Empowering minds,

Transforming policies.

New Yorkers are experiencing a critical mental health and wellness crisis. The present approaches to treatment are insufficient. We need alternatives. 

Avery Stempel

Co-President

Raised on a sawmill in rural southwestern Albany County, Avery has always had an affinity for all things natural and free. Fungi attracted his attention at an early age and after conversing closely with psilocybin many times in his teens and twenties he developed a close relationship with the mycelial.  Graduating with a BA in Philosophy, and 2 MS degrees in education, he followed several paths before alighting upon his current toadstool: the owner / operator of Collar City Mushrooms, an indoor urban vertical mushroom farm, mycological education center, and community gathering space.  He is dedicated to educating others about the magic of mycelium and advocates for a future where plant and fungi-based medicines are understood, accepted, and accessible to all who would benefit from their use.  He lives in Troy, NY.

Andrew Torres

Treasurer

Andrew is a Biomedical Engineer with a passion for helping others, sustainability, and nature. He developed a mild interest in fungi during his undergraduate studies and after taking a Mycology course in his graduate year, he knew there was no turning back. 

This passion led to a kernel of interest in psilocybin and other psychedelics which slowly began to grow. As Andrew learned more about them, and the seed continued to flourish; he began to examine some of the research conducted with these substances and quickly recognized the profound mental health benefits they could have. It was at this time that he knew he wanted to get involved in any capacity to help spread awareness about the advantages offered by these Mental Health Alternatives.  

After relocating to the capital region in 2020, he was pleased to stumble upon the Collar City Mushroom Farm and quickly became a regular at the monthly NYMHA meetings.  

Outside of mycology Andrew likes spending his free time practicing yoga, playing guitar, and tending to his plants. 

Bill Brennan

Bill Brennan, PhD, is a psychologist in New York City. He is also a member of the clinical research team at Cybin, a psychedelic therapeutics development company, where he has codeveloped the EMBARK approach to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy with Dr. Alex Belser. A paper he co-authored on the EMBARK model of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology for a special issue on the therapeutic framing of psychedelic medicines.   In the past year, he has coauthored several treatment manuals in the EMBARK approach for Cybin’s forthcoming clinical trials and an ongoing clinical trial at the University of Washington evaluating the efficacy of psilocybin in the treatment of COVID-related depression and burnout in frontline health care professionals. He will also serve as a clinical supervisor for this trial and for Cybin’s upcoming trial evaluating the efficacy of their proprietary compound CYB003 for the treatment of major depressive disorder.  He conducted his dissertation work on the topic of ethical relationship and boundary-setting in psychedelic work and has written, spoken, and consulted on various other topics in psychedelic-assisted therapy.  An essay of his entitled “The Revolution Will Not Be Psychologized: Psychedelics’ Potential for Systemic Change” was recently included in the edited volume Psychedelic Justice: Toward a Diverse and Equitable Psychedelic Culture.  Prior to his doctoral studies, he spent several years studying a somatically-oriented, liberatory group therapy approach called Somaterapia in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Prior to this, he worked in community psychology settings in NYC and in neuroscience research at New York University, Columbia, and the University of Washington.  He also spent three years on the Deep Canvassing leadership team working toward racial justice initiatives within the New York City chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ).

Allison Hoots

Allison Hoots is an attorney with Hoots Law Practice PLLC. She has a diverse experience practicing law, including in the legal areas of employment, corporate, contract, employee benefits, tax, and intellectual property. Allison advises companies, nonprofits, religious communities, and practitioners on operations that involve psychedelics, including advising churches on religious use of sacraments. Allison is also President of Sacred Plant Alliance, Inc., a self-regulating organization and professional society of spiritual practitioners with religious communities dedicated to the advancement of the ceremonial use of psychedelic sacraments within the United States. She is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants and the lead author of Chacruna's Guide to RFRA and Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches. 

