PAZA, TREE OF LIFE
501c3 Non-Profit
Native American support organization dedicated to the Empowerment of the Indigenous People of Turtle Island & Harmony Among Nations
Joe Resch
Premaculture/
Indigenous Agriculture
Joe Resch is a life-long Naturalist with broad knowledge and experience in Organic Gardening, Nursery Management, Horticulture. He is currently studying Permaculture and Indigenous agriculture with the intent of finding natural solutions for our ecological challenges
Joe has worked in the plant industry for over ten years, most recently in retail nursery management. The most rewarding thing for him, however, is helping people to connect with Nature. .
Joseph has served a term as Secretary for Columcille Megalith Park's board of directors and is currently the project leader for their Forest, Flora, and Fauna Committee as well as an advisory board member. He is Managing Director for Antinanco Earth Arts School, and also leads Antinanco's effort to help the functionally-extinct American Chestnut tree as Project Coordinator.
Joe is a dedicated father and loves spending time with his daughter, Serenity. His dream is to help bring humankind and Nature back to a peaceful, loving, and mutually beneficial relationship.
Jane L. Fitzpatrick
Historical Storyteller
Honoring Indigenous Cultures
Jane Fitzpatrick has worked as a writer, production assistant, associate producer and featured extra on multiple film productions. She has owned & operated several film-related businesses including Sacajawea The Movie, Spirit Wind Films and Broken Hand Productions. She has devoted the last 10 years of her career securing a powerful team to produce an epic film on the life of Sacajawea. Along with the feature length screenplay, Sacajawea, The Windcatcher, which was Nominated and Selected for Best Period Piece, at the Action On Film International Film Festival in 2013, she is writing a novel to accompany the distribution of the film.
Jane, a writer for over 30 years, has written three children's books as well as a family-centered script entitled, Kimama’s Wings, and she’s developing the script for Pomp, a miniseries based on Sacajawea's son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. In addition to her writing, she co-operates an inspirational online store (www.spiritwindcollection.com) with her daughter, Shawna Fitzpatrick.
Burton Guerue
Native American Art & Design
Burton Guerue is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Reservation and the great grandson of Chief William Spotted Tail, a Brule Tribal Chief, and diplomatic leader for his people.
Burton is trained in carpentry, construction, welding as well as small gas and automatic engines, and his uses these skills to help make life better for his people.
Burton founded Spotted Tail Creations to show case his traditional beadwork, an art that was passed down to him from the elders. He makes authentic moccasins, leggings, regalia, and emblems in the traditional ways of the Lakota Sioux. His passion is sharing the stories handed down from his Lakota Oyate to help preserve the oral history for future generations.
Burton has worked for Tree of Life Ministries for the last serveral years in his service to his community. He also serves as a liason for PAZA, Tree of with the Rosebud Tribe, and as a coordinator for ongoing missions.
Burton resides with his wife, Lora and their three children on the Rosebud Reservation in Mission, SD.
Robert Christopher
Arborist
Advocate for Mother Earth & Indigenous Cultures
Robert Christopher currently holds the position of the City Forester for the City of Easton in Pennsylvania. He is also a supporting Industry expert for the Easton Environmental Advisory Council. Robert has a B.S. degree in Ornamental Horticulture/Landscape Design, from Delaware Valley University (1990) and is a Certified Arborist through the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) (2017), during the Summer of 2019, he completed a program through Penn State University to become a PA Forest Steward.
Robert enjoys gardening, raising fancy fowl, painting and drawing, is an avid antiques/art collector. Being the eldest son of 4 boys and a first-generation child of Italian immigrants, Robert has a strong sense of tradition, spiritual beliefs and has been blessed with a strong sixth sense that is still unfolding each passing day. He has been a certified foster parent for several years, ultimately adopting his daughter.
Robert is also an advocate for environmental preservation, human/animal welfare, is fascinated with our Universe and the ever-unfolding mystery of human consciousness.
James Todd
Cultural Healing & Reconciliation
Jim is an ordained United Methodist pastor in Eastern Pennsylvania, recently retired from full-time ministry but active in different missions. Jim was ordained 40 years ago and has served five churches as pastor as well as eight years as a district superintendent for 80 churches in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties in Pennsylvania.
Jim’s heart for Native American people grew from hearing the story of how a Colorado Methodist pastor, John Chivington, ordered the slaughter of several hundred Cheyenne and Arapaho people at Sand Creek on the plains of eastern Colorado in 1864 in a military operation. Jim has participated in services of repentance for these and other acts of violence in both regional and national gatherings of United Methodists, and seeks ways to bring understanding, reconciliation and healing.
Along with his college and seminary training, Jim has received further training in the areas of finance, administration, leadership, and conflict mediation. He currently serves as chair of the Human Resources Team of the Eastern PA Conference of the United Methodist Church and serves on the board of LUMINA, an inner-city mission serving the poor in Lancaster, PA.
Jim has been married to his wife, Karen for 42 years, and they have two grown daughters, Lauren and Kristin. The Todds reside in the city of Lancaster, PA.
Rev. Dr. Samora
Arts/Cultural Affairs
Rev. Dr. Samora (aka The Lovesmith) is the Associate Director for The New Seminary of Interfaith Studies, owner of Common Ground Ceremonies, an award-winning event and ceremony business in NYC, and a Master Healer.
Dr. Samora comes from an interfaith and multi-cultured background and has devoted her life’s work to bringing harmony and love to people of all beliefs and backgrounds. She is also an accomplished singer/songwriter who has traveled all over the world performing with artists of all nations and is now the Minister of Music for The Interfaith Temple.
Dr. Samora’s walks along side to bring forth the vision of the Lakota Rainbow Warriors as prophcised by Crazy Horse: “There will come a day when people of all races, colors, and creeds will put aside their differences. They will come together in love, joining hands in unification, to heal the Earth and all her children. They will move over the Earth like a great Whirling Rainbow, bringing peace, understanding, and healing everywhere they go”
To follow this path of spreading peace, culture, and knowledge, Samora is merging her healing and musical talents with Hehakapa Mahto to form Performing Arts & Education partnership through their company, N8TVPrime Productions LLP.
Jeff Inti Keim
Earth Naturalist/Advocate for Indgenous Cultures
Jeff is a gardener, builder, landscaper, stone carver, and a water protector who has been closely involved with the Indigenous Coalition at Standing Rock. He has been studying plants, plant medicines and wild edibles since his early teens, and is an apprentice to a Shipibo shaman.
In addition, Jeff loves camping, hiking, backpacking, skiing, snowboarding, rock and ice climbing, disk golf, bicycling and motorcycling, and has toured across New Zealand, covering 1500 miles on a bike. Jeff is also a river guide and has kayaked all over North America, from Canada to Costa Rica. He enjoys exploring the world and studying philosophy, psychology and religions.
Certifications: 6 levels of certification in kayak instruction.