The role of our Advisory Board
As a project of Community Partners, our Advisory Board takes on all of the responsibilities of a Governance Board. Operating under the umbrella of Community Partners’ 501c3 designation, their Board of Directors is the legal board of record for all of the 180+ projects that are part of that organization along with Wildwoods. Community Partners’ board does not directly engage with projects, provides no governance oversight, nor provides any financial support. All of those duties are performed by the individuals listed here. Wildwoods would not exist without their dedication and service.
Paul joined the Wildwoods Board in 2019 and is currently serving as the Board Chair. By day, he’s the Director of Finance for ServiceTitan and outside of work, Paul enjoys spending time with family in the outdoors and long distance running. Paul earned his BA from University of Saint Thomas and completed his MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Business.
Casey is a science writer based in Santa Monica who enjoys writing about health, environment, and California culture. Her essays have appeared in New Scientist, Smithsonian, The Scientist, and the Best Science Writing Online book series. A longtime advocate for public science literacy, she has worked with a number of nonprofits, and enjoys teaching the beauty of nature to her three kids.
Emerson Dameron is a writer, storyteller, and occasional comedian. He works as a copywriter (with a focus on science and medicine) and performs in storytelling and comedy shows around Los Angeles. While growing up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, he loved exploring in the forests surrounding his home, experiences that eventually led him to get involved with Wildwoods. He’s a Gemini who loves long walks on the beach and curling up with a good book.
Ted’s career in education began over thirty years ago, as a bilingual teacher with Teach for America. Within a decade he had co-founded a small, bilingual charter school in downtown Long Beach, California. This school, which opened in 2000 with 70 students, brought progressive, public education to an underserved, ethnically diverse community. He then led the expansion of the school to three campuses, serving grades K-12, with 700 students.
In 2010, Ted became the fourth Head of The Oaks School, a progressive K-6 school in Hollywood, where he is thrilled to help build on the school’s solid reputation for creating thoughtful, compassionate students who love to learn. Ted earned a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, a Master of Arts in Education from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University, where he studied Economics and Spanish. Ted enjoys spending time with his large family of seven children, ranging in age from 29 to 1 year old, reading and working in his garden.
Shehan joined the board of Wildwoods in 2021 and prior to that he completed a masters in social entrepreneurship at USC – Marshall. He moved to Los Angeles from New York in 2012 bringing product management experience from both the non profit sector as well as the financial sector. He currently works in product management at Capital Group. Shehan enjoys hiking and camping around Southern California.
Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fatima grew up surrounded by nature and understood early on in her life the impact nature has on our lives. With a firm belief that access to nature is a human right, Fatima is committed to supporting Wildwoods’ efforts to get more people into nature, particularly those in our underserved communities. Fatima is currently an Assistant Vice President at Oaktree Capital Management where she is actively involved in the firm’s DE&I and community involvement programs. She is a member of the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats Committee and serves as a mentor and workshop facilitator for Qualified. As a war survivor, Fatima is dedicated to raising awareness about the Srebrenica Genocide by sharing her and her family’s story through various speaking engagements. After immigrating to San Francisco with her family, Fatima moved to Los Angeles to attend USC (Fight On!) and now considers herself a lifelong Angeleno.
Jelani Odlum (she/her) is a Senior Associate Program Officer on the Oceans team at Builders Initiative. She focuses on developing partnerships with organizations and grantees to advance solutions for healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems. Jelani is passionate about philanthropy’s role in seeding innovation and accelerating environmental solutions. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Southern California, and is a proud Trojan (Fight On!).
Dwain’s passion for the outdoors began in the rolling hills of North Carolina where he grew up. That deep appreciation for nature evolved into decades of advocacy and work in outdoor and environmental education and led him to found Wildwoods in 2000.
Dwain holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Antioch University and has studied Field Biology, Environmental Education and Systems Theory, Environmental Ethics, and Child Development. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the California Environmental Education Foundation and is a past member of the Environmental Literacy Committee for the California Association of Science Educators.
Deep Roots Council
Our Deep Roots Council is made up of exemplary Advisory Board alumni who remain connected to Wildwoods and support the organization with their wisdom, insight, and guidance.
Michelle Dornfeld
Joseph Lightfoot