Team
The people building this
NPSA is an early-stage organization. This page reflects where we are now.
Board of Directors
Jarrod McCay
Founder and Executive Director
Jarrod has spent his career as a sales engineer bridging technical complexity and real-world need, helping organizations understand how the right infrastructure solves the right problems. When he looked at the U.S. psychedelic research landscape, he saw dozens of campus programs operating in parallel with no shared standards, no common voice, and no coordination layer connecting them.
His engagement with this field spans more than three decades, through the literature, the science, and the lived experience that sits at the center of this work. NPSA was conceived at the Museum of Science Boston's Speaking of Psychedelics event in February 2026, and has been in active formation since.
Christopher Hemsey
Director
Christopher is a Partner at Hemsey Judge, P.C., a Massachusetts litigation firm with over three decades of experience representing clients across state and federal courts. His practice spans criminal defense, civil litigation, family law, and real estate -- fields that require sharp judgment about risk, institutional relationships, and how rules actually function in practice.
He brings that judgment to NPSA's board, advising on governance, compliance, and organizational structure as NPSA builds the legal and operational foundation for a national network of campus programs.
Paul Forte
Director
Paul has spent more than two decades building and scaling health care programs at the intersection of strategy, operations, and institutional complexity. Most recently serving as EVP and Chief Strategy Officer at Health Plans, Inc., he has navigated the organizational and regulatory terrain that comes with building infrastructure across large, fragmented systems -- exactly the kind of experience NPSA needs as it establishes shared standards across campus programs nationwide.
His background spans health care innovation, care delivery reform, and institutional partnership development, with a consistent thread: finding the structural solutions that help organizations say yes to new models of care. He brings that lens to NPSA's board as the organization builds its governance and operational foundation.
Amy McCay
Director and Clerk
Amy brings hands-on governance experience to NPSA's founding board. A graduate of Wheelock College, she has served as clerk for local civic organizations and understands the operational details that keep a nonprofit running -- records, compliance, and the institutional memory that makes good governance possible.
A teacher by profession, Amy has seen firsthand how the right organizational infrastructure shapes what's possible for students. She joined NPSA's board at its founding and serves as the organization's official Clerk.
Founding Advisors
Liza Carballeira, MNM, CAP, IPA
Founder, Epic Philanthropy
Liza brings over two decades of nonprofit development and philanthropic advisory experience to NPSA. As the Founder of Epic Philanthropy, she specializes in building the strategic infrastructure that connects high-impact capital -- particularly Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) -- with organizations ready to scale. She understands the exact operational mechanics that funders look for before they invest.
A systems-builder at heart, Liza knows that student-led initiatives require sustainable funding pathways to thrive. She advises NPSA on the strategic work needed to attract philanthropic capital and make psychedelic science education a supported fixture in higher education.
Reef Youngreen, PhD
Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology, UMass Boston
Reef Youngreen is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology and Department Chair at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His scholarly work centers on social psychology with particular emphasis on identity processes, status hierarchies, deviance, and the role of temporality in social interaction. His research examines how individuals interpret subjective time and pursue identity verification within complex, stratified environments. He is known for integrating classical sociological theory with contemporary empirical approaches and innovative research design.
Beyond his research, he is a committed educator and mentor who emphasizes clear, creative pedagogy and experiential learning. He designs courses that connect sociological theory to students' lived experiences through autobiographical and reflective work. As department chair and founding advisor, he contributes to building intellectually vibrant communities, supporting interdisciplinary dialogue, and advancing emerging areas of inquiry at the intersection of society, consciousness, and culture.
Additional advisors will be announced as the founding circle is confirmed.
Founding Student Leaders
Chase Bourbon
Co-President, Harvard Undergraduate Psychedelics Club
Chase is a junior studying Neuroscience and Philosophy at Harvard University and a Research Student at the Neurospirituality Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital. As Co-President of the Harvard Undergraduate Psychedelics Club, he has helped build one of the most active student psychedelic organizations at an Ivy League institution.
Coming from Kansas, a state with notoriously harsh drug policy, Chase is drawn to the science of psychedelics and their potential role in mental health and healing.
Current status
Where we are now
Founding website live at nationalpsychedelicstudies.org. Chapter directory in development.
Initial outreach underway with student psychedelic clubs across the country. Building the founding chapter pipeline.
501(c)(3) tax-exempt status granted by the IRS. Effective February 28, 2026.
Founding advisory circle forming across five domains.