Sobre o RUPI
O Right Use of Power Institute (RUPI) é uma força global, orientando as pessoas a utilizar seu poder com consciência, sabedoria, compaixão e habilidade.
Fundada em 2011, a RUPI é uma organização sem fins lucrativos 501(c)(3).
A RUPI foi formada para ampliar o alcance da missão Right Use of Power™. Nós servimos o público em geral, profissionais e membros do Right Use of Power™ Teacher's Guild.
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Nossa Equipe de Liderança
Dr. Cedar Barstow
Founder & Executive Director Emerita
Dau Windwater
Training Director
Dra. Amanda Aguilera
Executive Director
Cedar (she/her) is a consultant and teacher on ethics and ethical issues. She has been designing, developing, and teaching this approach since 1994. Cedar’s background includes 30 years as a psychotherapist and 25 years as a teacher.
She is the author of books and articles on ethics, counseling with elders, women and independence, and psychotherapy and spirituality. Cedar is also a Hakomi Experiential Psychology Trainer and a member of the Naropa University Adjunct Faculty.
She maintains a private psychotherapy and ethics consulting practice in Boulder/Denver and teaches both Right Use of Power™ and Hakomi nationally and internationally.
The Right Use of Power™ educational materials and exercises were developed by Cedar over a period of 20 years and dozens of trainings.
These teachings have been influenced by many sources in Cedar’s background. She is particularly grateful for her extensive experiences as an administrator, therapist, and trainer of the the Hakomi Method of Experiential Psychotherapy, chair of both the Hakomi Institute International Ethics Committee (HIEC) and the United States Association of Body Psychotherapy (USABP) Ethics Committee, ethics expert contributor to GoodTherapy.org, consultor de várias organizações e cerimonialista da Earth Song Ceremonial Dance Community.
Saiba mais sobre as contribuições adicionais de Cedar para o mundo em seu site, www.CedarBarstow.com.
Dau (they/them) is a contemplative practitioner, systems thinker, and lover of the living world. They bring pragmatism from a past career in bookkeeping and a big heart from their deeper interest in community and belonging. Through Dau’s work, they foster the awareness and exploration of power and paradox in order to empower and encourage multicultural understanding. As a facilitator, their style is infused with ritual, reflection, and space to experience the relationship between our inner and outer landscapes.
Dr. Amanda Aguilera (she/her/ella) is a consultant and facilitator in the area of power-and-equity consciousness and conflict resolution. Driven by her core values of curiosity, courage, and connection, Amanda is adept at putting things together in new ways, creating visuals that help make learning more accessible, and communicating complex ideas in simple ways.
Amanda has a commitment to be courageous in the service of reducing and repairing harm in relationship and promoting the cultural shift toward power-and-equity consciousness, conflict positivity and conflict competency.
At the core of her academic and personal passion is the advancement in understanding social power dynamics and deepening the personal and collective uses of power in the world with wisdom and compassion.
Her doctoral dissertation focused on the dynamics of shame and power in the justice system and she continues to develop theoretical models in the intrapersonal and interpersonal experiences of power dynamics, including the integration of neurobiology, contemplative practices and restorative practices as they relate to power differentials.
Our Staff
Dinorah Avendaño-Curiel
Administrative Assistant
Melynn Barber
Marketing Assistant
Alejandra Betanzo
Online Event Support Assistant
Dinorah (she/her/ella) was born and raised in Mexico City and her mom immigrated to the U.S. when she was 10 years old. Figuring out her path through high school and college, she completed the IB program and started to travel at the age of 17. She went on to pursue her dual degrees along with language minors and other certificates at CU Boulder and in 2016 moved to Denmark to complete her Masters in Journalism and Globalization.
She is an avid traveler and strongly believes there are more good people in the world than bad. She has traveled to more than 30 countries and lived in more than seven. Her international experience has broadened her perspective for understanding and learning from people from all walks of life. She loves spending time with her nieces and nephews, her friends, and is looking forward to the day she can live more permanently closer to the ocean.
Melynn (she/her) is an ambitious and driven media studies graduate from The University of Colorado, Boulder. I am originally from Austin, Texas and is currently living in Denver, Colorado. She is passionate about our mediated world specifically among photography, video editing, content creation as well social media management. She is eager to use her skills to strengthen The Right Use of Power Institute’s digital presence.
Alejandra Betanzo (she/her/ella) is an independent consultant with a passion for working with groups in cultivating resilience, cohesion, connection, and trust within diverse professional environments. She strongly believes that a strong foundation in these areas is the key to achieving organizational goals and advancing towards shared purpose and vision.
As a certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication she works in empowering individuals and groups to build bridges of understanding and find common ground amidst conflicts and challenges. Throughout her work she incorporates a systemic lens to ensure relevance and applicability, especially in culturally diverse contexts where an awareness of power imbalances and privilege is vital.
