Our Team

I founded Coyle Outside after working as a guide, program developer, staff trainer and then School Director/Administrator in the Wilderness Therapy industry for 10 years. I grew up in NJ and moved to Oregon after graduating from Cornell University in 1994. After a 5 year career in science and since 1998 my experience working with youth and people outdoors has included leading multiweek wilderness expeditions, instructing primitive and survival skills, climbing, mountain biking, whitewater, surfing, and canyoneering. I have worked extensively with youth contending with mental health, developmental, and drug and alcohol diagnoses directly and in clinical teams. My original academic training is in evolution and genetics. I am intensely interested in how the beings we have evolved to become, particularly children, manage and adapt to the world that we/they have inherited and how this shows up in behaviours, choices, and general development. I have a young daughter and locally I mentor youth regularly. I also am on the board of a local trail-building organization and I get to design and build trails as well organize, train, and supervise volunteers that I work alongside in Corvallis, OR, where I live.

Ashleah grew up in Veneta, just outside Eugene, working on local farms and exploring the outdoors since childhood. She and her husband purchased their farm in 2020, raising their five boys, cattle, chickens, sheep, goats, and both vegetable and flower gardens. She is a master wrangler of all things chaos. She enjoys developing relationships with Coyle Outside instructors, families, and communities.

Her favorite outdoor activities are hiking, swimming, foraging, and taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life. When she has quiet moments, you can find her with a cup of tea and a book in the winter or out in the flower fields the remainder of the year.

Originally from Savannah, GA, Brooks Law grew up in central Maine, where he fell in love with the outdoors. Growing up in the woods of Maine, Brooks loved to fish, canoe, hike and camp as much as possible. Brooks has been working with kids since he was a sophomore in high school, where he coached student-athletes 1-on-1 in wrestling and baseball. Several years later, he found his true passion in working in wilderness therapy, where he thrived as a field guide while helping struggling teens for the past two years. Outdoor work with kids has brought Brooks a tremendous amount of fulfillment in his life—where his ability to connect, lead and interact with kids in a natural way is what makes him so successful in guiding kids.

Ingrid ("Truffle") is a devoted mother, forager, bushcrafter, and wilderness first responder who has led mushroom forays across the cascades and coastal Oregon. She has hosted overnight trips where kids use the skills they learned in class - sleeping under the stars in their tarp shelters, campfire cooking foraged meals. By setting up experiences and having kids take the wheel, Truffle sees the most youth empowerment, building of character, and formation of pivotal childhood memories.

Truffle spends a lot of time considering what makes experiences memorable and puts that into every lesson she teaches. Truffle is at the beck and call to make sure kids’ dreams happen. Supporting kids’ independent pursuits takes priority over any curriculum. She is now watching her first students enter their teenage years; she treasures the stories they still tell her about the outdoor adventures they have. Truffle is deeply dedicated to both ancestral wilderness skills and children. She sees her work as a way of life!

Truffle gives thanks to her forager peers in the Oregon Mycological Society for her mentoring in Mt. Hood, Willamette, Deschutes, Gifford Pinchot, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests - and from Universities of Portland and Skövde, where she graduated with a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Molecular Ecology, respectively. Truffle's two-year-old, Leif, will be growing up surrounded by the village of children and outdoor mentors at Coyle Outside.

Reed Haller ("Taproot") is an Illinois transplant and an avid hobbyist. She acquired a popup camper and moved to Oregon in 2019, alongside her Australian cattle dog. Taproot has an affinity for community involvement and handiwork and has been with our homeschool program since the very beginning!
She is a shining example of a mentor whose devotion extends beyond the classroom. She keeps a calendar so her students can arrange to meet with her outside of class - for walks in the forest, to grind natural pigments, or to embark on other activities together. You can expect to find her cheering on her students at recitals, birthdays, and other big moments in their lives. Kids know when they are loved - Taproot radiates it with everything she does.

Young crafters will find a kindred spirit in Taproot, as she is an avid maker of things. Baskets, woodworking, natural arts - these are just a few crafts in her repertoire. Taproot is also a storyteller, our sage of activities and scenarios. She spends many of her evenings planning experiences for her students. Taproot is a treasured guide with a true heart - a path that she walks is one to be taken.

Vee Guarnaccia (“Bumblebee”) designs the curriculum for our toddler nature play program (“Cattail Kids”) and can often be seen leading the charge with her young explorers in Willamette Park!

Over the years, Bumblebee has become a public figure of the park - she knows the names of all the regular visitors and their dogs, she has names for all the river beaches, the fallen logs, and the climbing trees. She builds warming fires for the toddlers while they are out on their adventures. She invites toddlers into a world where every passerby is a friend to meet on their journey, every neck of the woods is their playground, and all weather is worth going outside for.

Bumblebee is especially adept in group management and setting boundaries for younger kids. She believes that any problem can be solved with enough critical thinking and patience, and tries to incorporate that into daily lessons.She has a deep well of cheerful, playful energy in all weather and terrain, making her an excellent role model for kids who are just getting to know the woods. Bumblebee is a spark that starts kids on the journey to becoming confident outdoor explorers. She is irreplaceable; a one-of-a-kind guide for the littlest of people.

Randall Bonner grew up hunting and fishing in Alabama with his father, who guided hunters for whitetail deer. He is an award-winning author, with dozens of articles published in print magazines and newspapers, and hundreds of articles published online. An avid angler, hunter and forager, he enjoys providing for himself with what mother nature has to offer, as well as sharing his knowledge and skills with others.

Deckhanding on a charter boat in Depoe Bay kindled Randy's passion for working with families to create lifelong memories and he hopes to create the same experiences with Coyle Outside.

Born and raised in the PNW, Jessie’s furthest move has only been from Seattle to Corvallis. While studying to earn his Master’s in Botany and Plant Pathology, he discovered a love of teaching, and strives to highlight the role of plant biology in our everyday lives. A self-described dabbler, Jessie is always trying out new ways to interact with the natural world, but his mainstays are climbing, hiking, and foraging. In addition to a passion for nature, Jessie is an avid student of Spanish language, and hopes to use this skill to increase access to outdoor education.