Ben Boomer - President
Ben Boomer is a storyteller, healer, and the President of the Board for The Center for Shamanic Education and Exchange. He was raised participating in both traditional Diné ceremony with his mother’s family and traveling to California for Christmas with his father’s side of the family. These experiences created a deep recognition of the validity and importance of the ancient ways of knowing from a spectrum of cultures. His life has created natural fusions between the modern western society and indigenous civilization. He lives and laughs with his wife and stepson in Phoenix Arizona where he manages information solutions for a small company to foster mindfulness and integrity. He can be contacted at boomer@shamaniceducation.org
Lena Stevens - Treasurer
Lena brings 25 years of expertise as an internationally known teacher and shamanic practitioner. She has vast experience with the Shipibo in the Amazon basin, the Huichol from Mexico, Native American, Northern European and Siberian shamanic cultures. Lena is one of the worlds foremost experts on the woven song and icaro tradition of the Shipibo. Lena is co-founder of The Power Path School of Shamanism and the co-author of various books including “Secrets of Shamanism, How to Tap the Spirit Power Within”.
Patricia Liles - Secretary
Patricia is a licensed speech and language pathologist. She has worked in the field of special education for 35 years as a therapist, diagnostician and teacher of young children. She also brings 15 years of experience as a community mediator and serves as an officer on the board of another nonprofit organization. She has traveled in Peru and Mexico and studied shamanic practices with indigenous peoples since 1996. Pat’s experience with education, culture and mediation help create programs that work.
Mikel Bruce
Mikel is the founder and proprietor of a successful web design and marketing company, tinyfrog.com. He brings a wealth of experience in design, SEO, and web technology. Mikel also has substantial experience with shamanism and has made multiple trips to South America. This combination allows him to understand the design attributes that help convey the cultural nuances and thus accurately portray the intent and feeling of CSEE. Mikel provides the technical and design infrastructure that is essential to scale and communicate effectively.
Stephen Vierra
Stephen Vierra is an entrepreneur, and co-founder of SkillSet Group, a Staffing and Recruiting Firm out of San Clemente, CA. He has a strong background in Psychology, Sales, and Customer Service. Stephen is the newest member of CSEE, and hopes to bring his leadership qualities and people connecting abilities to help support the mission and values. Stephen is a musician and song writer and has been studying and practicing shamanism for many years and ha enjoyed spending time with the Shipibo in Peru. Stephen hopes to be a vital part of CSEE’s mission in helping to educate, and connect people of all cultures.
Parminder Randhawa
Parminder is a Shamanic Practitioner and a Reiki Master. She is the founder of Shamanic Soul Center and brings her deep love and respect for the shamanic path to all she does. Parminder is deeply committed to sharing the wisdom, magic and beauty of indigenous healing traditions with those seeking guidance and support. Parminder completed her shamanic practitioner’s training with The Power Path School of Shamanism and continues to study through annual journeys to work with Shipibo healers in Peru and Huichol healers in Mexico. She received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Yale, a master’s in English from Southern CT State University, and a master’s in Peace & Justice Studies from the University of San Diego.
Adam Shaening Pokrasso
Adam Shaening Pokrasso is an artist and creative entrepreneur based in Santa Fe, NM. His company, 12FPS, is a creative agency that works with visual storytelling to promote revolutionary ideas, causes and people. He and his team are known nationally for their work with Fortune 100 tech companies and his collaborations with local Santa Fe groups and the Santa Fe Film and Digital Media Commission help to create economic and creative opportunities for young storytellers in New Mexico.
Raised in a family who valued the great lessons found in the abundance of nature, inspired by his travels around the world and his close connections to Taos Pueblo and Santa Clara Pueblo, Adam is driven to support the preservation and evolution of native arts and customary ceremonial work of indigenous communities across the globe.
Amanda Hovey
Amanda Hovey is a Performing Artist, Photographer, Shamanic Practitioner and Naturopathic Educator. As a parent and teacher of her homeschooled children, she values the many opportunities to integrate a shamanic path into raising children and continues these teachings globally, cultivating this path for our future generations. She works with others to recognize the physical, spiritual and emotional layers they are in, offering stories of her own life lessons and how to work with allies to support the release of these layers. By working with nutrition, custom elixirs, herbal remedies, Reiki and Shamanic Healing she gives others tools to call back their power and find their personal medicine, so they may share it with the world.
Amanda is the Member Service Coordinator with the Society for Shamanic Practice, www.shamancipractice.org, Board Member for Center for Shamanic Education and Exchange, www.shamaniceducation.org, and Volunteer Committee Member with the Bastrop Opera House in Texas.
Béthany Pozzi-Johnson
Béthany Pozzi-Johnson is the Director of Operations for the Center for Shamanic Education and Exchange, a Reiki Master, Singer-Songwriter, and Songwriting Coach. During a year living in Guatemala and Peru, she discovered a heart resonance to the land and people of South and Central America. She brings her enthusiasm, creativity, and reverence for Shamanic cultures to her presence at CSEE. Drawing on individual shamanic practice and mystical training, Béthany offers mindful songwriting workshops, and teaches contemplative creating tools to ignite internally inspired songwriting.