Gaia House Interfaith Center Staff

As a community educator with more than thirty years experience, Maurine has designed and conducted community development workshops for student leaders and adults across America and in Guatemala, India, and Russia. She is skilled in the areas of group mediation, conflict resolution, and visioning for organizations and the development of youth leaders. Her audiences have included child welfare caseworkers and supervisors, church leaders and laity, and non-profit agency staff. She also volunteered extensively with interfaith organizations in the Chicago area. Maurine holds a M.A. from National-Louis University and has additional masters degree work at SIUC. She is a member of the Southern Illinois Quaker Meeting and as a traveling minister, provides support and guidance for Quaker organizations across the United States.

Rev. Kim Magwire is an ordained United Church of Christ minister.  She has served both Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ congregations, including Carbondale's Church of the Good Shepherd from 1998-2008. Kim has a B.A. from Hiram College in northeast Ohio and a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.  She has been active in many ecumenical and interfaith endeavors, including organizing interfaith Day of the Dead Festivals, serving as Carbondale Interfaith Council president, as well as on the executive committee of the Illinois Conference of Churches.  Kim has severed on numerous national and conference committees and has been involved locally with the Women's Center, the Adolescent Health Center and LifeSavers.  She has supported and been involved with the Gaia House Interfaith Center for the twelve years she has lived in Carbondale.

Kim has a heart for connecting justice work to spirit.  She describes herself as a feminist process thinker who loves a multi-sensory approach to spiritual exploration.  She enjoys Dances of Universal Peace, labyrinth activities and Advanta Vedanta or Non-Duality Satsangs.  She has been fortunate to study abroad in Turkey and Cuba as well as pursuing sabbatical study in Ecuador and extended spiritual study throughout India. She and her husband Dr. Aaron Newcomb have two young children, Joseph and Clifton.

Jon-Paul (J.P.) Diefenbach, studied Religion at Lindenwood University, and says that his studies and spiritual journey have brought him in close contact with many of the world's faith traditions. That interfaith background, combined with his organization and communication skills, equips J.P. to work effectively with the numerous organizations that meet at the Center. One of the "most constant presences at Gaia House," Jon-Paul holds a wealth of information about "who," "when," and "how to." Email him with questions or concerns about the facility, grounds, and what goes on in them.

Michael (pronounced MY-kay-ell) is the go-to-guy for all things of a research and academic nature. He also supervises interns and has developed a certificate enrichment program called Integral Compass 21 for students wanting a holistic and ethical basis to their education and profession. Check him out at the Center for Spiritual Inquiry and Integral Education in the Dave Colombo Library.

Treesong is a talk radio host, author, poet, teacher, and a member of the Real Life Superhero community. At the Gaia House Interfaith Center he serves as web master and computer/electronics specialist. Treesong has been involved in the Center since first coming to Carbondale as a student in 1997.