WHY CUYA?      

Board Members

Paul Robear

President & Executive Director

Paul Robear has served as the President and Executive Director of the Cuyamungue Institute (CI) since 2011. He worked with CI’s founder, anthropologist Dr. Felicitas D Goodman, from his first introduction to her and her work in 1994, til her passing in 2005. 
 
With wife and co-teacher Laura Lee, Paul has conducted workshops with Ritual Body Postures (RBP) around the world from 2000 to present. Their response to the pandemic was to offer this work online, conducing live, experiential RBP sessions over Zoom two to three times a week for an international community. From April 2020 through 2022, they have conducted and recorded over 385 sessions. This valuable database where participants verbally report and share their experiences is serving as the basis for ongoing collaborate work with Professors of Anthropology Drs. Todd & Christine VanPool. 
 
The world experts on this work, Paul and Laura are writing and editing the manual, the handbook, the overview and introductory publications, articles and more, as well as videos for CI. Paul lends his previous experience in media to building CI’s extensive websites and creating the YouTube, Facebook, and Podcast channels for CI’s outreach program, Conversation4Exploration. Paul negotiated and headed up a capital campaign to add 186 contiguous acres to CI’s 272-acre facility in Santa Fe New Mexico. Paul worked with the Pojoaque Pueblo and Prof. Scott Ortman of the University of Colorado to survey the remains of the Cuyamungue Pueblo, an historic Tewa village site and archeological fields on CI’s land. 

 

Laura Lee Robear - Vice President

Director of Research & Outreach

Laura Lee has served as Vice President and Director of Research and Outreach for the Cuyamungue Institute (CI) since 2011. She worked with CI’s founder, anthropologist Dr. Felicitas D Goodman, from her first radio interview Goodman on her work in 1994, til Goodman’s passing in 2005. With husband and co-teacher Paul Roear, Laura has presented on, and conducted workshops, with Ritual Body Postures around the world from 2000 to present. 
 
Laura has parlayed her career as radio talk show host of the nationally syndicated “Laura Lee Show” to an outreach and research program, Conversation4Exploration for CI. Laura and Paul interview a wide range of interdisciplinary scholars in the arts and sciences to ‘move the dial through dialogue’ and better understand our world and our place in it, while “expanding our bandwidth”. Laura Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Washington. 

Contact Page: Laura Lee
lauralee@cuyamungueinstitute.com

Laura Lee and Paul have put in their 10,000 hours with this work, a few times over, with a personal practice of CI’s Ritual Body Posture (RBP) Ecstatic Trance for some three decades, two of those teaching this around the world, the last decade also co-directing CI. They worked directly with CI’s founder, anthropologist Dr. Felicitas D. Goodman, from the first time they met in 1994 over the airwaves during a two-hour radio interview, til her passing in 2005. 
 
Laura left hosting The Laura Lee Show, her popular, top-rated nationally-syndicated terrestrial radio talk show, to join Paul full-time teaching the work of CI in on-site, in-person workshops. The pandemic prompted them to offer this work online, and they continue to host twice or thrice weekly RBP Zoom events, open to all, building an international community. They teach how to teach this work, with their Community Host Program, recently attended by people from over 15 countries. They also co-host Conversation4Exploration interviews with a wide range of guests from the arts to the sciences. These events with a live audience are recorded and posted to CI’s YouTube, Facebook, and Podcast channels. 
 
Laura and Paul are working with the husband-wife team Todd and Christine VanPool, both Professors of Anthropology at the University of Missouri, on innovative new research projects and grants mapping the neurological shift and cultural history of this ritual-based activation of altered states of conscious, and flourishing, without use of synthetic drugs or plant medicine. “The empowering message is that the joy, creativity,  of these states is our physiological birthright, readily and easily achieved without
need of outside agents. Entering into a state of ‘the waking dream’ may not be common in today’s culture, but it is certainly normal. This capacity was known by our earliest ancestors, and well-utilized through rituals with sound induction and simple sitting and standing postures, documented in art work. Today its more relevant and needed than ever.” 

Peggy Harris

Secretary

A lifelong appreciation for art, nurtured by her family from an early age, has been a guiding force throughout Peggy’s life. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development from San Francisco State University and completed four years of postgraduate study focused on the development of children’s artistic expression.

Peggy spent 18 years as a children’s art teacher at a community art center in Northern California—a role she considers her dream job. Throughout her career, she was deeply committed to promoting arts education in local schools and communities through volunteering, consulting, program leadership, and teaching in galleries, schools, and after-school programs. Her particular passions include mixed media and multicultural art.

Before relocating to Sedona, Arizona, in 2016, Peggy served as president of a local nonprofit arts organization for two years and exhibited her artwork in several public galleries throughout the region. She has been married for more than five decades and is the proud mother of a son and daughter. Her son has followed a creative path as a successful children’s book illustrator and author.

Peggy is honored to serve on the Board of Directors of the Cuyamungue Institute (CUYA). She strongly believes in the Institute’s mission and values its contributions to the growing understanding of human consciousness, human potential, and the richness of the human experience.

Barbie Maraviov

Board member

Barbie Maraviov brings a unique blend of professional expertise, creative vision, and personal dedication to her role on the Board of Directors of the Cuyamungue Institute (CUYA).

