Nans Bujan

PhD in Coastal Oceanography, Montpellier University, France, 2009
Nans is a physical oceanographer interested in the management and dynamics of coastal systems. His focus is on waves and currents near the beach, using a mix of field investigation and numerical modeling. He settled in Asia, and later Taiwan where he currently resides, after a canoeing journey along the Mekong River. He is presently working on internal waves, morphodynamics, and the impact of extreme typhoon-generated waves on the shores of Taiwan. Nans has led our French Polynesia Program since Summer 2022.

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Charles Chris Carpenter

PhD in Biological Ecology, UC Davis, 1991
Chris is a conservation scientist who has conducted field studies and led natural history expeditions in Asia for over twenty years. His main academic focus is the ecology and geodynamics of mountain environments. He is also interested in the marine world, environmental control of species richness and strategies for habitat conservation. He lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and teaches part of the year at Payap University. Chris has been teaching with Wildlands Studies since 1990 and has taught multiple programs in China, India, and throughout Southeast Asia. He currently leads our Nepal program.

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Daniel Couceiro

PhD Candidate in Education and Learning Sciences, Wageningen University, 2020
Daniel is a conservation biologist and ecologist focused on the connection that humans hold with the land, and how this sense of place and territory can be levered to motivate environmental stewardship. Daniel has worked in the Peruvian Amazon as the manager of the Wired Amazon Project, a citizen-science research initiative that investigates jaguar populations, Brazil nut trees phenology and discover new species of insects.  He became a National Geographic Explorer and Rufford Grantee in 2020 with the creation of a conservation education program in Colombia oriented towards the engagement of the youth of rural communities in wildlife protection. Living half the year in Bulgaria and the second half in Columbia, Daniel works as a consultant for different conservation projects. Daniel leads our Belize Program.

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Darko D. Cotoras

PhD in Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley, 2014
Darko is an evolutionary biologist interested in understanding the historical processes that create biodiversity under conditions of isolation. His main study groups are spiders and other invertebrates present around the Pacific Ocean, with a focus on volcanic archipelagos and Gondwanic land masses. He integrates field and museum work to better understand phylogenetics, population genetics and genome assembly. His research has explored diverse topics such as adaptive radiation and color variation of spiders from Hawaii and southern Chile, colonization patterns of Pacific islands and arachnid diversity on the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Darko is passionate about biodiversity discovery, natural history and teaching. He has taught various field courses in Costa Rica and Chile. Darko leads our Chile program.

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Geoffrey R. Gallice

PhD in Entomology, University of Florida, 2015
Geoff is a tropical biologist and conservationist based in Peru's Madre de Dios region. His research interests are primarily in tropical butterflies, and he has several ongoing projects to study butterfly diversity, ecology, and evolution in southeastern Peru. He also leads the Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon, a non-profit organization working in Madre de Dios that aims to conserve Amazonian biodiversity and other natural resources through basic biological research, reforestation and agroforestry, and environmental education and outreach. Geoff has been teaching with Wildlands Studies since 2012 and currently leads our Ecuador program.

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Kayla Keyes

MA in Biology, Miami University of Oxford, 2019
Kayla is a marine biologist and ocean advocate based in the North Island of New Zealand. She specializes the human connection with marine and coastal ecosystems to design community-based conservation initiatives. Kayla has worked as an environmental educator in a variety of global marine hotspots including Florida, Australia, and New Zealand. She currently works in New Zealand as a marine researcher and the Education Director for the Tangaroa Research Institute of Oceanographic Studies as well as with Māori groups to understand local culture & customs in connection with te moana (the ocean). Kayla leads our New Zealand program.

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Isaac Newell

MS in Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University, 2021
Isaac is an ecologist with an emphasis on botany and succession across plant communities and taxonomy. His research focuses on grassland resilience in response to various disturbance types, with emphasis on non-native plant establishment post-disturbance. His love of plants has led him to teach ecology programs in Oregon, Montana, and Grand Teton National Park. He is an alumnus of the Wildlands Studies Tasmania Programs and worked as a Teaching Assistant on our Hawaii programs in 2021 and 2022. Isaac leads our New Zealand Program.

