Ismail Lourido Ali is a Dissoumba initiate who serves as MAPS Co-Executive Director. Ismail has been actively participating in the drug policy reform movement for over a decade, informed by half a lifetime of diverse personal experience with psychedelics and other substances. Previously, as the Director of Policy & Advocacy at MAPS, Ismail supported the design, building, and implementation of psychedelic policy reform across the country and world.

Alleged to have produced "90% of the world's LSD," William Leonard Pickard was entenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole, he served 20 years in maximum security federal prisons and was given compassionate release in 2020.

As former deputy director of the Drug Policy Analysis Proam as UCLA, and a research associate in neurbiology at Harvard Medical School, his 1996 prediction of the fentanyl epidemic, and recommendations for prevention, were confirmed by the RAND Corporation in its seminal volume "The Future of Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids".

Currently, he is a senior advisor for JLS Fund II LP and the Fireside Project. He is a research affiliate with Harvard Law School, Petrie-Flom Center on Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics, Program on Pychedelics Law and Regulation.

A multidisciplinary leader at the intersection of health equity, systems change, and psychedelic-assisted therapy. She is Co-Director of the Psychedelic Mental Health Access Alliance, where she’s building publicly fundable care models through Medicaid-focused pilots, cross-sector partnerships, and community-informed design. Her work generates real-world evidence to help policymakers, insurers, and state agencies bring psychedelic care into public health systems—expanding access to breakthrough mental health treatments. A certified psilocybin facilitator trained through Oregon’s state program, Hanifa brings more than 30 years of experience bridging policy, philanthropy, and frontline care to advance new pathways for healing and care for communities with complex care needs. She was a founding team member of Fireside Project’s Psychedelic Support Line and serves on the boards of the Zendo Project and the Kindred Trust, a trusted voice in the field, her work is rooted in healing justice and her Afro-Indigenous traditions.

Over the past 30 years, Zach has immersed himself in the psychedelic movement, gaining firsthand insight into its historical and modern contexts. A digital marketing expert for major brands, he experienced a pivotal moment 13 years ago that led him back to psychedelics, inspired by his mentor Ram Dass.

Now a health and wellness facilitator, integration coach, session guide, and podcaster, Zach has supported nearly 200 individuals in healing through psychedelic medicines. He has also taught over 100 students about safe practices, history, and harm reduction in psychedelic studies.

Zach hosts the "Psychedelics Then And Now Podcast" and is knowledgeable in psychedelic facilitation, meditation, bhakti yoga, and the complexities of psychedelic culture. An avid musician and kirtan singer, he is also a dedicated Deadhead. His first book, “Your Extraordinary Mind – Psychedelics in the 21st Century and How to Use Them,” is available now on SoundsTrue

Leor Roseman is a Senior Lecturer and Psychedelic researcher at the University of Exeter. He has previously worked at the Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, under the mentorship of Prof. Robin Carhart-Harris and Prof. David Nutt, supporting the foundational work of a remerging research field. His interdisciplinary research covers neuroscience, psychology, phenomenology, anthropology and conflict resolution, using various research methods such as fMRI, quantitative, qualitative, microphenomenology, ethnographic, and participatory research. Leor co-developed and teaches the new Master’s degree – Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine and Culture. Also, Leor co-founded Ripples – a non-profit dedicated to peacebuilding supported by psychedelics.

Founder of the Psychedelic Stroke Institute, where he focuses on supporting stroke survivors and caregivers with psychedelic education, resources, and real-world data collection to better understand how these tools may support recovery. He is a Colorado state-licensed natural medicine facilitator at Chariot Healing Center in Boulder, and founder of Alringo, where he helps individuals build psychedelic literacy so they can approach these tools gently, establishing a durable, lifelong relationship of healing. His perspective brings together deep personal experience, emerging practice, and one of the field’s more under-explored questions: how psychedelics may fit into stroke recovery.

A successful real estate developer and entrepreneur, Jim brings what may be the most compelling personal story in the ibogaine advocacy space — not as a healthcare executive, but as a Parkinson’s Disease patient whose life was dramatically transformed by ibogaine treatment. Jim was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2022 at the age of 56, though his symptoms — tremors, rigidity, drooling, balance difficulties, and gait issues — had begun a full decade earlier in 2012. In May 2025, Jim underwent ibogaine treatment specifically targeting his Parkinson’s disease. The results were nothing short of miraculous.

A neuropharmacologist and founder of Beyond Consulting, which supports the integrative and psychedelic medicine fields through research, clinical partnerships, and healing center development.

