Ven. Dr. Ratanasara was a prominent Theravada monk and the teacher of Ven. Shanti and Ven. Veneetha. Ven. Thích Thiên-Ân is the founder of IBMC. Ven. Dr. Karuna became the Abbess of IBMC when Ven. Thien-An died in 1980. In November 2012, Ven. Karuna retired after 32 years as Abbess and Ven. Hsanti became the new abbot of IBMC on Nov. 11, 2012 . He was given the certificate of authority at the going away party for Ven. Dr. Karuna Dharma. After the retirement Ven. Dr. Karuna moved to Northern California to live close to family and friends. She passed away On February 22, 2014. She was 74.