CSS LEADERSHIP STAFF
Jyoti Ma
Grandmother Vision Keeper
Darlene Hunter
Executive Director & Spiritual Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Sacred Studies, Co-Founder & Instructor of the Ministry Training Program; A Founder of Kayumari Community; Minister; Maitri Breathworker
Darlene is a founding member of both Kayumari, a global spiritual village with communities in both America and Europe, and the Center for Sacred Studies as one of the principal community builders and teachers. As the Spiritual Director for CSS, Darlene holds a vision for Peace & Unity, inspiring staff, board and community members worldwide to carry the mission of CSS through Educational, Ministerial, Sanctuary and Advocacy Programs dedicated to sustaining ways of life based on collaboration and reciprocity with the Earth and all Her beings.
As a Minister, Instructor and co-creator of the Ministerial Training Program, and Instructor for the Stargate Mystery School, an international school on consciousness, Darlene provides individual and group ministry to support awakening by holding prayer ceremonies to bring people in direct contact with the Divine. In the last three decades she received initiations into traditions from around the world and has devoted more than a decade of service to the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. Since 2012 she has served as a bridge to the Fountain and the Earth Initiatives it carries.
Darlene travels internationally to cultivate and develop community growth by sharing of resources, knowledge and prayer dedicated to the ancestors and the next 7 generations.
Margin Broux
Communications Director
Margin is a San Francisco based Parisian who has been involved in the Kayumari Community since 2006. She is a Minister of Walking prayer, a certified Maitri Breathwork Facilitator and co-assists the Maitri Breathwork Facilitator Training Program. She is also a Myofascial Release Practitioner. Margin dedicates her life to spiritual growth supporting community through prayer and action.
Marlo Narro
Global University Director
Marlo's journey with the Center for Sacred Studies (CSS) has been one of profound personal growth and professional evolution. Since 2011, she has immersed herself in the transformative teachings offered by CSS, embodying the principles of authenticity and spiritual exploration. As a dedicated student, Marlo not only absorbed the wisdom offered but also emerged as a mentor within the community, guiding others on their paths of healing and self-discovery.
With over two decades of experience as a licensed clinical social worker and an Army/Navy veteran, Marlo's journey seamlessly integrates her professional expertise with the spiritual insights gained through her relationship and growth with CSS. Her compassionate presence and leadership qualities have naturally positioned her as a beacon of support and guidance, both within therapeutic settings and our global spiritual community. This unique blend of clinical experience and spiritual wisdom led Marlo to her current role as Global University Director, where she continues to honor the sacred teachings offered thru CSS while fostering spiritual growth and personal transformation in individuals worldwide.
Lyla Sofía Márquez M.A.
Minister Training Program Registrar
Lyla is a trauma-informed Spiritual Counselor with over twenty years of experience working with children and teens through the process of art. She is an artist and teacher, with a master’s degree in Spiritual Counseling and East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), weaving expressive arts and journaling into her work with her clients. Lyla also supports individuals with the integration of expanded states and recovery from trauma. Her work is supported by her practice of earth-honoring ritual and prayer, grounded by her devotion to the Mother. In addition, Lyla attended the Ministry Training Program with the Starseed clan of 2022 and serves as the Registrar for the Ministry Training Program (MTP) at the Center for Sacred Studies (CSS).
“After my own healing crisis, I moved through a dark night of the soul, where I discovered trauma was at the heart of suffering. I pledged to serve, assisting others on their path to self-reclamation. I believe education is a significant factor in emotional wholeness and utilize it as a tool to guide my clients into becoming their own self-reflective witness.”
Valerie Hausmann
Earth & Spirit Guerneville Store & Center Director
Valerie Hausmann is a Minister of Walking Prayer and Reiki Master. She shares her loving heart with many others as an assistant to The Stargate Mystery School and Manager Extraordinaire of the Guerneville Center and the Earth & Spirit Store at the Center for Sacred Studies.
Anjli Tantod
Finance
Board of Directors
Grandmother Vision Keeper - Jyoti Ma
Jyoti Ma is an internationally renowned spiritual teacher. She has cultivated projects that demonstrate ways of life that honor the Earth and all Peoples. As the Grandmother Vision Keeper of the Center for Sacred Studies, she co-founded Kayumari with spiritual communities both in America and Europe. Other projects she has helped to convene are the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers and the Unity Concert. She is the founder of The Fountain (https://thefountain.earth) It’s mission is to restore an economic model that is based on reciprocity and collaboration guided by Nature and the Sacred. Currently, as a delegate of the Mother Earth Delegation of United Indigenous Nations a collaboration with the Fountain has grown, creating a global movement for and with the Earth that is ready to activate the New Day.
Executive Director & Spiritual Director of the Center for Sacred Studies - Darlene Hunter
Darlene is a founding member of both Kayumari, a global spiritual village, and the Center for Sacred Studies as one of the principal community builders and teachers. As the Spiritual Director for CSS, Darlene holds a vision for Peace & Unity, inspiring staff, board and community members worldwide to carry the mission of CSS through Educational, Ministerial, Sanctuary and Advocacy Programs dedicated to sustaining ways of life based on collaboration and reciprocity with the Earth and all Her beings. As a Minister, Instructor and co-creator of the Ministerial Training Program, and Instructor for the Stargate Mystery School, an international school on consciousness, Darlene provides individual and group ministry to support awakening by holding prayer ceremonies to bring people in direct contact with the Divine. In the last three decades she received initiations into traditions from around the world and has devoted more than a decade of service to the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. Since 2012 she has served as a bridge to the Fountain and the Earth Initiatives it carries. Darlene travels internationally to cultivate and develop community growth by sharing of resources, knowledge and prayer dedicated to the ancestors and the next 7 generations.