She serves as Clinical Director at Mystic Health, is an associate-prescriber of MDMA and psilocybin therapy under Canada’s SAP, and is the Research Director at the Microdosing Collective nonprofit. 

Stephanie believes in the undercurrent of joy woven into the fabric of our existence; thus, she creates talks and workshops that explore the human experience through the lenses of science, culture, and celebration. 

With professional experience in neurology, intensive care, and medical device at Johnson & Johnson, she is a recognized leader in innovative healthcare. Her work bridges neuroscience, women’s health (GALILEA), plant medicine, and the healing power of music. A musician, writer, and speaker, Stephanie creates gatherings rooted in music and meaning through her label, Public Secret.

Farming Director at Round the Bend Farm, a 115 acre non-profit sustainable living education center and holistically managed farm in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, providing community based educational and food security programming. His work includes growing annual vegetables, fruits, orchard tree crops, culinary mushrooms and medicinal herbs in agroforestry systems and he also serves as an herbalist specializing in Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses. As an advocate-activist, community organizer and harm reduction educator, he has been a supporter of the field of psychedelic medicine for almost 20 years and is a facilitator at Journadas de Kura, an international Ayahuasca retreat program and community based in Minas Gerais, Brasil.

Co-Founder and Clinical Director at NeuroAlchemy and is a pioneering voice in Colorado’s psychedelic landscape. She co-authored the state’s Standardized Safety Screening and Response Tool, helped shape Natural Medicine Program policy, and co-founded Colorado’s first licensed healing center. An educator with Numinus, Synthesis, Acadia, and CU Denver’s Natural Medicine training programs, she helps cultivate the next generation of facilitators. Blending advanced clinical training in EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and Somatic Experiencing with reverence for the sacred, her work bridges science and ceremony—honoring both the depth of healing and the mystery of transformation.

Founding partner of Vicente LLP, is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and visionaries in creating sustainable and people-centered ventures and social movements. His advocacy includes shaping legislation and frameworks for emerging industries, notably co-authoring Colorado’s successful Proposition 122, the Natural Medicine Health Act. Joshua’s expertise spans advising companies and nonprofits on policy, corporate structuring, risk analysis, regulatory compliance, and other legal complexities. A revered figure in the field, he serves on boards and associations, contributing significantly to cannabis and psychedelic policy developments.

A psychiatrist and psychedelic pioneer, Scott Shannon, MD, has spent five decades exploring the nature of consciousness and healing. As co-founder of Wholeness Center in Fort Collins, he is advancing a systems-based, transformative model of care that challenges conventional psychiatry. He began working with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy before its prohibition and has remained at the leading edge of its return. An author, clinician, and Principal Investigator in pivotal psychedelic trials, he stands as an unrepentant change agent in a field hungry for reinvention.

The Co-Founder and CEO of Go Within, one of Colorado’s first licensed healing centers. A licensed facilitator, she specializes in supporting clients navigating chronic pain, burnout, nervous system dysregulation, and life transitions. Her path into this work was shaped by her own experience using psychedelics for chronic pain and trauma healing, which led her to dedicate her career to ethical, client-centered care. As a care coordinator, educator, and entrepreneur, Jillian brings lived experience, therapeutic presence, and operational leadership to conversations on chronic pain, psychedelic care, and the future of compassionate, responsible healing services.

Director of the CU Denver Center for Psychedelic Research, Jim has studied psychedelics since an interesting experience as a student at the University of Kansas. With an MA from the University of Saskatchewan and a PhD from the University of Colorado, he’s been a carpenter, backhoe and bulldozer operator, construction foreman, tractor-trailer driver, and mountain firefighter, but with NIH funding to do neuroscience, he’s spent most of his time doing research at CU, studying TBI and stroke outcomes, executive functioning, movement disorders, the gut-brain axis, and other stuff. A co-discoverer of the fragile X tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), since 2011 he’s done research on MDMA, and on psilocybin with late-stage cancer patients. He co-edited a textbook on psychedelics with Charlie Grob, MD.

An enrolled Turtle Mountain Anishinaabe scholar, public educator, and policy advocate whose work centers Indigenous rights, healing, and diplomacy. With a PhD in Indigenous Studies, her research examines the ceremonial use of peyote and the impacts of the contemporary psychedelic landscape on Indigenous communities. She previously served as CEO of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, leading national research
and federal policy efforts advancing truth, justice, and healing for survivors and descendants. Her work has included engagement at the United Nations and collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Interior. Most recently, she facilitated Colorado’s Tribal and Indigenous Working Group under the Natural Medicine Health Act and now supports the protection of
Indigenous medicines and biocultural knowledge through her work with the Indigenous Medicine
Conservation Fund.

