It always takes a village.
Jeffrey Kripal
Founder
Karin Austin
Executive Director
Amanda Focke
Head of Special Collections
Ours is dynamic and multidisciplinary. We are academics, archivists, project managers, researchers, tech and AI architects, communications specialists and volunteers of various stripes (without whom our work at the Center would simply not be possible). Many of us are “on the experiencer spectrum” and deeply invested in the work we do because it so personally meaningful. We like each other, we work well in the trenches together, and we are able to wrestle through challenges while maintaining respect for one another’s humanity. We are doggedly determined, always on a learning curve, and quick to laugh at the absurd. In short, we are, in a way, a family — sometimes a little messy, but reliably unwavering in our commitment to actualizing CFTI’s mission as we explore the impossible, together.
Kim is a deeply insightful philosopher whose intellectual work on the ethics of contact and study of experiencer worldviews, shapes our research methodology. She leads the phenomenological analysis of our metadata project.
Kimberly Engels, PhD.
Philosopher, Molloy University
Phenomenological Analysis
An insightful interviewer with a gift for drawing out careful, substantive exchange, James carries our work to public audiences and is helping to build the community gathering around the archives.
James Faulk
Podcaster, Neon Galactic
Community Engagement
A researcher of extraordinary experiences who brings an innovative, entrepreneurial mindset to the field. Beth helps bridge the qualitative and quantitative analyses of our materials.
Beth Glick, Doctoral Student
Exceptional Experience Researcher
Cross-disciplinary
A designer with deep roots in the experiencer community, Charles shapes how CFTI's work looks and reads in public, creating content that carries it across the Center's social media channels.
Charles Holt
Graphic Designer
Content Creator
Michael designed the AI tooling and document processing protocols for the key tasks on our metadata project — transcription correction, anonymization, and phenomenological analysis. He has made our research possible at scale.
Michael Kelley, MA
AI Research Systems Lead
Architecture & Analysis
A formidably well-educated student of this field and its history, David brings intellectual depth to our communications, shaping how the Center's work is framed and carried into public conversation.
David Metcalfe
Social Media Professional
Digital & Comms Strategy
Amanda’s instinctual understanding of experiencer drawings as “catharsis” adds a profound personal dimension to the analyses of individual narratives within our CFTI collections. Her sensitivity and fine arts background make her uniquely qualified for this work.
Amanda Nedham, Doctoral Candidate
Fine Arts Researcher & Practitioner
Curator, Drawings of the Anomalous
Andrea pairs deep technical knowledge with an exceptional grasp of the experiencer community’s needs. She’s helping to build CFTI’s systems and keeps projects moving across every part of the Center.
Andrea Oddo
IT Integration Architect
Operations Support
An artist and operations professional with an entrepreneurial streak, Ketria deftly manages every aspect of the AOTI conferences, from planning and logistics to the experience attendees have on the day.
An astronomer with a broad working knowledge of the UAP conversation, Wes supports the statistical analysis of the metadata corpus and helps hold our research to rigorous scientific standards.
Ketria Scott
Operations Coordinator
AOTI Conference Manager
Wesley Watters, PhD.
Astronomer, Wellesley College
Statistical Analysis
A neuroscientist and former science journal editor, Charles leads the statistical analysis of our metadata corpus, bringing his experience and the standards of peer-reviewed science to the study of a phenomenon that greatly needs them.
Charles Yokoyama, PhD.
Neuroscience, Fujita University
Statistical Analysis
With the metadata project since its inception, Karen prepares all of the archival materials for analysis. She is one of the key engines of our team who helps maintain our forward momentum.
Karen Young
Research Assistant
Archival Materials Processing
