Our Board of Directors

The Khonmadi Project by Freedom Lodge

The Khonmadi Project Board of Directors serves as the spiritual and operational guardians of a sacred calling. Our Board members are the stewards of this vision, ensuring that every gathering is held with the reverence, safety, and cultural integrity that our Ancestors and Mother Earth demand.

Dr. Ruby Gibson

Executive Director of Freedom Lodge

Dr. Ruby Gibson (Mediterranean/Lakota) is the founder of Freedom Lodge and the creator of Somatic Archaeology©, a recovery model rooted in 35 years of global practice in historical trauma reconciliation. An accomplished author and researcher, her work focuses on translating transgenerational burdens into spiritual advantage and generational harmony.

As the visionary behind the Khonmadi Project, Dr. Gibson is dedicated to honoring the "Heartbeat of Mother Earth." Her leadership ensures that the project remains a sacred space for cultural integrity, earth-centered resourcing, and the collective healing of Indigenous communities across Turtle Island and beyond.

Rhonda Akin

Director of the Khonmadi Project

Rhonda Akin, RN is third-generation Japanese American, from a convergence of Indigenous, Hispanic, Asian and European cultures. Her early adulthood experiences of foster-mothering children from Pine Ridge Reservation opened up a lifetime mission to work within the fields of spirituality, holistic health, education, environmental and social justice. Her professional and volunteer experience ranges from delivering nursing care in hospital and community settings, mentoring health care professionals, facilitating community organizations and meditation communities.

Jeff Iron Cloud

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.

Laura Fragua-Cota

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Laurelyn Baker

Susan Nemcek

Susan Nemcek is a Social Worker, Classical Homeopath, and dedicated advocate for social change with over four decades of experience in service and healing. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Susan’s career spans youth advocacy and therapeutic foster care to interfaith chaplaincy. In 2015, she founded the Willow Farm Contemplative Center, where she hosts retreats and rituals focused on healing grief, trauma, and end-of-life transitions. Currently, Susan also serves as an interfaith chaplain and trauma support specialist for The Natural Funeral, specializing in green burial and holistic grief support. She lives in Hygiene, Colorado, where she is a passionate flower farmer and animal lover.