Coordinating Council
2023 Members
- General Coordinator – Rev. Robert Hempel
- Communications and Marketing – TBA
- Programs – Brenda Schaeffer
- TA Practitioner Certification – Wayne Hart
- Finance – Lucy Freedman (acting)
- Membership – Alex Stampbach
- IESA – Aleksandra Dobric Stanosevic
Members-at-Large
- Felipé Garcia
- Vann Joines
- Tom Nissley
- Gloria Noriega Gayol
- Edie Beaujon
Rev. Robert L. Hempel
General Coordinator
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Rev. Robert L. Hempel, M.Th., T.A.P. is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, retired. He has used TA for over 40 years as a pastor.
He was introduced to TA in 1966 by the late Bob Goulding, M.D. and the late David Kupfer, at church meeting, which lead to extensive training with the Bob and Mary Goulding at Western Institute for Group and Family Therapy.
He also studied with Denton Roberts, and Maurice and Natalie Haimowitz of Chicago. He uses TA in his practice. Visit his website to learn more resurrectionpastoralcare.org.
He serves on the Coordinating Council as Midwest Representative, FaceBook page editor and a member of the Social Action committee.
Brenda Schaeffer
Coordinator of Programs
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Brenda Schaeffer is an author, a Licensed Psychologist, Certified Addictions Specialist, Certified Transactional Analyst, a TAPI, and holds a doctorate in spiritual psychology. With over 600,000 publications sold, she is the best-selling author of Is It Love or Is It Addiction? presently published in twelve languages, among many other books and appearances.
Dr. Schaeffer is a national and international lecturer and workshop presenter having been a featured speaker in countries such as Iceland, Chile, Canada, and the UK.
Lucy Freedman
Coordinator of Administration / Finance (acting), North American Representative to ITAA
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Lucy Freedman is a consultant, speaker, teacher, and coach who has practiced transactional analysis since the 1970’s.
She served as General Coordinator of USATAA and as President of ITAA, has organized several international TA conferences in San Francisco, and continues to teach and advocate for TA.
She lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California and enjoys walks in the redwoods near her home.
Wayne Hart
Training and Certification Coordinator
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Wayne Hart teaches and coaches TA theory and methods, online, stressing application in professional and personal life. Training qualifies for certification in ITAA’s TA 101, and USATAA’s Introduction to TA and TAP program.
His background includes 20 years clinical work as a Marriage Counselor and Clinical Psychologist, several senior leadership positions, extensive executive coaching, high school classroom teacher, and 19 years as Senior Faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership for which he is a Senior Fellow.
He is a TSTA (ITAA) and TAPI (USATAA) and holds master’s degrees in educational administration and Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Psychology.
Alex Stampbach
Membership Coordinator
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Alex Stampbach is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine with extensive knowledge in biomechanics, nutrition, energy work and holistic healing.
He has been immersed in Transactional Analysis since 2017 and has been employing its benefits into his daily life.
He is an avid pickleball player and enjoys coaching and training others while also playing at a professional level. He also really enjoys camping, adventures, hiking and the outdoors.
Aleksandra D. Stanosevic
Coordinator of Inclusion, Equity, and Social Action Interest Group
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I am a therapeutic counselor with a background in Integrative Transactional Analysis. Integrative means that I rely on other approaches using insights and elements from relational/Rogerian and Erskine’s School of Integrative psychotherapy. I started off with the Serbian TA Training Centre to obtain the TA Practitioner Certificate, and my first placement was at a rehab in Belgrade.
Having emigrated to Canada in 2015, I was blessed to re-train with Janice Dowson and thus earned the USATAATAAP certificate in 2020. In the meantime, my journey into helping professions was enriched by taking up a Bachelor Program of Social Work in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where I gained
considerable insight into a recent Indigenous history of residential schools, the 60-ies scoop, and neocolonialism. In the course of my first years of social work practice, I continued learning about addictions and mental health, working with clients from all walks of life, while a major part of my clientele was Indigenous. My passion and enthusiasm lie in social justice issues and decolonization and what I enjoy the most is helping clients do self-advocacy and practice autonomy.
I’ve got three kids and two black pugs. The highlight of my day is going on my bike and listening to the recordings of TA training courses. TA adds a delightful flavour to my life!
Felipé Garcia
Member-at-Large
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Felipe is one of the original founders of USATAA and was the first general coordinator of the USATAA council. He was in private practice in San Antonio Texas as a psychotherapist and trainer for 45 years. He is mostly retired but still does some teletherapy and training/supervision. He also served in many roles in the International Transactional Analysis Association including serving on the board of trustees and coordinating regional and International Conferences.
Vann Joines
Member-at-Large
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Vann Joines, PhD, TAPI, TSTA and a Diplomate in Redecision Therapy, serves as an educational advisor on the Council. He directs the Southeast Institute in Chapel Hill, NC where he trains other professionals in Transactional Analysis, Redecision Therapy, Advanced Integrative Therapy, Marriage and Family Therapy and a number of other approaches.
He is currently training in Chapel Hill, Louisville, KY, Japan, and China. He is co-author of TA Today: A New Introduction to Transactional Analysis (2nd Edition) and Personality Adaptations: A New Guide to Human Understanding in Psychotherapy and Counseling, and he developed the Joines Personality Adaptation Questionnaire.
Inna Learn
Coordinator, Communications and Marketing
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Inna Learn is a researcher of social cognition, perception, and bystander behavior in situations of sex/gender harassment and discrimination. She was trained in TA and mentored by Vladimir Gussakovski and by various workshop leaders during local and international TA conferences.
Tom Nissley
Member-at-Large
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Born and grew in Lancaster PA. Early fun as Junior Magician and Floral Designer. High School Band and Orchestra. Entered Franklin and Marshall College planning to be a florist. English degree 1955; by then on the path to Princeton Seminary and ordained as Presbyterian Minister. (Later attended the University of Neufchatel as a doctoral student).
Introduced to TA thru Richard Abell and Bill Holloway; then WIGFT with Bob and Mary Goulding, George Thompson, Jon McNeel. Also trained with Marilyn Zalcman and Richard Erskine and Joseph Zinker (Gestalt).
I am a Clinical Certified Transactional Analyst and can teach the TA 101. Founded and hosted training events for TA and Gestalt at the Ridgelea Institute in Connecticut, which is still my home state. Served ITAA as trustee and Program Chairperson. Helped found the Eastern Region TA Association. Promoted tours to conferences in Belgium, Switzerland, Singapore, and Brazil. Presented workshop demonstrating Family System using the Ridgelea (really, Russian) Dolls.
Gloria Noriega Gayol
Member-at-Large
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Coming soon.