Licensed in Psychology, socioanalyst, and educator. Associate Researcher at the Latin American Center for Social Sciences (CLACSO) at the University of the Republic of Uruguay, with 25 years of experience in public policy at various institutions in his country, as well as working in international cooperation and regulatory affairs.

He has advised public health teams, civil society organizations, and government teams in Argentina, Canada, and the Netherlands, and has served as an international expert in sessions of the Congress of Spain, Paraguay, and his own country, Uruguay.

Baba Moudou Baqui M. Ed. has been a student of entheogens for two decades as a cultivator, researcher, and advocate. With a particular focus on penetrating the “block” and the so called hard to reach of inner city Detroit offering the red pill approach to alcoholism, depression, and poverty induced limitations. Under the tutelage of “Ahati” (Grandmaster) Kilyndi Iyi, he studied African combative martial arts and culture. He was exposed to knowledge and application, cultivation, and cultural history of entheogenic plants. He has further continued his studies of ancient human history, metacognition, and entheogens via travel on several continents.

An attorney specializing in the regulatory, health care, business, and religious freedom aspects of psychedelic medicines and therapies in the United States. He is a drafter of Colorado’s Natural Medicine Health Act legalizing four psychedelics in that state; an appointed member of Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel; General Counsel for the Zendo Project; Advisory Board member for Psychedelic Parenthood Community; and was outside general counsel to MAPS’ Psychedelic Science Events, LLC in 2025. Sean is licensed to practice law in Colorado and California, but consults all across the US on religious freedom issues.

Skippy spent over 20 years in high-level public service—including presidential campaigns, statewide races, and elected office—while navigating his own experience with addiction, anxiety, and unresolved childhood trauma. That work reshaped his understanding of leadership and led him to found the Civic Courage Lab™, where he created The COURAGE METHOD™ and has trained more than 1,000 leaders nationwide in whole-human leadership. While serving on Aspen's City Council, in a community with four times the national suicide rate, he facilitated the creation of the nation’s first city-level model for therapeutic psychedelic access. He currently serves on Colorado’s Natural Medicine Advisory Board and is the founder and facilitator at SANCTUM, where his team accelerates the COURAGE METHOD with careful, legal psychedelic retreats with leaders and changemakers — to manifest collective human flourishing, seeing each other's differences as strengths, to come back into one global family.

a Certified Peer and Family Specialist who has worked  with Colorado families for the last 7 years in education and addiction coaching. Her evidence based program brings connection and positive reinforcement to enable healthy choices and healing from substance abuse and misuse. 

Trina mentors youth in recovery and brings their voices into high schools to educate audiences about the stages of addiction, overdose risks and reversals. Her speakers are peer recovery coaches and licensed addiction counselors in recovery themselves. Students report this is the most impactful class they take in the entire year. Her emphasis is harm reduction, education and acceptance, speaking only the truth.

A community organizer, food systems advocate, and equity-driven leader based in Colorado. Their work sits at the intersection of land, food justice, and collective healing, with a focus on building community-rooted systems and relationships that challenge structural inequities. They have led and supported projects ranging from urban land rematriation to local policy change and grassroots organizing, centering the leadership and lived experiences of historically marginalized communities. As the founder of Potted Peace Project, Anemone integrates land-based practices, education, and community care to cultivate healing and connection. Their approach is grounded in the knowledge that food, land, and consciousness are deeply interconnected pathways toward liberation.

A Professor of Chemistry at Columbia University in New York City, Dr. Sames has been studying ibogaine and iboga alkaloids for two decades and introduced a novel explanatory model for ibogaine’s actions. A cofounder of Gilgamesh Pharma, he designs ibogaine analogs with improved cardiac safety. Dr. Sames is interested in the conceptual and mechanistic links between molecular information encoded in psychedelics and the induced brain and mind states that may mediate restorative and healing processes. He has received several awards, including he Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship Award, The McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award, and The Pfizer Award for Creativity in Organic Synthesis.

Gabon native and serial entrepreneur with diverse experience in professional basketball, plant medicine, and early-stage investing. He earned an athletic scholarship for basketball at UMASS, where he earned accolades such as Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. After graduating with a degree in biology, Steph played professional basketball for 12 years in the NBA and international leagues, winning championships and MVP awards. Transitioning to entrepreneurship, he founded “erbn’world”, a cannabis business, and co-founded Stedde Capital. As Managing Director, he leads commercial initiatives in Gabon, focusing on leveraging the therapeutic benefits of the Iboga Tree to address global mental health challenges while honoring Gabon's rich cultural heritage.

