Oakland Office Staff
Scott Wolland – Executive Director and CEO
As Director of Operations for the Turtle Island Restoration Network from 2008-2010, Wolland managed assets,day-to-day operations, and co-managed the budget. Prior to joining Turtle Island, from 1999 to 2008 he was Director of the Clem Miller Environmental Education Center for Point Reyes National Seashore Association, where he directed all programmatic aspects including marketing, budgeting, Education Center fundraising and facility operation. During his tenure, Wolland increased scholarships 600%, enabling families from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds to participate in the organization’s environmental education programs. He is a member of the North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE) and the Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educators (AEOE).
Aaron Gilbert – Program Director
Aaron grew up in suburban Chicago. As a young person he excelled in team sports and dreamed of playing shortstop for the Chicago Cubs. When he wasn’t throwing, kicking, or shooting a ball, Aaron loved to explore the forest and ravines surrounding his house. Aaron first came to California to attend college, and it was during as three-day canoe trip before his freshman year that he first slept out under the stars. The wide rivers, majestic mountains, rolling hills, and vast deserts of California stole his heart and he has been playing in the outdoors ever since. In 2005 he moved to San Francisco where he merged his passion for the outdoors with interest in youth development. For the next 5 years he ran outdoor leadership programs for youth in the Mission District. Aaron is deeply committed to social justice and believes that urban youth around the Bay need to have access to experiences in the outdoors, which will empower them to realize their fullest potential. Aaron completed his Wilderness Leadership Training (WLT) in June of 2006 and has been a member of the BAWT instructor faculty since 2007. In 2011, he completed a year-long facilitator’s training with Diversity Works. He loves to travel, cook, ride bikes and speak Spanish. He is trained as a Wilderness First Responder.
Hiring for Director of Development
Miranda Fry – Program Associate
With the Sierra’s in her backyard, Miranda developed an early appreciation for the California landscape and outdoor recreation. She came to BAWT as an intern, after earning her BFA in Pictorial Arts from San Jose State in 2012. Because Miranda is an avid backpacker, climber and outdoor enthusiast, the majority of her artwork reflects the places she explores. After her first ascent of Mt. Shasta in June 2012, she realized that outdoor education was going to be apart of her career. “I have become so empowered by my experiences outdoors that I have to give it back to the community. There’s no reason why such beauty and power should be kept from anyone, especially young people.” She currently leads backpacking trips with high school students and teaches art enrichment classes at Alpha Charter School. On her days off, you can find her surfing, climbing outdoors, backpacking or in the studio painting. She is Wilderness First Aid certified and hopes to get her Wilderness First Responder by the end of 2013.
San Francisco Office Staff
Zak Klein – Programs Coordinator, Camping at the Presidio
Originally from Pennsylvania, Zak’s outdoor experience was originally fishing with his father, building forts in forests and dams in streams with friends, followed by more frequent and farther-flung backpacking and boating trips as an adolescent. In 2000, Zak thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, an experience which solidified his desire to share with others the delights of backcountry travel and outdoor living. After early work establishing two student-outing organizations and environmental initiatives, Zak worked as a field instructor for NOLS and Outward Bound USA across the country from the Florida keys and the Appalachians to Yellowstone highlands and nearby Big Basin. Zak has instructed whitewater canoe, alpine backpacking, climbing, sailing and caving courses. Serving students from the public school systems in Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Oakland, Zak has witnessed the acute impact of expedition living and experiential learning for students not often exposed to a natural classroom. The simplicity of outdoor living fosters friendship and connection among people in a way that’s elusive among 20013′s gadgetry and distractions. Knowing that we can reveal a special nook for a camping experience right in San Francisco’s Presidio is very unique, exciting and keeps me motivated!
Amelia Vigil – Program Associate, Camping at the Presidio
Amelia Vigil was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been an outdoor recreational leader since high school, attending urban pioneers. She continued her education in the outdoors by earning an Associate Degree in Outdoor Recreational Leadership from Feather River Community College. A poet at heart, she studied at Mills College, receiving a BFA in literature with an emphasis in creative writing. Amelia has taught rock climbing and belay techniques at gyms in the Bay Area and Brooklyn. She continues her passion for the outdoors with BAWT as the CAP Associate. Holding true to BAWT and CAP values, she doubles as a youth worker and outdoor education enrichment instructor at the June Jordan School for Equity.
Milpitas (South Bay) Office Staff
Drew Crawford – Program Associate
Drew coordinates all gear library requests for both the Milpitas and Oakland Gear Libraries (please see above for his bio).
Faculty
Terry Williams – Instructor
Terry integrates a wealth of experience in adventure-based learning, leadership and organizational development in her work with people from diverse backgrounds within schools, non-profit organizations, and corporations throughout the U.S. and internationally. Her work focused on strength-based experiential curriculum and facilitated programs emphasizing participatory processes, performance, and teamwork. She has a PhD with a specialization in Leadership. Her doctoral studies began with several intensive international community studies and service projects with the Mayan people and their villages including a 40-mile trek through the backcountry of western Guatemala and climbing the highest peak in Central America. Terry has also traveled over 15,000 miles on a bicycle, including a solo 8,000 cross-country journey for a national youth advocacy project, meeting with the President, representatives, U.S. senators, governors, mayors, and community leaders of over 24 states and 150 communities.
