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Meet the Team

WHERE CLINICAL RIGOR MEETS TRADITIONAL WISDOM

Our dual-domain approach means you learn from both clinical experts and ancestral wisdom keepers.

LEADERSHIP

Dave Naftalin
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
CEO &
Co-FouNDeR

Former First-Responder
+ First Licensed Facilitator in the Nation

Natural medicine advocate for EMS and veterans

First in the nation to receive psilocybin facilitator licensing

Pioneer in developing clinical protocols for emergency responders

Kathleen Bruce
CIO & CO FOUNDER
CIO &
Co-FouNDeR

Psychedelic Policy Pioneer
+ Educational Expert

15 years curriculum design as college professor

Psychedelic policy advocate shaping legal frameworks

Current PhD candidate in leadership studies

Frank McLaughlin
VP OF INSTRUCTION
vp of
instruction

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Leads with experience in education and inclusive learning

Brings strength in operations, systems, and change leadership

Champion for belonging, equity, and disability inclusion

Leads with experience in education and inclusive
learning

Brings strength in operations, systems, and change leadership

Champion for belonging, equity, and disability inclusion

Aaron Moorhead
Instructional Designer
vp of
instruction

Innovative school leader blending academic rigor with social-emotional learning and experiential education.

Former IDEA Lab Program Manager and STEM chair advancing hands-on, interdisciplinary projects.

Veteran educator with experience in curriculum design, advisory programs, and teacher training across independent and public schools.

Passionate about systems thinking, environmental sustainability, and student-centered community engagement.


FACULTY

FACULTY

Cheri Plantenberg
Program Director & Facilitation Instructor

Renowned Natural
Medicine Facilitator

Specializes in couple's therapy and relational healing

Over a decade of experience facilitating psilocybin-assisted therapy

Pioneer in applying psychedelic therapy to relationship healing

Isét Estela
Cultural Integration & Historical Traditions Lead Instructor

Intercultural Educator
+ Ancestral Medicine Lineage

Intercultural educator in legal psychedelics

Direct lineage holder in ancestral medicine traditions

Expert in culturally responsive and equitable psychedelic access

Jillian Kamely
RN, MEDICAL SAFETY INSTRUCTOR

Clinical Nurse

+ Safety Protocols Specialist

Evidence-based safety protocols and neuroscience specialist

Clinical expertise in medical monitoring and emergency response

Bridge between medical standards and psychedelic practice

James Bunn
Legal Frameworks Instructor

Psychedelic Law
+ Regulations

Helps psychedelic and cannabis organizations with operations, communications, and everything in between.

Blends legal training with hands-on leadership, PR, and digital marketing to navigate complex regulations.

Focused on meaningful impact through harm reduction, efficient systems, and stronger team collaboration.

Jason Young
Mental Health Aficionado & Instructor

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Leads with experience in higher education and coaching excellence

Brings strength in psychological insight, institutional growth, and team development

Champion for learner success, mental health awareness, and inclusive leadership

Dr. Sunil Aggarwal
MD, JD, LL.M.
Professor of Neurobiology

Neuroscience • Health Sciences • Research • Legal and Regulatory Compliance

 More than a decade of experience teaching neuroscience and neuropharmacology.

Expertise in legal and regulatory compliance.

Harm reduction, and the safe, responsible use of psychedelics.

Valerie Beltran
Mental Health Aficionado & Instructor

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist specializing in Trauma & Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Supervisor at Alchemy Therapy, a sliding-scale clinic that offers psychedelic-assisted therapy to underserved communities

Adjunct Professor at California Institute of Integral Studies in Integral Counseling Psychology MA Program

Harm reduction specialist and former Outreach Director of Zendo Project

Debbie Sostman
Somatic psychotherapist, educator, and integrative plant medicine facilitator

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Specializes in intergenerational trauma, depth psychology, somatic psychotherapy, and nervous system regulation.

Facilitated hundreds of preparation, journey, and integration sessions across diverse medicines, including psilocybin, ketamine, ayahuasca, 5-MeO-DMT, and ibogaine.

Experienced guiding individuals across both clinical and ceremonial environments.

Provides culturally responsive, trauma-informed support within Native American recovery communities.

