Dan first attended a tracking workshop with Wilderness Youth Project (WYP) in 2001 and hasn’t been able to quit the project since.  Over the years he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of WYP.  Although he's been a resident of Goleta since 1994, his reverent appreciation of the environment around the Santa Barbara Channel has yet to plateau.  He’s guided by a certainty that connection with the landscape around us helps develop the personal gifts that enrich our lives and the Community that contains us.

Erika was born and raised in Santa Barbara. In 2001 she returned home after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, for a job with SBCAG Traffic Solutions, where she worked for over 5 years promoting alternative transportation. Erika's love of the outdoors comes from growing up in Mission Canyon and from attending Santa Barbara Middle School. Her pastimes include surfing, biking, dancing salsa, spending time with friends and family and volunteering with the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition and Bici Centro, a community bike eduction center.

Kelly Villarruel grew up in Santa Barbara and has an intimate knowledge and love of our area.  With a background in early childhood education, she has worked in both preschool and home, day care settings for close to 20 years.  Kelly has been a massage therapist since 1989 and was an instructor at a local massage school where she focused on bringing awareness skills into daily life. She also holds a degree in Environmental Horticulture with an emphasis on restoration and regeneration. With the Wilderness Youth Project she is thrilled to find an environment to combine her passions for children, nature, and awareness skills.  She currently runs our home-school and preschool programs, and is a lead mentor in our after school programs.

Jess is originally from the East Coast, where her love of beaches, forests and butterflies first bloomed.  She began working with children in the outdoors over ten years ago.  Jess has taught kids swimming, snowboarding, skiing and yoga.  She is dedicated to offering the children she mentors a wealth of joy and encouragement, since that is what she receives from them.  She holds a B.A. in Multicultural Education and is a certified Yoga Instructor.  Jess believes that the relationships we build with nature, one another, and ourselves are the greatest vehicles for learning. Jess currently lives in Ojai with her partner Michael and their dogs Zoey and Audi.

Dan brings a happy ball of experience as a brother, mentor, coach, caretaker, outdoor guide, restorer, educator, husband, and father. He has traveled the world working with youth in Scotland, India, Europe, and parts of the USA, earning an AA in Outdoor Recreation Leadership and a BA in Theology along the way. He is driven simply to share passion for the natural world while developing deep meaningful relationships with humans and with the larger world. His pastimes are digging for the deeper question, ferf bowling, bog jumping, and watching his son, Finian, sleep. His mantra is “I am the Universe!” 

Mario is a native of Colombia and carries with him a deep connection between people and our environment.  Having lived in South America, the Middle East, Northern Europe, and various parts of the United States, he has an innate ability to learn from and adapt to diverse environments and cultures.  After earning a degree in Business, Mario has continually found himself being involved in programs that benefit the youth, whether by working to find homes for older orphans, helping at risk youth find strength and support, or by sharing his passion for life and the natural world with students of all ages.  After enjoying three years living in Lake Tahoe, Mario decided to move to Santa Barbara and continue in his path of education and mentorship.  In addition to his passion for nature and education, Mario loves to dance, play music, ride his bike, and work in his organic garden.

Other 2010 Staff (bios coming soon):

Laurel Podsen
Randy Fritz

Charlie's passion for nature comes from his extensive background working with youth in wilderness environments for the past 20 years. He has trained with The Tree of Peace Society, The Tracker School, Wilderness Awareness School and The School of Lost Borders. He has experience with youth of all ages and abilites, including children diagnosed with autism, adjudicated and crisis shelter youth. These experiences have inspired his involvement for Rites of Passage and Vision Fast programs.

Sharon has over 10 years of experience working with youth and families from a variety of backgrounds and was full time staff with WYP from 2001-2008. She earned her B.A. in Sociology from UCSB and has since trained with the Tracker School, Wilderness Awareness School, and School of Lost Borders. Sharon is a certified emergency medical technician and her passions include surfing, backpacking, exploring mysteries, journaling and connecting.

Mark was Executive Director of WYP from 2005-2008 and has extensive training in martial arts, wilderness survival, tracking, and was head chef and an instructor with the Tom Brown Tracker School. He was also a lead instructor for the national Art of Mentoring workshop training program with Wilderness Awareness School. Mark was born in northern Alberta, Canada and spent many of his formative years in the wilds of Alberta and British Columbia. He has been fortunate to have had many wonderful mentors through his life that have helped guide and shape his life.
Mark focuses his time on developing deeper understandings of how the mentoring process in nature helps facilitate the formation of exceptional human beings.

Warren Brush is a certified Permaculture designer and teacher as well as a mentor and storyteller. He has worked for over 20 years in inspiring people of all ages to discover, nurture and express their inherent gifts while living in a sustainable manner.  He is co-founder of Quail Springs Learning Oasis & Permaculture Farm, Wilderness Youth Project, Mentoring for Peace, and Trees for Children.  He works extensively in Permaculture education and sustainable systems design in North America and in Africa through his design firm, True Nature Design. He can be reached through email at w@quailsprings.org or by calling his office at 805-886-7239.