Aspen native, and current psychology student at American University Paris, Ronan works at active intersection of modern education and the incoming mental health landscape. He is an international ambassador for Before You Trip, which bridges the gap between present education ideas, the new future of mental health, and frames of thinking for future generations.

Ben Halper is the Event Services Manager for Zendo Project, a Licensed Natural Medicine Facilitator in the state of Colorado, and works as a consultant in the skilled nursing and long-term care industry. He previously held the role of Regional Director of Admissions & Business Development for a large nursing home, assisted living, and personal care home organization.

Ben is a founding board member of the Pittsburgh Psychedelic Society, produced the Sleeping Octopus Assembly on Psychedelics conference, and is a member of the Psychedelic Passage facilitator network. Previously he has lectured on psychedelics at University of California Berkeley, has worked as a Sanctuary Coordinator for RGX Medical, and is trained as a Yoga Instructor and End-of-Life Doula.

A Denver native, Ean is an entrepreneur, policy advocate, and leader in natural medicine and plant-based therapeutics. As a founding partner of Denver Relief and Denver Relief Consulting, and former two-term Board Chair of the National Cannabis Industry Association, he has significantly shaped Colorado’s cannabis industry over the past two decades through responsible policy and business leadership, even selling part of his businesses to country music icon Willie Nelson. Ean collaborates with cannabis operators and policymakers to promote safe access, industry standards, and sustainable growth, establishing himself as a trusted voice in cannabis reform. Since 2019, he has served as Governor Jared Polis' Special Advisor on Cannabis and Natural Medicine, focusing on evidence-informed healing and integrative wellness while leading the state's Natural Medicine program and the successful creation of this year’s Ibogaine Pilot Program.

Julia Mande is a systems weaver and organizational advisor working at the intersection of ethical leadership and regenerative systems. Through her work with North Star, she supports the True North Guild, a yearlong community of practice bringing together company leaders to collaboratively navigate ethical best practices in their respective organizational domains. Her broader practice spans Indigenous knowledge protection and leadership capacity building, bringing a relational approach to the ecosystems she serves.

Travis Tyler Fluck is an educator, death doula, activist, cultivator, and empathetic witness. He serves his communities as a steward & facilitator as a leader for the Denver Psilocybin Initiative and co-founder of the Denver Mushroom Cooperative The Medicine Path has afforded Travis resolution to existential dilemmas as well as the means to help others heal and tap into true potential. 

Travis won the Oakland Hyphae Lab's Fall '21 & '22 Cups for Psilocybe Cultivation, the first organization to include objective testing.

As a casualty of the drug war, Travis' life has been peppered with traumatic arrests and periods of incarceration. Fortunately, over the years, Travis has gained the tools and the platform to influence systemic change and work towards a ceasefire to the drug war. 

He looks forward to offering his insight and experience to better the world we live in!

CEO and co-founded one of the planet's best-known psychedelic podcasts and training platforms, Psychedelics Today, in 2016 with Kyle Buller. He combines over 20 years of avid psychedelic study and training with over 20 years of experience in software and multinational project management. Joe is a leading expert in transpersonal breathwork, a board member of the Psychedelic and Pain Association and the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition, and a sought-after international speaker on the intersecting subjects of psychedelic medicine and healing, breathwork, drug policy, medical innovation, international justice, and environmentalism.

James ‘Jamo’ Hall was in a devastating snowmobile accident in March of 2020. He experienced the early days of COVID from a hospital bed, unsure if he would ever walk or talk normally again. He went on to surprise everyone around him — doctors, surgeons, and rehab specialists — with the speed and timeliness of his recovery.

In looking back at the months leading up to the accident, one detail stood out: James had been microdosing psilocybin for about eight months prior. It became a compelling question — whether that practice played a role in his resilience and neurological recovery. That question sparked a deeper pursuit. Instead of relying on outside sources, he decided to grow his own mushrooms and formulate his own microdoses.

What started as a personal exploration quickly evolved into something bigger — the creation of Mountain Made Products: substrates designed to make mushroom cultivation accessible, reliable, and achievable for home growers

Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher is the Marron and Mary Elizabeth Kendrick Professor in Pediatrics II in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Stanford University. A developmental psychologist with expertise in adolescent health, she founded the Stanford REACH Lab and developed several national and international substance use education programs. Dr. Halpern-Felsher has received the 2025 American Lung Association Outstanding Mother Award and the 2025 SRNT John Slade Award for her impactful research on tobacco policy. Recently, she was honored with the 2026 Cullen Award from the American Society of Preventive Oncology. As a Past President of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, her NIH-funded research focuses on reducing substance use among adolescents and young adults, contributing to over 250 publications and significant policy advancements at various levels.