Our Team
Lia Grippo
Born in Riga, Latvia, Lia spent many of her earliest years foraging and fishing the nearby woodlands with her family. Her early relationship with Nature has remained a constant thread in her life. At an early age, Lia was drawn towards working with young children and has been an early childhood educator since 1989. She has been fortunate to have had wise and skilled mentors in both early childhood education as well as nature connection. Lia has taught in a variety of settings including small and and large preschools, a Waldorf kindergarten, a parent cooperative, and wilderness programs. In 1996, Lia founded her first preschool, Seedlings, and in 1998 she opened Wild Roots Forest School, a preschool and kindergarten roofed by the sky and carpeted with the living woodland floor. Lia is an accomplished storyteller, parent educator, naturalist, and herbalist and teaches classes and workshops in all of these areas of study. She is co-founder and presenter of the annual Reaching Nature Connection Conference and co-founder of Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers. Lia resides in Santa Barbara, CA with her musical husband, Jim, her two, nature-immersed, tree-climbing sons.
Erin Dews
Erin grew up freely exploring the pastures, creeks and high deserts of California's Eastern Sierra mountains, this is where she truly learned about early childhood. Her passion to work with children and families in nature led her on a journey into teaching for the past 30 years. While studying early childhood education and child development, Erin worked as a Public Project Coordinator at Kidspace Museum in Pasadena. In 2000, Erin traveled to Italy to study in the Reggio Emilia Municipal Schools. Upon her return to Santa Barbara, CA, Erin taught preschool and mentored student teachers at Santa Barbara City College Children's Center, now The Orfalea Early Learning Center. She volunteered for Environment Camp and Wilderness Youth Project in its earliest years, taking children on the land in search of joy, laughter, adventure and a genuine connection to the natural world. Erin was the first teacher in Wild Roots Forest School’s inaugural kindergarten class in 2011. After 19 years in Santa Barbara, Erin returned to her homeland in the Sierra Mountains where she directed and taught Wild Roots Eastern Sierra Programs for 12 years. Erin is co-founder of the annual Reaching Nature Connection Conference, Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers, and C5 Studios Community Arts Center. Erin is a mother and when she grows up, hopes to be a grandma.
Kelly Villarruel
Kelly grew up in Santa Barbara, CA and developed an intimate knowledge and love of the area while roaming the land throughout her childhood. Kelly has 23 years experience in the field of early childhood education, working in preschool and home day care settings as well as wilderness and nature immersion programs. Kelly holds a degree in Environmental Horticulture with an emphasis on restoration and regeneration. Kelly is lead mentor for Wilderness Youth Project’s preschool program, Chickadees, where she is able to share her remarkable skills as both naturalist and early childhood educator with her community. She uses her remarkable awareness, knowledge, and experience to guide scores of young ones into a deep and lasting relationship with the natural world, all the while mentoring numerous staff and volunteers each year. Kelly is Co-founder of the annual Reaching Nature Connection Conference as well co-founder of Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers. She lives in the beautiful Santa Barbara mountains where she can be found communing with her neighbor, “Old One Eye,” the one-eyed raccoon and brewing elder berry wine. Kelly is a mother and grandmother.
Kolmi Majumdar
Kolmi was a co-founder of Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers. She remains a friend and supporter of the academy’s work and team. She is an advocate of nature connection for people of all ages.