Board of Directors
Dr. Ruby Gibson,
Executive Director of Freedom Lodge
Jeff Iron Cloud,
Cultural Consultant
Celeste Gibson,
Gibson CPA & Law
Laura Fragua-Cota,
Art Therapist
Candace Pourier,
Psychotherapist
For the past 35 years, Dr. Gibson has been dedicated to the craft and science of Historical Trauma recovery among our Native Peoples all around Turtle Island. Dr. Gibson developed two intergenerational trauma recovery models, Somatic Archaeology© and Generational Brainspotting™. She is the author of My Body, My Earth, The Practice of Somatic Archaeology, and My Body, My Breath Card Deck, a Tool for Transformation, co-designed with Ola Faye Thompson. Dr. Gibson’s techniques have been field tested for over 25 years with amazing effectiveness. As a mixed-blood woman, Dr. Gibson's life experience and ceremonial life guided her to develop these healing techniques. She has learned how to simplify the complexity of trauma recovery through the inspiration of her spiritual grandmothers and the four worlds of creation. She believes we all have an amazing capacity to reconcile personal and cultural suffering when we have the proper skills. Dr. Gibson is the co-founder and Executive Director of Freedom Lodge nonprofit, and in 2015 opened the Black Hills Historical Trauma Research & Recovery Center in Rapid City, SD.
Mr. Iron Cloud is the Cultural Consultant for Freedom Lodge, and has been with the organization for 8 years. He is the creator of FireStarters, and delivers wood to Pine Ridge Reservation for Elder and disadvantaged tribal members. Jeff has worked in Human Services, counseling men with drug and alcohol addictions, and has provided talking circles at Rapid City Juvenile County Detention for incarnated youth. Jeff is the father of one daughter and one son, he has 2 grandsons, 2 granddaughters, 2 great-granddaughters and 1 great-grandson. Jeff also has 3 Hunka sons and 2 Hunka daughters. The name Iron Cloud comes from the Knife Chief Tiospaye and Locke Tiospaye (Crow). Jeff has 2 brothers and 5 sisters.
An independent Certified Public Accountant, Celeste Gibson has provided tax and accounting services to individuals, farms, and small businesses in southwestern Wisconsin since 1994. Celeste holds degrees as a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration. She passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant in 1984, earning an Elijah Watts Sells Award for grades among the top 1% in the nation.
Celeste owns and operates Gibson CPA & Law LLC, a full-service professional firm in Viroqua, Wisconsin. In addition to tax and accounting services, the firm provides legal services in the areas of estate planning, probate, business law, divorce mediations, and nonprofit law.
Laura Fragua-Cota is from the village of Walatowa, Jemez Pueblo, NM. She is involved with her tribal community through her family, her work as an artist and as an Art Therapist. She works at a public school near her village and is currently adjunct faculty at the Institute of American Indian Arts, IAIA in Santa Fe, NM. Laura is also a graduate of the 2018 Historical Trauma Master Class offered here at Freedom Lodge.
Ms. Candace Pourier is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe from the Pine Ridge Reservation. She works for OST Native Healing Program as a Substance Abuse Counselor and has been actively in recovery for 43 years. Ms. Pourier is licensed in the State of South Dakota and has an AA degree in Lakota Studies. Candace has completed four years of the Historical Trauma Master class with Freedom Lodge in Rapid City, S.D. She joined the Freedom Lodge Board of Directors in 2022. Having worked with Native Americans through the years, she helps those with Substance Abuse using the techniques that Freedom Lodge teaches through Somatic Archaeology© to help clients do somatic therapy, breath work, and therapeutic essential oils. Candace works with Co-Dependency Treatment, Support Groups and Consultation. She enjoys working with people to help them from sickness to recovery. Candace lives according to her Higher Power and believes without the Great Spirit and Ancestors there is no healing.