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Allison Price

MS in Resilient and Sustainable Communities, Prescott College, 2023
Allison is an Environmental Scientist for the Air Improvement and Planning Division at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. She brings several years of experience in the private sector teaching and monitoring air quality with a focus on nuisance emissions and control technologies. Allison has held many roles at Wildlands Studies, including Assistant Director, Marketing Manager, Field Studies Advisor and Teaching Assistant for programs in New Zealand, Alaska and Yellowstone. Allison believes that connecting undergraduates to environmental science firsthand and introducing them to experts and field professionals empowers students to rethink traditional approaches on energy demands in response to climate change and rapid environmental changes. She is excited to bring her academic expertise and experience in air quality management to our newest program in Alaska, and showcase her favorite places in America’s grandest state with a lens on air quality and protection.

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Tara Ruttenberg

PhD in Development Studies, Wageningen University & Research, 2022
Tara Ruttenberg is a sustainable development researcher living in Costa Rica. She completed her PhD in Development Studies with a specialization in critical approaches to sustainable surf tourism. Her research interests include critical surf studies, decolonial alternatives to development, and diverse economies approaches to community-based tourism. Tara has 12 years of experience facilitating study abroad programming in political ecology, integrative conservation, and sustainable development in Costa Rica. Tara leads our Costa Rica program.

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Jenna Spackeen

PhD in Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, 2017
Jenna is an oceanographer who is interested in nutrient cycles and the impacts of global change. Her research has taken her all over the world. She has spent a considerable amount of time aboard research vessels in the Arctic and at field stations in Antarctica, investigating how climate change affects phytoplankton communities and the cycling of nutrients in the ocean. Her research has also taken her to Mexico, where she studied food web interactions in estuary systems. Jenna is passionate about science outreach and experiential education. She believes that personal awareness, environmental appreciation, and a desire to make the world a better place can be fostered when one is immersed in nature. Jenna leads our Iceland program.

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Eric Witte

PhD student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology UC Santa Cruz; MEd in STEAM Education, University of San Diego, 2021
Eric is an evolutionary biologist interested in venom and biological invasions. His current research focuses on the role of venom in lionfish invasion of coral reefs. He uses genomic techniques to understand both ancient and modern evolution. In addition to research, Eric is a passionate educator who taught biology in Morocco and Madagascar. He believes that travel helps us to develop a multidimensional understanding of other cultures and environments. Eric leads our Thailand and Australia programs.

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Veronica Yovovich

PhD in Environmental Studies, UC Santa Cruz
Veronica is a carnivore biologist whose research interests lie in mountain lion ecology. She has worked on a number of field projects, from the Australian outback to cloud forests of Costa Rica, and from studying marmots at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab to tracking wolves in Yellowstone and Arizona. Her PhD research focused on examining mountain lions and the structure of their communities of the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. Veronica has led the Yellowstone Program since 2012.

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Leslie Arutunian, Director

Leslie is the Director of Wildlands Studies. An alumnus of both the Hawaii Project in 1988 and the Baja Mexico Project in 1990, Leslie remained active and engaged with Wildlands Studies until she took over leadership in 2008. Leslie has focused on increasing the program offerings of Wildlands Studies, formalizing our safety and risk management practices, enhancing the academic course offering, and improving our external communication (our website continues to expand with new information and we are very active on social media!). Prior to taking over Wildlands Studies, Leslie spent thirteen years working in various senior administrative positions in higher education, helping start three new universities, including California State University Monterey Bay, and Zayad University in Dubai, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Leslie’s interests lie in experiential and environmental education with a keen focus on the outdoors as a medium for personal empowerment. After living abroad and traveling to more than forty-seven countries, Leslie believes that travel, time spent in new cultures, and exposure to fascinating ecosystems can’t help but teach new perspectives, increase awareness and improve confidence—all skills needed for environmental stewards of the twenty-first century. Leslie is now joined by her daughter Violet, who although still very young, has the makings of a wonderful outdoorswoman.
 