President - Wendy Cummins
As a co-founder of Kayumari, the board president for the Center for Sacred Studies and a co-founder of the Ministerial Training Program from the Center for Sacred Studies, Wendy is dedicated to supporting people in diving deep into the rich tapestry of community building, personal and spiritual growth. With an M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology from the Sophia Institute, the basis of Wendy's work is from a framework of wholeness. She is a teacher of the Stargate Mystery School, a Maitri Certified Breathworker, a Certified TRE™ Facilitator and a massage therapist.
Wendy utilizes all of these modalities to support people in "excavating trauma for deeper self-love," and facilitating "inner work for outer change." Wendy has worked with hundreds of people over the years, ministering from a place of experience, education, love and, of course, humor. She loves the work she gets to do and continues to navigate life from the perspective of keeping the Next Seven Generations as the basis of her prayer work and the spiritual activism of facilitating healing, one heart at a time.
Ryan Brandenburg
Ryan Brandenburg began practicing zen in 1968 with Suzuki-roshand then became a student of Kobun Chino-roshi in 1969. He was the Director of Jikoji Zen Center (Chino-roshi’s temple and retreat center near San Francisco) for 10 years (1993-2003) Ordained as a priest in both Chino-roshi’s lineage and as a ceremonial leader in Native American traditions, he has participated in or led ceremonies and sesshin in Europe, India, Japan, and North America. As a long-time member of the Kayumari community, he served two terms as Board President for the Center for Sacred Studies and continues to serve as an advisor on Dynamic Governance. He currently maintains a private practice from his home in California and is on the teaching staff for the Center’s Ministerial Training Program.
Marlo Marro
Marlo's journey with the Center for Sacred Studies (CSS) has been one of profound personal growth and professional evolution. Since 2011, she has immersed herself in the transformative teachings offered by CSS, embodying the principles of authenticity and spiritual exploration. As a dedicated student, Marlo not only absorbed the wisdom offered but also emerged as a mentor within the community, guiding others on their paths of healing and self-discovery.
With over two decades of experience as a licensed clinical social worker and an Army/Navy veteran, Marlo's journey seamlessly integrates her professional expertise with the spiritual insights gained through her relationship and growth with CSS. Her compassionate presence and leadership qualities have naturally positioned her as a beacon of support and guidance, both within therapeutic settings and our global spiritual community. This unique blend of clinical experience and spiritual wisdom led Marlo to her current role as Global University Director, where she continues to honor the sacred teachings offered thru CSS while fostering spiritual growth and personal transformation in individuals worldwide.
Communications Director - Margin Broux
Margin is a San Francisco based Parisian who has been involved in the Kayumari Community since 2006. She is a Minister of Walking prayer, a certified Maitri Breathwork Facilitator and co-assists the Maitri Breathwork Facilitator Training Program. She is also a Myofascial Release Practitioner. Margin dedicates her life to spiritual growth supporting community through prayer and action.
Advisory Board
Audrey Reed
General Counsel - Mark Levitan
Mark Levitan is an attorney with over 14 years of experience representing American Indian tribes across the United States. Mark drafted all of the documentation for the original formation of the Center for Sacred Studies and has assisted in the development of various other non-profit entities. Mark served as a member of the Board of Directors of CSS for three years, including two years as its President. He continues to provide pro bono legal representation to CSS on all matters. Mark is a member of the pro bono advocacy network of the Women’s Earth Alliance, and also provides pro bono legal services to various worthy causes.
Susan Coleman
Susan Coleman came to us through an internship with Sonoma State University and jumped on with the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers: She headed the peacekeeper group in Nepal, assisted the grandmother’s in Europe, and co-created the “Calling All Nations” gathering at Sonoma State. As a CSS Ministry of Walking Prayer, she was an integral part of the Unity Concert in South Dakota and assisted Children’s Stargate, and more! Susan is a Spiritual/Life coach and counselor with a Master’s degree in Depth Psychology and has 25 years of healing, working and learning deep within Earth-based traditions. Her motto, “Let’s Walk Together”
Trish Noble
Trish Noble has been involved in the CSS and Kayumari Community since 2003 when spirit guided her to the sacred land and homeplace of her native Mi Wuk husband and children's ancestors in Columbia CA, the birthplace of the Kayumari Community. She is a facilitator of the Stargate Mystery School, a Sundoor Certified Firewalk Instructor and a Maitri Breathwork Facilitator. Since 2007 Trish has been on staff at CSS as the Bookkeeper and more recently as the Executive Assistant to the CEO. For the past 4 years, she has served as a board member on the CSS Board of Directors.
Mary McCulloch
Mary is devoted to a life of service as a Minister of Prayer and earned an M.A. in Transpersonal Counseling and Psychology. She made a leap from the corporate world of the entertainment industry after realizing she had a strong desire to involve herself in work that was meaningful and transformational. Mary has been a member of the Kayumari community since 2004 and has held two seats as Registrar, for the CSS Ministry Training Program, and for Stargate Mystery School for 6 years. Her work with CSS allows her to feel aligned with the mission to protect indigenous and earth-based ways of prayer.
Karyn Lawson
Karyn has been part of the Kayumari community since 2003. An entrepreneur by nature, Karyn has her BS in Psychology and has started several successful companies. She owns a vacation rental business in California. She is a Jin Shin Jitsu practitioner. Karyn, an avid fundraiser for CSS, is a Ministry of Walking Prayer since 2012. A humanitarian, Karyn is committed to CSS, to her spiritual path, and to her service to global consciousness.