Welcome to our resource biographies section. Please scroll down the page to find the instructor for your Yucatan trip.

	DALE THOMAS is a professional photographer who owns Northern Photographics and NP Studios in Ashland, Wisconsin. After careers in network television and educational theater, Dale changed direction to focus on his passion for photography. Although largely self-taught, Dale has studied through UC-Berkeley and UC-Santa Cruz where he studied with noted photographer and former Ansel Adams assistant Mark Citret.  One of Dale’s greatest loves is in sharing his knowledge of the art of nature photography through workshops. Recently he has also focused on studio portrait photography which allows him the level of  interaction with people that he enjoys. He has won numerous awards and his nature photography appears in various books and periodicals including; California's Native Gardens, Outdoor Photography magazine, the Ashland/Bayfield County Visitor Guide, Bayfield Scene visitor guide, 2004 Wisconsin’s Last Great Places calendar published by the Nature Conservancy. Commissioned photographic assignments have included Los Padres National Forest, Channel Islands National Park, Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, The Nature Conservancy.
	JEAN SCOTT has been incubating Integral Movement as a program for decades. Body/mind aspects of her 17-year clinical mental health practice combine with a lifelong interest in movement and meditation to shape the foundation of this inspiring practice.  Jean began facilitating movement sessions in 1996. From 1997-2001 she served as Program and Retreat Director for the Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation of Madison, WI. Her contribution to women’s healing was vital and the retreat work also included research in mind/body wellness. She has returned to her private practice, which involves attending to the body, mind and spiritual concerns of her clients through counseling, healing touch and movement practices. Jean presently offers programs at various retreat and spirituality centers, as well as secular community centers/studios
	LETICIA MEDINA - hales from central Mexico. She graduated with a major in physical education with a focus in her thesis on the role of breathing in physical movement. She studied contemporary, classical and Russian dance methodologies at the National School of Dance. Leticia’s work has included research on interpreting dance and movement patterns from symbolism and coding depicted on ancient engravings and paintings. For many years, she was a member of Sonida en Movimiento (Sound in Movement), a Mexican drumming group that performs contemporary interpretations of Folklorica Mexicana and traditional music using pre-Hispanic instrumentation. Leticia, a talented singer, is presently recording a CD of ethnic music.
	KEVIN CAUFIELD has been working with clay for 32 years. He was a founding member and is currently on the teaching faculty at the Northern Clay Center (www.northernclaycenter.org) in Minneapolis, MN. This bedrock of experience in artistic clay works has established Kevin as a foremost artist in this media and his works are shown nationally and internationally. He is dedicated to understanding and mastering the transformation process of clay; a specialty of his is primitive firing techniques.  Kevin’s talent and creativity exude through his vibrant teaching style. His popularity is evident in the enthusiastic response from his students and his full classroom rosters. Over his many years of teaching experience, Kevin has taught a wide range of students, young and old, newcomers and experienced, to explore and develop their skills and talents while appreciating the process of working with clay.
	LUIS ECHEVERRIA – is in a class of his own. He is an historian, artist and visionary. The life of Senior Echeverria is centered around preservation and education of techniques, materials and ceramic traditions of the ancient Maya. He has researched the ancient techniques and uses them to such exactitude that world-renowned archeologists commission his ceramic replicas for museums and educational centers. He is the co-founder and director of ArteMaya, a cultural art and heritage center in Tikul, Yucatan. Mayan educators and students travel to ArteMaya to observe his frescoes and art pieces and for hands-on learning in the studio. The precision and artistry of Luis's sculptures and frescos ranks him among the World's finest clay artists. Beautiful examples of his work can be viewed throughout the website of Yaxche Restaurant For specific reference to Senior Echeverria in this site, scroll through the text on the Home Page and click on the highlighted word, ‘Community’.
	JAMES FOLEY - began his extensive background in food preparation in the early 1980s as he traveled west to Oregon to work with on small organic farms. Since then he has worked under the tutelage of professionals including Guliano Hazan and at the award-winning Kuletos restaurant in San Francisco. In Paris, James was the chef for two years at the prestigious American Restaurant, which was voted 'Best American Restaurant in Paris'. Presently James runs the kitchen at TEJAS, Cuisine of the American Southwest, where he oversees a staff of twenty and creates daily specials and a frequently evolving menu. He enjoys sharing his skills with others and spends considerable time hosting cooking classes and demonstrations and also makes frequent television appearances on the behalf of TEJAS www.tejasrestaurant.com.
	LEDDY SAUSEDO - has a lifetime of experience in cooking authentic Mexican foods at home and professionally. Her understanding of the history, food combining and preparation of recipes indigenous to the Mexican state of the Yucatan is unparalleled. Her keen senses detect even the slightest need for a squeeze of lime or splash of tequila to round out a marinade to perfection. Her energy, enthusiasm, and love of this work is infectious. Leydey teams with several other area chefs and restaurateurs to provide participants with an unparalleled experience in Mayan traditional foods and the stories that surround them.
