Board Members

 

Wendy Tucker

Board Chair

Wendy Tucker is Ann Shulgin’s daughter. She worked for many years with Sasha, doing research, working with him in the lab, and running Transform Press. She is an artist like her mother, husband, and daughter, owns Transform Press, and manages a chiropractic office. She has spearheaded the effort to preserve the farm, the home of Sasha and Ann and the location of the historic lab, and has created the nonprofit Shulgin Foundation.

Mariavittoria Mangini

Board Member

Mariavittoria Mangini, PhD, FNP has written extensively on the impact of psychedelic experiences in shaping the lives of her contemporaries and has worked closely with many of the most distinguished investigators in this field. She is one of the founders of the Women’s Visionary Council, a nonprofit organization that supports investigations into non-ordinary forms of consciousness and organizes gatherings of researchers, healers, artists, and activists whose work explores these states. She is a visiting scholar at the Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, and Professor Emerita in the School of Science, Allied Health, and Nursing at Holy Names University. For the last 50 years, she has been a part of the Hog Farm, a well-known communal family based in Berkeley and in Laytonville, California.

Jane Straight

Board Member

Jane Straight is a devoted mother, grandmother, plant woman, teacher, and friend. Her history of impassioned plant work spans over 40 years, including cultivating species collected while in Central & South America. Upon return she co-founded one of the first ethnobotanical businesses and distributed thousands of medicinal plants as a conscious act of preservation. Some of her plants even grace the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. Over the years she has been blessed with outstanding opportunities to study with, or be in the presence of, esteemed healers and spiritual leaders. Those teachings were integrated into an eclectic bodywork practice and set her on a lifelong path of spiritual healing. Jane has been visiting Ann and Sasha for decades and feels honored to be a board member of the Shulgin Foundation.

Executive Advisors

 

Keeper Trout

Shulgin Archive Expert, Botany, and Historical Advisor

Keeper Trout is an author and archivist living in Northern California.  Trout has published 11 books and numerous articles: mostly on psychedelic plants and drugs. He has also been a presenter at numerous conferences and festivals.  Keeper Trout has been working to digitize Sasha Shulgin’s archives since late in 2015 and in that process has been collaborating with Transform Press and Erowid to bring this material to the public. Trout is also presently serving as Acting President of the Cactus Conservation Institute and is engaged with several writing and editing projects for that organization. His material can be found online at troutsnotes.com.

John Gilmore

Expert Industry and Financial Advisor

John Gilmore is an entrepreneur and civil libertarian. He was an early employee of Sun Microsystems, early free software and open source author, and co-created Cygnus Solutions, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Cypherpunks, the DES Cracker, and the Usenet’s “alt” newsgroups. He’s spent 40 years doing programming, hardware and software design, management, advocacy, philosophy, philanthropy, and investment. He is the Vice Chair of the Board at MAPS, and has been a close friend and advisor to Ann & Sasha Shulgin (and now the Shulgin Foundation) for over 20 years. John advises the Shulgin Board and Executive Director with regard to the psychedelic field and capital management.

Amy Emerson

Expert Industry Advisor

Founding CEO, Lykos Therapeutics | Board Member, Resilient Pharmaceuticals (formerly Lykos) | Advisor and Leadership Coach advancing ethical growth in psychedelic medicine and mission-driven venture

For more than twenty years, Amy has worked at the intersection of science, medicine, and human potential—helping guide the maturation of psychedelic therapy from experimental research to regulated medicine. She is an ally and advisor to the Shulgin Foundation Board of Directors and Executive Director on topics ranging from the psychedelic field to the pharmaceutical industry.

Larry Hertz

Real Estate Advisor

Larry Hertz has worked in real estate sales, management, and as an investment management consultant. He has been in real estate management for 30 years, has been a licensed real estate agent for 37 years, and spent 17 years as an investment management consultant on Wall Street. He has a skill for listening and understanding buyer and seller needs and enjoys assisting them in reaching their goals. The art of negotiation is his biggest strength. 

Larry is the primary real estate advisor to the Executive Team on the Shulgin Farm property purchase, working directly with Megan and Doug, and the disinterested board members.

Steve Berg

Strategic Financial Advisor

Steve Berg is an executive strategy and financial expert based in Northern California. His decades of professional experience span investment banking as well as executive leadership roles building and capitalizing early and growth stage companies. His pioneering work in the legal cannabis industry resulted in the success of a prominent private equity cannabis investor network and public listings of leading cannabis companies.

Steve works closely with CEOs, CFOs, and others to develop and optimize their organizations. He is passionate about creating sustainable value through innovative strategy, execution via best practices, and high ethical standards for the benefit of all enterprise shareholders.

 

Gaby Poler-Buzali

Fundraising & Development Advisor

Gaby is a distinguished top-tier fundraiser and seasoned philanthropy professional with deep expertise in nonprofit management and major gift fundraising.  During her recent tenure at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, from 2021 and 2025, Gaby raised $35M for neuroscience research, providing the funding that established The McGill Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy. Gaby is also spearheading the first of its kind consciousness and intelligence symposium, and the first relational awakening study at The University of Texas at Austin.

Gaby's leadership experience includes serving as Senior Director of Development at the University of Texas at Austin and at Texas State University in San Marcos. Gaby also held the role of Executive Director for the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas and also at the José Limón Dance Foundation, both located in New York City.

A champion for the development of novel therapies and transformative philanthropy, Gaby advises the Shulgin Foundation on fundraising strategy, organizational development, board engagement, and philanthropic partnerships.