Ben Halper is a psychedelic harm reductionist, Sanctuary coordinator, plant medicine facilitator, and Event Services Manager for Zendo Project. He has been working in psychedelic harm reduction and peer support for over a decade. In attending events on the East Coast, he recognized the need to better support attendees having challenging psychedelic and psychological experiences. Ben helped organize the first public Zendo Project training at The New School in New York City in 2016. He began volunteering with Zendo Project, taking on roles as Sitter, Shift Lead, Supervisor, and Coordinator, and has recently stepped into the role of Zendo's Event Services Manager. He is a founding board member of the Pittsburgh Psychedelic Society and co-produced the MAPS-sponsored Sleeping Octopus Assembly on Psychedelics conference. Ben works as a Sanctuary Coordinator for RGX Medical, facilitates plant medicine ceremony in private practice, and is a member of the Psychedelic Passage facilitator network.

Ben manages the foundation’s various health portfolios including the Cohen Psychedelic Research & Health Initiative and the Cohen Lyme & Tickborne Disease Initiative. Dr. Nemser has a PhD in Public Health with extensive experience in global health systems in developing countries and related research. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ben was a Senior Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Consultant for UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). After receiving a Master of Public Health from Columbia University, Ben worked for Columbia University as an Epidemiologist and Data Systems Manager. In addition to his public health experience, Ben has a Master’s in Business Administration and a background in governmental finance and budgeting.

Chief Nixiwaka is one of the most relevant indigenous leaders of our time. He has dedicated his life to reclaiming his people’s ancient culture and spirituality. After reconquering the rights over their ancestral territory, Nixiwaka, alongside his family, led the opening of their culture to the outside world. Its main element is the Yawa Festival, which is held annually since 2002 in the village of Nova Esperança (“New Hope”). In the past years, he has spent most of his time in the Sacred Village, dedicated to spirituality and healing and receiving teachings from the elders to carry on the Yawanawa legacy. In his few journeys out of his village to represent his people, he’s also visited other spiritual leaders worldwide and has partaken in sharing many cultural traditions.

Chris Stauffer is a psychiatrist, psychedelic therapist and researcher, and Director of the Social Neuroscience & Psychotherapy Lab housed at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland VA. Dr. Stauffer's research aims to maximize the benefits of therapeutic alliance through the adjunct use of social psychopharmacology, such as oxytocin, MDMA, and psilocybin. Dr. Stauffer is a supervisor and assistant trainer for MAPS' MDMA Therapy Training Program, is an advisor and trainer for Alma Institute, serves on the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board, and is Principal Investigator of the first MDMA-assisted group therapy clinical trial as well as a randomized trial of psilocybin-enhanced psychotherapy for Veterans with methamphetamine use disorder.

Dr. Clancy Cavnar is a psychologist in private practice in San Francisco. She is also a co-founder of Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and editor of 12 books with Beatriz C. Labate, as well as several journal articles and other publications. She is a member of Núcleo de Estudos Interdisciplinares sobre Psicoativos (NEIP) and has been a member of Santo Daime since 1997. Dr. Cavnar received her BA from New College, FL, a master’s in fine art from the San Francisco Art Institute, a master’s in counseling from San Francisco State University, and a doctorate from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA.

Driver of collaborative, peer based interventions, courses & training. Social Psychologist with over 20 years national/international experience as human resources-i/o psychology consultant and researcher for wide range of organizations. Expertise: selection, high stakes testing, compassion, discrimination and organizational assessment. App/Web based psychological interventions with applied measurements at the individual, team, group, organizational, community and national level. Research on compassion, discrimination, legal and business ramifications of social environment.

Dr. Genesee Herzberg is a white, queer clinical psychologist from the California Bay Area. She co-founded Sage Integrative Health, a holistic psychedelic clinic, and Alchemy Community Therapy Center, a nonprofit, sliding scale psychedelic clinic and internship training center. Genesee is a trainer and supervisor in ketamine-assisted therapy through Sage and MDMA-assisted therapy through MAPS. She is an author and co-editor of Integral Psychedelic Therapy. Genesee is passionate about making psychedelic medicine accessible to all who can benefit, developing innovative body-centered approaches to psychedelic healing, and promoting ethics and integrity as psychedelics go mainstream. Genesee is a long-term meditation practitioner and lover of hot springs, dance, consciousness exploration, meandering walks through the redwoods, and feminist sci fi.

Genevieve is Chair of the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative - Founders Circle and leads giving for The Jurvetson Foundation. Prior to diving into the world of psychedelic science, Genevieve was co-founder and CMO of Fetcher, an AI-powered recruiting startup. Prior to Fetcher, Genevieve ran marketing for Apartment List, the fastest-growing online rental marketplace in the U.S. She spent the first 8 years of her career in investment banking and investment management, most recently at Goldman Sachs. Genevieve earned a B.S. with Highest Honors from Georgia Tech and an MBA from MIT. Genevieve and her husband Steve live in the Bay Area with their five children.