Brad Childs

Mr. Childs is the founding President/CEO of The Wilderness Institute, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization he established in 1984, having served as the organization’s lead facilitator and chief wilderness guide. The Wilderness Institute provides Wilderness Education and Advocacy, Therapeutic Wellness Retreats, Outdoor Skills Training, and Adventure Programs for all ages and most abilities, including disabled veterans, wheelchair users and youth-at-risk populations. He is also the Executive Director of Santa Fe Tree House Camp and Wilderness Preserve, a non-profit 156 acre Eco-Camping Retreat and Wilderness Education Center serving corporate teams, schools, youth groups, families, and the public.

And, he provides Consulting Services in non-profit board governance and management having been an executive director for two Chamber’s of Commerce and board member/officer for several environmental and government agencies. His Consulting Services also includes Peak Performance Coaching and Corporate Wellness for executive teams, Ropes Course Installations, Inspections and Training as well as Expert Witness services in outdoor recreation risk management, outdoor safety, and wrongful death issues. Mr. Childs holds a B.S. degree (Parks and Recreation Resources) from Michigan State University and has completed his Master’s Degree thesis at California State University, Northridge (studying the psychological and sociological impacts of outdoor challenge experiences). Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Studies Honors recipient.

He has achieved a California Department of Education, Adult Education Teaching Credential in Education, Biological Sciences, and Public Affairs and Services from UCLA and a Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy, with Honors, from the Behavioral Science Centers, Hypnosis Motivation Institute.

Mr. Childs holds numerous certifications and credentials in outdoor leadership, wilderness skills, emergency response and outdoor safety instruction from such organizations as the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, California Fire Academy, US National Park Service, Rainier Mountaineering, American Whitewater, Nordic Skiing Assn., American Red Cross, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and others.

He is a past National Park Ranger and Wildland Fire Fighter/EMT, County Sheriff Mountain Rescue SAR Team member, an Interpretive Naturalist and Survival Instructor, Whitewater River Guide, Rock Climbing and Rope Course Instructor Trainer, USA Olympic Archery Instructor Trainer, Red Cross Wilderness First Aid Instructor and Water Safety Instructor/Life Guard Trainer, and a Colorado Hunter Education Instructor.

Honors and Awards received include the National Park Service Unit Award (presented by the Secretary of the Interior), National Environmental Education Award (National Association of Resource Conservation Districts), Golden Eagle Award (for outstanding contribution to The Wilderness Institute), LA County Supervisors and LA County Commission on Disabilities for “Commitment towards facilitating and promoting equality for people with disabilities”, CSU, Northridge Scholastic Achievement Honors and Outstanding Department Graduate Student Scholarship (for two consecutive years)

Ciana Grove

 Ciana Grove is the Administrative Assistant, Team-Building Facilitator and EventbCoordinator for The Wilderness Institute and Assistant Director of Santa Fe Tree House Camp non-profit organizations. She has worked for the National Park Service, summer camps, and wilderness programs providing outdoor recreation, wilderness survival, and interpretive naturalist programs with such populations as at-risk youth, physically and mentally challenged, and the general public.

She is a Recreational Therapist, Physical Conditioning Specialist and Bio-feedback Stress Management Technician for those in recovery for drug and alcohol addiction; providing wellness services in a hospital setting. And, she is a national and state certified Massage Therapist for over thirty-five years and a certified hypnotherapist as the owner of Sacred Grove Wellness where she brings her expertise in massage therapy, guided imagery, energy work and nature immersion to work with both groups and individuals.

Emmy Aurora Chiodini

 As an astrologer and yoga teacher I take a holistic approach so that students may connect with and ground in themselves on every level. I like to offer pace and postures that allow for proper alignment and connection within the body. I earned my 200 hour yoga teaching certificate at Tula Yoga in Chicago and have been teaching yoga since 2020. I am truly dedicated to the art of yoga and my daily practice spans back more than 10 years. My interest in astrology goes far back to my early teens, and I began practicing as an astrologer in 2018 after meeting my two teachers in Chicago. I am currently studying art therapy and counseling at Southwestern College. I am a lover of color, symbolism and self expression. I feel a strong connection with the transpersonal and nature based lenses. This nature based lens is often seen fused into my astrology yoga classes, as the elements of nature are mirrored in the energies of the planets. I truly love to plant the seeds of empowerment, wellness and connection in others and it is my passion to do this work.

Mark Randall
Owner, Daystar Consulting

 Mark started his career in renewable energy with the San Luis Valley Solar Energy Association in Alamosa Colorado almost 40 years ago. After a distinguished career owning green building and solar construction companies, assisting Native American communities with community energy programs and development of their renewable energy resources, and working for some of the largest utility-scale renewable power producers in the world, Mark has returned to his roots in northern New Mexico. Mark now seeks to provide local communities the benefit if his experience through teaching and leading local hands-on renewable energy workshops.