Jason Young
MA Psychology
Mental Health Aficionado 

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Leads with experience in higher education and coaching excellence

Brings strength in psychological insight, institutional growth, and team development

Champion for learner success, mental health awareness, and inclusive leadership

Jason Young
Dr. Sunil Aggarwal
Dr. Sunil Aggarwal
MD, JD, LL.M.
MA Psychology
Mental Health Aficionado 
Somatic psychotherapist, educator, and integrative plant medicine facilitator

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Neuroscience • Health Sciences • Research • Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Leads with experience in higher education and coaching excellence

Brings strength in psychological insight, institutional growth, and team development

Champion for learner success, mental health awareness, and inclusive leadership

 More than a decade of experience teaching neuroscience and neuropharmacology.

Expertise in legal and regulatory compliance.

Harm reduction, and the safe, responsible use of psychedelics.

Valerie Beltran
Mental Health Aficionado & Instructor

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist specializing in Trauma & Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Supervisor at Alchemy Therapy, a sliding-scale clinic that offers psychedelic-assisted therapy to underserved communities

Adjunct Professor at California Institute of Integral Studies in Integral Counseling Psychology MA Program

Harm reduction specialist and former Outreach Director of Zendo Project

Debbie Sostman
MA Psychology
Mental Health Aficionado 

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Specializes in intergenerational trauma, depth psychology, somatic psychotherapy, and nervous system regulation.

Facilitated hundreds of preparation, journey, and integration sessions across diverse medicines, including psilocybin, ketamine, ayahuasca, 5-MeO-DMT, and ibogaine.

Experienced guiding individuals across both clinical and ceremonial environments.

Provides culturally responsive, trauma-informed support within Native American recovery communities.

John W. Anderson
Instructor
Jr., Ed.D., CFLE

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Holds an Ed.D. in Adult, Higher, and Community Education and an M.A. in Sociology, with formal training in spiritual direction.

Specializing in adult learning, socio-cultural analysis, spirituality, and transformative education.

Focuses on the history of psychedelics in America, the War on Drugs, social stigma, ethics, and spirituality.

Prepares future facilitators through historically informed, culturally responsive, and ethically grounded frameworks.

Jason Young
facilitation
instructor

Instructional
+ Operational Leader

Colorado-licensed natural medicine facilitator, specializing in relational preparation and integration.

Expertise in somatic stress release and bodyful attunement, guiding diverse populations through complex nervous system regulation and physical integration.

Integrates conflict management and Nonviolent Communication (NVC) principles to build deep relational trust and emotional containment between the client, facilitator, and medicine.

Foundation in Psychology and Conflict Management, bridging body-centered practices with structured harm reduction and crisis awareness.

John W. Anderson
Jr., Ed.D., CFLE
Instructor

Holds an Ed.D. in Adult, Higher, and Community Education and an M.A. in Sociology, with formal training in spiritual direction.

Specializing in adult learning, socio-cultural analysis, spirituality, and transformative education.

Focuses on the history of psychedelics in America, the War on Drugs, social stigma, ethics, and spirituality.

Prepares future facilitators through historically informed, culturally responsive, and ethically grounded frameworks.

Danny O'Malley
facilitation
instructor

Colorado-licensed natural medicine facilitator, specializing in relational preparation and integration.

Expertise in somatic stress release and bodyful attunement, guiding diverse populations through complex nervous system regulation and physical integration.

Integrates conflict management and Nonviolent Communication (NVC) principles to build deep relational trust and emotional containment between the client, facilitator, and medicine.

Foundation in Psychology and Conflict Management, bridging body-centered practices with structured harm reduction and crisis awareness.

AIS is an educational company and does not provide, sell, or transport Schedule I substances.

+1 (541) 316-8846

instruction@intrinsicstudies.com

© Copyright Academy of Intrinsic Studies 2025 | Privacy Policy

+1 (541) 316-8846

instruction@intrinsicstudies.com

© Copyright Academy of Intrinsic Studies 2025 | Privacy Policy

+1 (541) 316-8846

instruction@intrinsicstudies.com

© Copyright Academy of Intrinsic Studies 2025 | Privacy Policy