Judy Bourdeau
Database Administrator

Judy Bourdeau joined the Foundation team in November 2020 as the Database Administrator, providing support services to the Foundation’s fundraising and communications programs. Judy has served non-profit organizations for more than 15 years in marketing, IT, database, and executive leadership roles where she has increased membership, annual meeting attendance and revenue. Early in her career, Judy earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, the highest professional recognition in the nonprofit association industry.

Judy enjoys spending time with her identical twin sister, Julie; learning about history through genealogy research; and getting outdoors in her home of Minneapolis, Minnesota as often as possible for a round of disc golf. Judy can be reached at Judy@FoundationIFS.org.

Shaun Dempsey, PhD
OUTLOOK Assistant Editor

Shaun, a Certified IFS Therapist in full-time private practice in North Queensland, Australia, specializes in working with adults who have experienced complex trauma related to childhood abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse. Shaun, who began IFS in 2016 with the IFS Online Circle and completed Levels 1 and 2 in 2018, provides supervision for experienced clinicians around complex cases.

As Assistant Editor, Shaun contributes many of our feature articles as well as engages in the review and dissemination process. As OUTLOOK expands, his efforts will ensure our continued growth. (OUTLOOK has naturally evolved from twelve pages to fourty-four pages and counting over the past nine editions. Perhaps we’ll be a full-fledged magazine one day.) “I’m very excited about my new role as assistant editor and am already enjoying the opportunity to meet and talk with interesting people who are highly IFS-focused,” Shaun shares. “I’m delighted to be able to contribute to OUTLOOK’s publication and, through that, hope to be a small part of community building for IFS in Australia and internationally.” While not helping his clients, working, or writing for OUTLOOK, Shaun enjoys riding his bike, hanging out in the bush, and dodging the summertime heat by swimming with his wife and two young children. Shaun may be contacted at Shaun@FoundationIFS.org.

Daniel Fermin
Financial Coordinator

Daniel Fermin has serve as Controller since 2019, recently relocated to Nova Scotia.

Daniel worked previously with two nonprofits as a financial supervisor and coordinator of financial and accounting processes and budgeting, monitoring compliance with standards and regulations, tracking and reporting on financial transactions, and supporting the development of financial policies and procedures. His work with grants will be quite valuable for us as we enter a new grant-seeking phase in support of our new strategic priorities.

Toufic M. Hakim, PhD
Executive Director

Toufic M. Hakim, PhD, supports the Foundation presently as Executive Director. Previously, he served a Executive Director for Operations and Communications and Executve Advisor since the Foundation's activation. He is currently Senior Managing Principal of Group i&i Consultancy, a firm dedicated to developing organizational capacity, assessments, and funding. His former contributions were in the domain of higher education, where he served as Professor of Physics and Engineering, Assistant to the President, and Senior Research and Grants Officer. He also led two large professional societies as elected president and full-time executive officer. Toufic is drawn to IFS and the work of the Foundation, for which he has provided strategic advice since its reactivation. He continues to be fascinated with systems and interactions, intrigued by language and imagery, and deeply committed to peacemaking. Toufic may be contacted at Toufic@FoundationIFS.org.

Helen E. Lees, PhD
OUTLOOK Editor

Helen E. Lees, PhD, is an academic and journalist with 30 years of writing experience, including editing a university newspaper, a handbook, a book series and, for 12 years, an online academic journal seeking to support the building of a new academic sub-discipline of alternative education.

She has contributed various articles to newspapers, magazines and academic work to journals, as well as being a published poet. She is author of three monographs linked to education. The latest "Playing the University Game" is due out in August 2022 with Bloomsbury.

Helen's 2011 PhD thesis asked "what is the Self in relation to the discovery by adults that children do not have to go to school?" Her discovery of IFS was triggered by a comment on a post on Instagram. Having "met" and lost the Self during a period of spiritual escape in her twenties, she had sought to identify how to be with the Self as a constant state of being, although used other words. When she looked into IFS she was astonished to encounter the missing piece of her thinking: the practical method to correspond with all her philosophical questions of the past 30 years. Apart from the taking of responsibility and trying to care about others and our planet, IFS is for Helen the most interesting, curiosity-provoking and important event-horizon we have.

Helen lives in Tuscany, Italy, near Florence and is dual nationality British-Italian. In her spare time, she tends a small holding, including unofficial extra virgin olive oil production and is trying to paint like Leonardo, her neighbour.

Helen may be reached at OUTLOOK@FoundationIFS.org.

Joshua Lisojo, MS
Web Developer

Joshua Lisojo was born and raised in Perth Amboy, NJ, he still lives there today. On December 15, 2001 he suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury while wrestling at a tournament for Perth Amboy High School. Instantly he was paralyzed and now depends on a motorized wheelchair to get around. Despite many obstacles he studied computer science at Kean University in Union, NJ. He earned his B.S. in Computer Science in 2013 and his M.S. in Computer Information Systems in 2014. He graduated magna cum laude.

Joshua joined the foundation in 2014 as a web developer. He updates the website and creates the webpages for the online version of OUTLOOK. Joshua can be reached at Web@FoundationIFS.org

Barbara Perkins
Senior Associate Director-Development & Communications

Barbara Perkins joined the Foundation in 2020. Working closely with the executive director, she provides guidance, support, and coordination for fundraising and communication strategy and activities. She hopes to advance greater access to IFS by fostering the community of practice and securing the charitable support needed to fund additional research and pilot projects.

Barbara has broad and deep experience with development and communications in the non-profit sector, specifically higher education, healthcare, human services, faith-based, and fine arts organizations. Her many accomplishments over the past two decades include record-setting annual giving programs, successful fundraising campaigns, and award-winning websites.

A long-time advocate for behavioral health, Barbara was introduced to IFS by practitioner and trainer Robin Spiro, LCSW. Barbara is on the journey toward Self leadership but already agrees with Jennifer Krug, PhD, who suggests that it belongs on the list of Exceptional Human Experiences.

Barbara has been practicing Iyengar yoga since 2003 and is pursuing her Master Gardener certification. She identifies as a progressive Christian and lives out this faith as a political activist for social justice and creation care. Above all, she is grateful that her, now adult, son and daughter came into her life. She can be reached at Barbara@FoundationIFS.org.

Ilanit Tal, PhD
Associate Director for Research

Ilanit Tal, PhD, joined our team at the Foundation Spring 2019 as Associate Director for Research. In this new role, she provides leadership, management, coordination, and support regarding IFS research activities stimulated through the Foundation.

After completing her PhD in Evolutionary Psychology in 2009, she worked in clinical research at the Department of Veterans Affairs with a focus on burnout, depression, suicide, and bereavement. While at the San Diego VA, she also chaired the hospital’s Complementary and Integrative Health committee and led efforts to connect a community of VA clinicians using IFS, collaborating with them and the Foundation to develop a proposed pilot research program for the VA. Ilanit, along with her enthusiastic manager parts, is excited to bring her skills and experience to support the Foundation’s continued efforts to build on the evidence base that will bring healing to more people who could benefit from IFS, including veterans.

She was first introduced to the Model when her dear friend and colleague, Jan McClure, PhD, RN, invited her to observe one of her sessions with her IFS therapist. From that point on, she began to get to know her own parts and experience healing through IFS. Ilanit feels connected to the IFS community through attending workshops at Esalen with Richard Schwartz, PhD, since 2014.

In her spare time, she can be found practicing and teaching yoga. She is a polyglot and enjoys traveling and immersing herself in other cultures. Ilanit is happiest when she is singing and dancing. Ilanit can be reached at Research@FoundationIFS.org