	MICHAELIN OTIS - is co-founder of Avalon Arts Gallery and Studio in White Bear Lake, MN. Michaelin studied art at Citrus and Lakewood Colleges and has mentored with various accomplished painting masters. She began her career with pencil, charcoal and acrylics, and since 1978, watercolor has been her medium of choice. Michaelin began a full time career in painting in 1986 and has since lead a distinguished professional course which includes numerous awards. She is a frequent lecturer and workshop leader, and teaches weekly classes at Avalon Arts. Her stunning murals grace the walls of area business and she has done several cable television instructional videos. People in their environments are Michaelin's greatest inspiration."
	VICTOR JAVIER - has a studio and shop at the base of Coba, a Mayan archeological site with the tallest pyramid structure in the Yucatan region. His skill and intensity are easily perceived in the brilliant colors and rich Mayan designs of his artworks. Victor studied with a batik and painting master in Cozumel, and has continued to explore technique and design throughout many years of practicing this vibrant art form. Victor was invited to teach batik and present a body of work in November, 1999 at Seminole University in Florida, funded by a grant in cultural anthropology. Mayan symbolism, calendar signs, and history are carefully detailed on artful cloth hangings while tropical fish, shells and seascapes grace his wearable art. Two Mayan apprentices presently train with Victor and help assist with an increasing demand for his work.
	MARCELO JIMINEZ -has lead a distinguished career in the arts as an artist and arts administrator. Marcelo was born in Felipe Carillo Puerto, a town considered to be the heartland of the Yucatecan Mayan civilization. The Jiminez family are renowned artists and art teachers and have made significant contributions to Mayan cultural awareness. Senor Jiminez studied under several Mexican master painters and has developed a style recognizable for his fluid brush strokes and themes depicting rural Mayan life. He is most know for his resplendent murals which grace inner and exterior walls of significant cultural and administrative buildings.
	JUDITH NIEMI  Writing and outdoor adventure have been passions and professions for Judith Niemi for many decades. She is a pioneer in the first generation of all women’s programs; founding Woodswomen and later, Women in the Wilderness. Judith has guided canoe travel in Minnesota, Alaska, Arctic Canada and recently to the Thelon Game Sanctuary, Northwest Territories. She has guided both co-ed and women’s cultural and archaeological tours to the Amazon, Lapland and the desert Southwest. As a writer, Judith’s portfolio is deep in both teaching and publishing. Educated at the University of Minnesota and Harvard, she taught a variety of English and Writing courses at the University level for over 10 years. Judith recently taught at the White Nights Writing Workshops in Hofsos, Iceland and at the Complete Scholar Workshops at the Uof M. Judith has produced two books on outdoor life and a video on nature and healing. Her creative nonfiction and essays have won various prestigious awards and been reprinted in several anthologies. Judith is an accomplished teacher, helping students develop confidence and new perspective.
	JOAQUIM BALAM CHE - Joaquim is of Mayan descent, both parents were born in remote villages in the Mayan heartland area of Felipe Carillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Sr. Balam Che graduated from college with a degree in Mayan Cultural studies. He has worked and directed several Mexican Cultural Centers - the most recent being the La Casa de Cultura in Felipe Carillo Puerto. A dream central to his work is the preservation and education of the Mayan language through written and oral traditions. Joaquim is a noted poet, writer and storyteller. Much of his time is spent traveling to Mayan villages teaching writing and reading of the Mayan language to adults and children. He has been honored and received diplomas of recognition for his work in translating books into both Spanish and Mayan, for his poetry, and for his contribution to the preservation of the Mayan culture. Sr. Balam Che speaks English and is presently studying French.
	Artist JAN HARTLEY WISE lives in Bayfield, WI. She is well known for her mastery of a wide range of media and exhibits regularly at art galleries including the Sivertson's Gallery in Duluth, MN. Her B.A. and M.A. are from the University of Kansas. Her works can be found in corporate collections throughout Minnesota. In September 2001, Jan exhibited her work entitled "Women of Spirit" at the Owatonna Art Center.  "Women of Spirit" is a group of five women artists who explore their connection between art and spiritual development.  Jan lectures and offers workshops across the upper Midwest. She focuses on the inner artist and the innate sense of creativity. Her well-attended classes are about personal images and symbols and ways to use individual stories as the foundation for creative expression. Jan’s art lead her personal spiritual journey and her ensuing work as a spiritual director. She studied at the Center For Spiritual Guidance on the campus at St. Katherine's College in St. Paul, MN and at the Ancient Ways Center for the Shamanic Arts in Nederland, CO.
	ANNA WOODS is the founder of Sian Ka'an Artistas, an international art exchange located on the Yucatan Caribbean coast, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. An accomplished painter and writer, Anna resides in both Canada and Mexico. Following a formal art education in Michigan, Anna moved to Manitoba where she was pivotal in establishing two professional artists' organizations: Manitoba Artists for Women's Art and Women and The Arts. As a board member for both groups, she encouraged the development of a mentor program, semi-annual exhibitions of the women's work, studio tours, grant and funding strategies, festivals and lectures from professional artists. These efforts were the grounding for ensuing international projects in West Quebec, Eastern Europe, and Mexico. Anna's paintings have appeared in many solo and group exhibitions in Canada, Mexico, and the Ukraine. A major accomplishment was the publication of her second book, " Healing Waters: The Mayan Series." Twenty illustrations and thirteen stories comprise this trilingual art and storybook. It encapsulates her extended experiences visiting, sketching, and living in Mayan villages. It is unprecedented in contemporary literature for its translation in Yucatecan Mayan and Spanish.