Alejandra has had the privilege to collaborate with a wide array of organizations across the public, private, and social sectors. Her expertise has been deeply enriched through partnerships with civil society organizations committed to social change and human rights initiatives, primarily based in Mexico, Latin America, and the US. RAs part of the emerging Nonviolent Communication (NVC) practitioners community in Mexico, she enjoys discovering the strength of coming together, supporting each other, and building a powerful collective. Alejandra is also co-founder of Colmena, an online NVC learning community. Her dream is to bring transformative power consciousness accessible to the Spanish-speaking world.
Cody Spyker
Fundraising Assistant
Cody Spyker (they/she) has done just a little bit of everything. A born and raised Coloradoan, their degree is in Peace Studies from Naropa University, and from there they taught literacy and executive functioning skills to neurodivergent kiddos, nannied for many years, planted flowers in the gardens of millionaires, and stood on stages around Colorado telling jokes as a stand-up comedian. These days Cody teaches Vinyasa yoga, operates their own business as a professional decluttering and organizational consultant, and is the Fundraising Assistant for the Right Use of Power Institute. They live in an intentional community among dear friends, working towards soil regeneration and enhancement of biodiversity as well as their land and home becoming a hub for education, skill sharing, and intersectional justice work. In the spaces between, Cody can be found playing board games, hanging with their cats, or watching the clouds pass by with a good book in hand.
Nosso Conselho de Administração
Sari Ajanko
Sari Ajanko (she/her) is deeply honored to join the board and is committed to assist and support advancing “The Right Use of Power” across the spectrum of professionals.
Sari’s professional career is rooted in hospitality management. Twelve years as a leader in the language service sector was an integral step for Sari in learning how to thrive in client-focused consulting services. Since 2008 Sari has worked in professional coaching and training services. In 2013 she became the founder and CEO of Diversitas Oy (Ltd).
Her company and client offerings are the vessel of fusing her passions, leadership development, professional coaching and personality models and maps. Sari’s mission has been to take the D & I discussions to the next level including the less visible aspects of diversity that we all share. Sari’s book on ”Leading multiplicity – Leader’s self-awareness as it’s core” (in Finnish) was published in 2016.
Sari is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) certified by ICF (International Coaching Federation), Certified Business Coach Master, and Trainer/Mentor of Coaching & Leadership skills. Sari also holds certifications as a WholeBody Focusing Trainer and as a Enneagram Teacher in the Narrative Tradition.
Sari is always looking for new concepts and modalities to make her training and coaching more impactful. Sari is excited about the potential of somatic therapies, currently progressing through certification with Hakomi Mallorca.
Sari mora em Helsinque, ao lado do Mar Báltico, com seu marido canadense, Jim Grant, que também é professor da RUPI, e seu gerente de escritório Reiki (Shih Tzu).
Bárbara Castro
Bárbara (she/her/ella), with an accent on the first “á,” was born in the lands of the Mexihcah indigenous peoples and is grateful to live and learn from the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh Nations.
About 20 years ago, she was formally introduced to contemplative practices. Since then, as a passionate Leader and Mentor, she has expanded her knowledge and practice in mindfulness, EQ, authentic leadership, and awareness of power while accompanying and inspiring emerging leaders, immigrants and refugees.
Over the past 15 years, she has collaborated with start-ups, non-profits and corporate institutions within advertising, events, education and technical apparel, to name a few.
Bárbara’s superpower is “connection.” As an athlete, she enjoys outdoor activities in the mountains. Her purpose is to inspire humans to practice intraconnection while recognizing the interconnection between sentient beings and nature.
Jeff Couillard
Jeff Couillard (he/him) holds an M.A. in Environmental Management from Royal Roads University and is the founder and chief facilitator at Attainability Group, a small consulting firm dedicated to building incredible teams of professionals in organizations big and small in a wide range of sectors.
O Attainability Group se concentra em trazer os princípios do Right Use of Power™ para as organizações
para melhorar o engajamento dos funcionários, desenvolver a capacidade de liderança e alcançar
melhores resultados do cliente. Do desenvolvimento de equipes à resolução de conflitos, liderando equipes multidisciplinares de profissionais que lidam com questões complexas de dependência e saúde mental, até o compartilhamento de histórias no palco do TEDx, Jeff está focado na criação de indivíduos, equipes e comunidades altamente funcionais.
Farzin Farzad
Farzin Farzad (he/him) is an Organizational Justice practitioner with experience in higher education, trade associations, local government, and the private sector. Holding two master’s degrees in international affairs and diplomacy as well as a certificate in conflict resolution skills, Farzin leverages his unique academic background, extensive travel experience, and experiential knowledge to provide comprehensive, thought-provoking local and global approaches to his work.
In addition to training and education programs, Farzin is a seasoned project manager with expertise in developing strategies that build equitable workplace environments and government services, as well as build internal capacity.
Farzin é o fundador da Critical Equity Consulting, LLC, uma empresa boutique de consultoria em Justiça Organizacional focada em ajudar as organizações a se reconstruir com foco principal na criação de resultados equitativos e na busca de justiça.
