Board of Directors:

Michelle Richter

Michelle Richter is a teacher at Walt Whitman High School in LA and owns land in southern Sierra Nevada in Kernville. Michelle organizes 20 youth from her school each year to attend WildPlaces’ Immersed in the Wild.

Brian Rouch

I love spending time outside–climbing, skiing, kayaking–just having fun and exercising. I grew up in these mountains and my family has been here for generations. I’m excited to engage youth in the natural world and mentor the next generation of stewards.

Raquel Vizcarra

Raquel Vizcarra is super excited to be serving on the WildPlaces Board of Directors.  She comes from the Dolores Huerta Foundation, where she attended multiple Immersed in the Wild trips with youth from that organization.  Raquel is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz.

Nicole Celaya

As a lifelong educator and currently an instructor at Porterville College, I have experienced in our youth the growing disconnection from our environment and those that inhabit it. My hope is to try to encourage in my students a deeper connection and responsibility to the earth and its creatures through education and community. I am passionate about preserving the beauty of our planet for future generations and feel that working with Wild Places and encouraging my students to get involved locally is one way for me to do that.

Carlos M. Gomez

Carlos has worked with the public education system for ten years and
has volunteered and worked with various non-profit organizations
throughout the state. He has been involved with youth development and cultural education for several years and is active in the community through the advocacy for Human Rights, as well as environmental and social justice.

Barry Caplan

Caplan graduated high school and attended Johns Hopkins University at the age of 16. He was among the 1st 10 employees of the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute, has traveled extensively to Japan, is a soft engineer, founded several software designs, founded a number of blogs including The Porterville Nerd, is a film maker and now lives in Porterville, CA.

Ann Garner

Ann Garner has been working for the Porterville Unified School District for 15 years and lives in Springville. She is an avid supporter of service learning projects for all ages and enjoys giving back to her community in an ecological manner.

Youth Board Members:

The Youth Board of Directors is currently accepting applicants.  Please inquire with WildPlaces; Call (559) 539-5263 for more information.