Leading UFO Research and Education
​Mindy Tautfest, Owner and CEO of the International UFO Bureau (IUFOB), brings a wealth of experience and expertise gained during her tenure at the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). Joining MUFON as a member in 2019, Mindy quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a certified Field Investigator and serving as Oklahoma State Director from 2020 to 2023. Her dedication to empowering UFO researchers and assisting experiencers distinguished her as a leader in the field.
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In 2022, she joined MUFON’s Experiencer Resource Team (ERT), providing critical support to individuals processing complex and often challenging encounters. That same year, Mindy spearheaded the modernization of MUFON’s Case Management System (CMS), ensuring its continued relevance as a vital tool for UFO investigations worldwide.
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Her passion for education and innovation led to her appointment as Dean of MUFON University, where she oversaw significant updates to the training curriculum on MUFON’s online learning platform. Under her leadership, Field Investigators gained access to a more robust and dynamic educational experience, better equipping them to conduct investigations with professionalism and rigor.
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Now as the Owner and CEO of the IUFOB, Mindy is focused on advancing its mission to revolutionize UFO and UAP research. Drawing on her extensive background, she continues to lead efforts that bridge the gap between research, education, and public awareness in the quest for understanding these enigmatic phenomena.
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My Story
An Oklahoma native, Mindy got her start investigating hauntings in the Sooner State in search of answers to her own mystifying experiences. Mindy has worked as an ICU Nurse with ACLS certification on assignments across the nation and has volunteered her time to Disaster Relief efforts including the Colorado Black Forest Fires, Hurricane Katrina, and the devastating May 3,1999 Moore Tornado.
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In 2016, Mindy suffered a brain aneurysm resulting in a Near Death Experience where she found herself in a place known as the Void. Although traditionally thought of as a separate phenomenon, in a recent study of submitted Experiencer Questionnaires, MUFON’s ERT has discovered that a staggering 55% of UFO Experiencers also reported having a Near Death Experience. This is a little understood statistic, but Mindy’s personal encounter with the Near Death phenomenon combined with years of investigations into UFO encounters, places her in a unique position to understand the underlying connections and after effects seen as a result of these enigmatic events. Her book, Dying to Meet Them, chronicling her incredible journey from NDE to UAP was released in 2023.
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Mindy has appeared as a guest on numerous podcasts across the United States speaking about UFO sightings, breaking news in Ufology, Near Death Experiences, and High Strangeness in Oklahoma. She has had articles published in the MUFON Journal as well as internationally in Outer Limits Magazine. Her investigation of the 1975 Miracle Mountains Schoolyard Encounter was designated as MUFON’s Top Case of Interest in 2021. This major U.S. schoolyard encounter mimics so many others from around the world including those taking place at the 1966 Australian Westall High School and the 1994 Zimbabwe Ariel School sightings. Mindy presented the incredible findings of her investigation into these unique encounters at the 2022 International MUFON Symposium in Denver, CO and on season 19 of the History Channel's hit TV show Ancient Aliens. Mindy was a featured panelist at the 2023 Alien Con in Pasadena, CA where she represented MUFON and discussed its history of UFO investigations.