Dr. Loren Intolubbe-Chmil
Loren Intolubbe-Chmil, Ph.D. (she/her) is an educator and activist with over thirty years of experience in teaching and diverse educational contexts. Loren’s deepest interests encompass representative stakeholder engagement, education for change, and human rights-based decision-making. Loren’s work in the world is significantly shaped as a tribal member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma as well as the experience of completing K-12 education in multiple and divergent locations as the child of a parent in the U.S. military.
As a reflection of commitment to a world that embodies dignity, belongingness, justice, curiosity, and interdependence, Loren has taught several courses – including study abroad programs in Nepal and southern Africa – and led a variety of workshops and trainings with those collective values at the center.
Loren has a BA in Sociology with a Minor in Women’s Studies from Mary Baldwin University, and earned an M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education at the University of Virginia. Loren is currently a Teaching Assistant Professor and Leadership Instructor in the Student Academic Success Center at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and is co-founder and partner of the educational consulting firm CoreCollaborative International.
Dr. Rob Miller
Rob Miller, Ph.D. (he/him) is currently a consultant in the field of biotechnology, R&D, nutrition and Medical Foods. He is currently a Senior Advisor to the venture development company, Portal Innovations, located in Chicago, IL.
Rob foi anteriormente o CSO da startup de microbioma Kaleido Biosciences localizada em Boston e se tornou o presidente e CSO de sua Divisão de Nutrição. Ele é membro do Investors Advisory Committee for Venture Investors com sede em Madison, WI e continua a trabalhar com start-ups na área de Boston.
Rob had a successful 30-year career at Abbott Nutrition where he was ultimately responsible for global pediatric, adult, and performance nutrition product development, new ventures, medical affairs, clinical and preclinical research as the Divisional Vice President of R&D, Scientific and Medical Affairs at Abbott Nutrition.
He was part of the Executive team managing the $7 billion global nutrition business. He was an architect of the global expansion of Abbott Nutrition, establishing R&D Centers at UIUC, Granada, Spain, Singapore, Shanghai, China and Bangalore, India.
Dr. Miller was co-chair of the Abbott Scientific Governing Board from 2013-2016, overseeing the Volwiler Society, talent development and program efforts of Abbott’s 2,500 scientists for all Abbott Laboratories divisions.
Rob é casado com a artista Anita Miller e eles têm 3 filhos crescidos e 2 netos. Ele tem um Ph.D. em Bioquímica Nutricional pela Universidade de Wisconsin-Madison, e completou uma bolsa de estudos no Instituto Nacional de Saúde.
Tejumo Ogouma
Tejumo Ogouma (he/him) worked in the area of international development for 15 years, and managed projects focused on health, education, and food security. During his tenure, he worked in war zones, including Afghanistan and Mali.
Tejumo é um meditador talentoso, praticante de resolução de conflitos, facilitador e treinador com um grande interesse em Comunicação Não-Violenta. He has mentored and coached people from all walks of life and different cultures. He is currently being trained as a coach through the Co-active Training Institute.
Tejumo believes in fostering awareness, empathy, and
comunicação para criar um mundo mais pacífico e progressivo.
Tejumo também é um artista praticante treinado em Ikebana (arranjo de flores japonês) e Miksang (fotografia contemplativa).
Dra. Sherri Taylor
Sherri Taylor, Psy.D. (she/they/femme) is a contemplative, teacher, end of life doula, consultant, and facilitator. She completed her undergraduate education in Feminist Studies at Stanford University and earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California.
Her scholarship and research interests include contemplative leadership, dreamwork, the intergenerational transmission of benevolence and resilience, and the somatics of belonging and unbelonging. She is also the guardian of the soulstudiolab and Black Womxn’s Dream Lab.
The soulstudiolab offers relevant and meaningful group trainings, playshops, and workshops for community and professional audiences that integrate innovative approaches and practices from the contemplative traditions, expressive arts, and psychology, with a special focus on the psycho-spiritual importance of creativity and embodiment to inspire personal growth, interpersonal understanding, and social justice.
Jamelah Zidan
Jamelah Zidan (she/her) is the Restorative Community Coordinator at Naropa University. She was born in New York City to Palestinian parents. She earned her B.A. in Political Economics from Sarah Lawrence College, where she was the recipient of the Scholarship for the Environment. She then pursued her M.S. in Education from Sarah Lawrence, where she was the recipient of the Regina Arnold Memorial Scholarship.
For several years, Jamelah worked as a teacher in New York City. Desiring to work in a more spiritual atmosphere and impact the quality of people’s lives, she later changed careers, taking up a position as Assistant Director at the Abode, a Sufi and Interfaith retreat center in the Berkshires.
She moved to Colorado in 2020 to be with her husband, Netanel Miles-Yepez, and is now happy to be working with the compassionate and skilled staff, students, and faculty of Naropa. She’s currently a fellow in the Emerging Leaders Fellowship, and volunteering in the Restorative Justice program of the Boulder County DA’s office.