Pamela Jackson

Co-President

Pamela is an impassioned Executive Director and dedicated community leader, orchestrating transformative initiatives in the heart of Brooklyn. Leading The Psychedelic Sisterhood, a dynamic womxn-led community fostering growth and empowerment, she's curated sacred spaces honoring the spiritual and therapeutic merit of altered states of consciousness. With over four years of visionary leadership, Pammy has cultivated a diverse range of offerings, including community-building workshops, social events, panel discussions, and a much more. '

Prior to founding The Psychedelic Sisterhood, Pammy began her healing journey with psychedelics in 2014 after a transformative spiritual awakening with Ayahuasca. It was at this time she was set on a path of self-discovery and service to others through plant medicine. She now hopes to bring this knowledge and experience to help foster mental health alternatives to all of New York state.

 Pammy is the Founder and Executive Director of The Psychedelic Sisterhood, the Co-President of New Yorkers for Mental Health Alternatives (NYMHA), the Events Co-Lead for the Global Psychedelic Society, a founding member of the New York Psilocybin Action Committee (NYPAC), and a participating member of the Brooklyn Psychedelic Society. " 

Corinne Carey

Secretary

Corinne Carey is an organizer, an advocate, and a policy strategist who takes on bold public health initiatives backed by sound evidence & human rights principles. Corinne’s current mission is to improve care and expand options for people facing the end of their lives as a senior campaign director with the national nonprofit organization Compassion & Choices. Corinne spent nearly a decade with the New York Civil Liberties Union where she served as Deputy Legislative Director. At NYCLU, she engaged in advocacy around a wide range of civil liberties issues, concentrating on public health, medical privacy, discrimination, drug law reform, and reproductive rights issues. Prior to her tenure at the NYCLU, Corinne was a researcher with the U.S. Program at Human Rights Watch where she focused on access to public housing for people with criminal records, punitive and ineffective sex offender registries, and the treatment of prisoners during Hurricane Katrina. Corinne founded and ran the Harm Reduction Law Project from 1998-2004 with support from the Open Society Foundation after graduating summa cum laude and first in her class from SUNY Buffalo School of Law in 1998.  She also holds a masters degree in American Studies from the University at Buffalo.  Volunteering as a political & public affairs correspondent for the Hudson Mohawk Magazine, an evening radio show on WOOC 105.3 FM out of the Sanctuary for Independent Media in the capital region, Corinne has produced more than 200 stories that can be heard on WOOC’s podcast. She lives in Troy, New York.

Denis Kitchen

In 2014 I decided to transition from a 20 year career in software development to psychotherapy. Several months into my masters training, I discovered many research studies uncovering the efficacy of psilocybin and I listened to many riveting testimonials from people I greatly admire such as Sam Harris, Joe Rogan, and Tim Ferris. I eventually discovered the books of Bill Richards (Sacred Knowledge), Michael Pollan (How to Change Your Mind), and Brian Muraresku (The Immortality Key) and met with each one of these authors to personally thank them for their work and in some cases speak at length about how best to bring this mystical experience to our broader culture and community. After a few mystical experiences of my own, I became convinced of the reliable and durable effects of psilocybin in my own struggles with faith, depression, and compassion for myself and others. After attending The Horizons Conference in New York City in 2018, I decided to start a church that combines the practices of meditation with psychotherapeutic wisdom, and provides mystical experience using psilocybin as a sacrament in the context of a sacred music ceremony. The work of this church (The Laity of the Entheogenic Sanctuary; The LEnS) continues to this day as we meet weekly for integration. We just completed our 7th ceremonial retreat which now incorporates the live performance of sacred music and trains attendees in the use of Vipassana and Zen meditation as well as yoga and breathwork. It is my earnest hope that New York State will decriminalize the work we are doing so that we may continue to provide a ceremony of great integrity that attracts the services of people of great integrity. All of us hope to one day contribute our healing talents without fear of legal and professional persecution. - Denis M. Kitchen, LMHC. 

Nick Waunsch

Nick is a local activist concerned with the advancement and equity of all marginalized individuals, as well as reimagining societal norms and power structures that oppress the working class economically, socially, and mentally.  He is also your friendly neighborhood mushroom farmer at Collar City Mushrooms.  He’s originally from Long Island and relocated to the capital region in 2012 to acquire a bachelor’s degree in English and Music.  Mushrooms provide a way to feed your mind, body, and soul, and therefore he is passionate about how they can be applied positively in people’s personal lives, as well as how they can be utilized to heal society as a whole.