudwara) in Cordova, 

Gwendolyn (“Gwen”) Wachtel is a graduate of Valdosta State University in Georgia. She was a Technical Assistant in Cell Surface Immunogenetics at the 

Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in New York, and Laboratory  Supervisor in Pediatric Endocrinology at the Cornell University Weill Medical

College. After moving to Memphis, she became Company Administrator and Laboratory Supervisor at th

After serving as a jet instructor pilot in the U.S. Air Force, Stephen Wachtel earned a PhD for his work in Medical Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. He was an Associate Member of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in New York with a joint appointment in Pediatrics at the Cornell University Medical College.   Wachtel is recognized internationally for his work in Genetics a

  Gilbert Smith was born in Tennessee and grew up in St. Croix, Virgin Islands.  He now lives in NYC and is working as an administrator at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.  A committment to community service has led him to work in public health.  Gilbert is a founding member of the Universal Language Room.  He has written dozens of poems and songs beginning in childhood and c