Tristen Thron, Student Affairs Manager

Tristen is our Student Affairs and Special Projects Manager. He started his journey at Wildlands Studies as a student on the 2015 Australia program. Tristen holds a BS in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. After graduating he began working at Wildlands Studies as our Field Studies Advisor, traveling to college campuses around the United States to inspire the next generation of environmental scientists and field biologists. Since then he has also been a TA and Logistics Coordinator on our programs in Australia, Alaska, Colorado and Hawaii. Tristen believes that field-based education is an essential component of a student’s academic career. He hopes to help as many students as possible enjoy the same incredible outdoor experiences that he has been able to experience.

Erisy Watt, Outreach Manager

Erisy is our Outreach Manager. An alumnus of the 2014 Wildlands Studies Thailand Program, and a graduate of UC Santa Barbara’s Environmental Studies program in 2015, Erisy initially joined us as a teaching assistant on our 2016 Thailand Program. Since then, she's held various leadership roles on 12 different Wildlands Studies programs supporting students through the high mountains of Nepal, on coral reefs of Indonesia, in lava fields of Hawaii, and the swamps of southern Florida. In spring 2022, Erisy worked as our Field Studies Advisor visiting campuses to share information about Wildlands with interested students and advisors before moving into her current role on our administrative team as Outreach Manager. Apart from Wildlands Studies, Erisy has worked as a project director for a non-profit organization focused on sustainable transportation and has traveled the world playing shows as a singer-songwriter. She is passionate about the learning that happens outside of the classroom. Whether it be interacting with local communities or witnessing firsthand the recovery of a coral reef, she believes that personal engagement with the natural world helps us recognize our role in protecting it.

Lianne Minemoto, Office Manager

Lianne is our Office Manager. She was born and raised in Monterey, California, and comes to us after working for twenty-two years in higher education at California State University Monterey Bay. On campus, she collaborated with faculty and staff in multiple capacities and worked extensively with students as both a manager and mentor. As a lifelong learner and non-traditional student, Lianne is proud to have earned her Bachelor's degree in 2018 and her Master's degree in 2022. A world traveler herself, Lianne believes there's much more to education than simply sitting in a classroom, and Wildlands Studies is a perfect example of this - immersed in nature, gaining firsthand experience through interactions with different cultures and customs will shape a student's future for the better.

Laura Pomeroy, Campus Coordinator

Laura is our office and campus visit coordinator. She began her life as an army brat and lived in Europe and many parts of the U.S. before settling in Monterey, California. Laura spent more than twenty years working in a wide variety of office situations, mostly public service, and supplemented her love of the outdoors by serving as a docent at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where she expanded her knowledge of marine biology. You can ask Laura just about anything about marine life in the Monterey Bay! Laura came to Wildlands Studies in 2010 to help us grow our campus relationships and now serves as the primary point of contact for faculty and campus advisors when planning our campus visits. Laura values the unique outdoor opportunities offered by Wildlands Studies and believes that our enthusiastic students are the future leaders who will help solve the myriad of environmental problems that threaten the health of our planet.

Max Arquilevich, Field Studies Advisor

Max is our Field Studies Advisor. As a student on the 2021 Hawaii program, Max immediately developed a passion for Wildlands Studies. After he graduated from the University of Oregon with a BS in Environmental Studies, he continued to be engaged with Wildlands Studies and worked as a teaching assistant in four different program locations, including Australia, Chile, French Polynesia, and Iceland. Max believes that his experiences with Wildlands Studies, in addition to his involvement in the University of Oregon’s Environmental Leadership Program, have shaped him as a person. Max is enthusiastic about hands-on education, and he enjoys creating videos to capture the student experience. In his free time, he volunteers with a climate activist organization, runs long distances, and is an avid backpacker. Max enjoys traveling to different campuses to meet with students, professors, and advisors, and is eager to inspire students to partake in field study opportunities.