Her connection with the Institute began through her own experiences with Ritual Body Posture work. Through this transformative practice, Barbie discovered profound insights, expanded awareness, and a deep sense of connection. The Institute’s approach to exploring consciousness and preserving ancient wisdom traditions has significantly enriched her understanding of human potential and the value of direct experiential learning.

Professionally, Barbie has built a successful career in the marketing and advertising industry, gaining extensive experience in business management, project management, graphic design, and creative collaboration. Her work has allowed her to bridge analytical and creative perspectives, bringing together strategic thinking and artistic expression.

Throughout her life, Barbie has cultivated a deep interest in art, architecture, archaeology, and history. She has also explored the metaphysical and healing arts for many years, ultimately becoming a Reiki Master and Teacher. These diverse interests and experiences have naturally led her toward the work of the Cuyamungue Institute and its mission of exploring the many dimensions of human consciousness.

As a member of the Board of Directors, Barbie is honored to contribute her skills, experience, and enthusiasm in service to the Institute. She looks forward to supporting CUYA’s continued growth, learning from its community, and helping advance its mission of research, education, and experiential exploration of expanded states of consciousness.

Brian Tucker

Board member

Brian Tucker brings a unique combination of leadership, community engagement, and spiritual insight to his role on the Board of Directors of the Cuyamungue Institute (CUYA).

Professionally, Brian serves as Director of Data Systems and Analytics at JEVS Human Services, one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the Philadelphia region. His work combines strategic planning, data-driven decision-making, and organizational leadership in support of programs that create meaningful opportunities and positive social impact.

Beyond his professional career, Brian is a dedicated community organizer who works across both secular and faith-based communities. Trained as a Spiritual Director, he is passionate about helping individuals and organizations explore the relationship between spirituality, social responsibility, and collective well-being. His work reflects a deep commitment to fostering connection, understanding, and positive transformation within communities.

At CUYA, Brian plays an active role in advancing the Institute’s mission of exploring human consciousness and expanding awareness of humanity’s interconnected nature. He helps guide outreach initiatives that highlight the Institute’s contributions and build collaborative relationships with organizations and individuals working toward a more sustainable, compassionate, and flourishing world.

As Chair of CUYA’s Global Collective Consciousness Project, Brian collaborates with researchers, practitioners, and changemakers from diverse disciplines and perspectives. Through this work, he supports an inclusive and integrative approach to understanding consciousness, contributing to a growing body of knowledge that recognizes the profound connections among individuals, communities, and all forms of life.

Brian is honored to serve on the Board of Directors and is committed to helping further CUYA’s vision of research, education, and experiential exploration in the study of human consciousness.

Jackie Haworth Hoy

Secretary

Jackie has served as a member of the Cuyamungue Board of Directors for many years and is currently the secretary. She became involved in the Ecstatic Trance work in the 1980’s after attending an introductory workshop by Dr. Goodman. Since that time she has participated in and led weekly trance groups, introductory workshops, and numerous Masked Trance Dances. Jackie plans to be retiring in the near future from her career as a teacher and counselor, and plans to expand her work as an instructor for Cuyamungue Institute.

Jackie Haworth Hoy
2115 Eastgate Rd.
Toledo OH 43614
419-382-6268
jhaworth_wj@yahoo.com

Stephanie Stephens

Board member Stephanie Stephens lives in Columbus, Ohio, which is where she became involved with the Cuyamungue Institute. Her first experience with trance work was at a workshop lead by Belinda Gore. Stephanie graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Music degree and has an M.A. in Music Education from The Ohio State University. She presently teaches vocal music to middle and high school students, but is fast approaching retirement, this being her 31st year of service. She is very involved in theatre, working regularly as a music director in and around Columbus. She lives in a quiet neighborhood on the west side of Ohio’s capital city with her partner Bruce and their two dogs Waldo, a boxer, and Zoe, a French Bulldog

Stephanie Stephens 
3014 Olive Ave
Columbus, OH 43204
musesteph1@yahoo.com

Julie Strider Nichol

Julie was initially trained as an architect and spent 15 years as an associate with a firm in Sussex before deciding to become completely freelance as a surveyor. Julie was first introduced to ecstatic body postures during a year-long Shamanic course in 2003. Although The Bear Posture and the Nupe Mallum were just two of the dozens of Shamanic rituals that she undertook that weekend, she was drawn to spend the next five years studying and practicing the postures alone, until, in 2008, she finally tripped over to the Cuyamungue Institute! She is delighted to be a certified teacher, holds workshops in Sussex, England, and attends summer festivals where she can introduce people to the wonders of the postures. Recently, Julie has been appointed as the Adult Education teacher in Shamanism for West Sussex County Council! Her work with Labyrinths started about 5 years ago as she would make temporary labyrinths from ribbon and rope on various landscapes to celebrate the seasons, and have also run one day long workshops on the labyrinth. It was her inspiration and contributing effort that brought a permanent 40 ft diameter labyrinth to the Cuyamungue Institute.

Julie Strider Nichol
218, High Street
Uckfield
West Sussex, England
TN22 1RE
juliestrider4@gmail.com