Psychedelics Today PT 651 - Betty Aldworth & Ismail Ali: MAPS Co-Executive Directors on Leadership, Research, and the Future of Psychedelics
Mar 19, 2026
Ismail Ali, MAPS co-executive director focused on policy and strategic research; Betty Aldworth, MAPS co-executive director specializing in communications and therapist training. They discuss stepping into permanent co-leadership, coordinating research, education, and policy pillars, planning Psychedelic Science 2027, global therapist training, first responder programs, and movement-building strategies.
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Co-Executive Leadership Creates Spaciousness
- Co-executive leadership creates spaciousness and shared responsibility that reduces overwhelm for executive roles.
- Betty and Ismail describe stepping into co-ED roles after staged transitions and finding partnership lets them tackle fundraising, strategy, and team cohesion together.
Medical Approval Isn’t A Drug War Panacea
- FDA approval alone won't automatically dismantle the broader drug war or criminal legal harms.
- Betty and Ismail stress medicalization raises questions and awareness but systemic criminal-legal change requires targeted movement work beyond research visibility.
Support Multiple Pathways Not Just Medicalization
- Don’t reduce MAPS to only its FDA-facing research; support multiple access pathways like decriminalization, medical, and cultural contexts.
- Ismail emphasizes MAPS’ three pillars—research, education, policy—and the need to weave them together.