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ODS - Team

Our Team

MEET THE INSTRUCTORS AND STAFF MEMBERSOF COYLE OUTSIDE

OUR TEAM CONSISTS OF ACTIVE AND SEASONAL STAFF AND CHANGES SOMETIMES FASTER THAN THE WEBSITE KEEPS UP WITH
Leadership

Daniel Coyle

Founder and Manager

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 Collver

Communications & Admin Lead

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.

Victoria "Vee" Guarnaccia

 

Instructor - Benton, Summer

Victoria (Vee) Guarnaccia loves animals, the outdoors, and learning new things! She has a fluffy brown dog who’s nickname is “Smooch,” a smelly and silly horse named Sumpter, and a Beta Fish named Peonie.

In her spare time Vee likes to read books, go on nature walks, and spend time trying new things. Vee believes that any problem can be solved with enough critical thinking and patience, and tries to incorporate that and all things science into daily lessons. Vee designs curriculum for campfire cooking, Forest Gang outdoor preschool, and works with a host of different programs (she joins everything she can). Although not trained or perfect at it, she also likes to sing, dance, and play a variety of instruments for fun — just to keep the hamster-wheel in her brain spinning!

Reed Haller

 

Instructor - Benton, Summer

Reed Haller is an Illinois transplant and an avid hobbyist. From bouldering to embroidery, snowboarding to propagating plants- there aren’t many pastimes that she doesn’t enjoy. As a kid, Reed was instinctively curious of the world around her and developed an affinity for handiwork, community involvement, and spending time outdoors. In 2015, her teaching experience began while working for a bilingual learning center that taught English-speaking kids primarily in Spanish. Here, she got to experience fostering that same curiosity and confidence amongst the younger children.

Always having felt more at home in nature, she eventually fell in love with the biodiversity of the Northwest and its abundance of public land. She acquired a popup camper and moved to Oregon in 2019, alongside her australian cattle dog. Since then, Reed has been learning to identify local flora, fauna, and fungi; developing her green thumb; and hiking to her heart’s content. 

Carolyn Kachuk

 

Instructor - ODS, Benton, Summer

Carolyn is interested in animals, traveling, camping, reading, learning new skills, trying new things, and exploring our amazing world. Carolyn particularly loves being around water where there is always something magical to witness, whether that be in the middle of the ocean, diving below the surface, or exploring a nearby creek. Carolyn has a background in chemistry and marine biology and has always been inspired to work with youth. She hopes to share some of the science, wonder, and discovery she sees around her in nature as every day outside brings something new to experience.

Randy Bonner

 

Instructor - ODS, BCCP, Summer

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.

Robbin Stevenson

 

Instructor - Benton, Summer

Robbin has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and she spent most of her professional life working with special education programs, preschools, and early childcare. Besides working for Coyle Outside, Robbin also owns a daycare center in Corvallis. 

​Robbin and her husband moved to Corvallis more than 10 years ago and she is “Mom” to 4 young girls. While she was born and raised in SoCal, Willamette Valley is her heart’s home. She is passionate about her local ecology and her community. Most of her free time is spent supporting her girls' school, Muddy Creek Charter School, volunteering with Willamette Riverkeeper, playing Ukulele, and hiking and kayaking with her family.

John Waters

 

Instructor - ODS

Elet Hall

 

Instructor - ODS, Summer

Melissa McCarney

 

Admin Support

Andrew Sayles

 

Instructor - ODS, Summer

Andrew has been teaching and coaching elementary school, middle school, and high school students since 2005. His passion is to learn about and experience the world around him, and this personality quirk sent him from his home state of Maryland to Ecuador, Spain, Albania, and Ukraine for eleven years of teaching abroad before moving to Oregon.
The same passion has routinely sent him into the great outdoors. His favorite trips have been hiking the 100-mile wilderness in Maine, mountain ascents in the Ecuadorian Andes,
snowshoeing in Colorado, and getting his advanced PADI certificate while scuba diving in the Canary Islands. He is thrilled to be able to bridge his outdoor skills and experiences with his
teaching career and to enjoy a much larger classroom with Coyle Outside.

Jason Drevenak

 

Logan Keister

Logan Keister is an herbalist, wildcrafter, writer, farmer, and permaculture designer, born and raised in the coniferous forests of Oregon. He currently resides in Noti, Oregon where he runs his own small business Noti Botanica where he sells herbal remedies, offers holistic health consultations, and shares his teachings on herbalism. His passion for outdoor education stems from a life raised in rural Oregon foraging, gardening, fishing, and hunting and a desire to share this knowledge with others about living off the land. Logan received his training in herbalism and botany at The Columbine School of Botanical Studies, The Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism, and has a B.S. in Horticulture and a Permaculture Design Certificate from Oregon State University.

Shaleen Hughes

Originally from New England (Boston area), Shaeleen has been working with youth since 2016, but didn’t discover her true passion for the outdoors and outdoor education until 2018, when she spent a summer living off-grid in the Rocky Mountain National Forest. Since then, she has completed a Bachelor’s of Science in Adventure Education and has been working in the field ever since. Her work has allowed her to travel the country and operate programs in areas such as the Deschutes National Forest, Yosemite, Tahoe- Desolation Wilderness, Point Reyes, and various other locations. Shae is passionate about sharing her love of the outdoors with students, and helping them engage with the local ecology of their areas. Anywhere from multi-week backpacking trips, to science classrooms, she brings excitement and expertise to every group of students she interacts with.

Nicole Medema

Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Nicole enjoyed playing pretend games in which she lived peacefully in the woods with her animal friends. Luckily, she gets to keep playing that game as an adult. Nicole’s greatest joy is identifying animal tracks and the possible stories that go along with them. She is particularly fond of circling around wild animal scat with friends, poking the scat open with a stick to see what is inside. Besides that, Nicole loves finding and eating wild foods, listening to the birds, and wondering what it was like to be alive on the land a thousand years ago. She is a wilderness guide for adults at the nonprofit Cascadia Quest, where she learned much of her outdoor skills. Nicole is the proud mother of a teenager. She loves being around kids because they teach her how to rediscover what she thought she already knew.

Maggie Gavin

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Maggie has been working outdoors with youth since 2018, when she led her first 8 day backpacking trip. Since then, she has led many more wilderness trips, participated in a NOLS semester, worked wilderness therapy and spent a lot of time outside with friends. Maggie’s outdoor skills and interests include backpacking, learning about environmental science and processes, climbing, and Leave No Trace. Maggie has been inspired to work outdoors with youth from her own experience as a kid going on adventure trips at summer camp and growing up near the woods. She has felt first hand how empowering learning survival skills and living outside can be, and wants to foster that connection with the next generation of adventurers.

Ryan Stimmel

Out of Portland by way of Austin, Texas, I’ve taught at some level in just about every role I’ve ever performed as a professional. From the formal public school bilingual classrooms of Texas to projects in Guatemala and Cuba, I’ve worked as an educator. In Austin and Cuba I’ve taught tourists and students where they were and how to be as a tour operator and guide. All along the way I’ve cultivated a deep connection to nature and honed my survival skills. I’m happy and grateful to be able to share my knowledge with you!

Brooks Law

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.

De Andre Conley

Originally from Los Angeles County, California. De Andre Conley is a recent graduate of Oregon State School of Business. An admirer of nature, a participant in sports, a lifelong appreciation for business and law, he is a son to a loving father. A father who has instilled within him the value of community and family. He has worked hard in his pursuit of continuous mental and physical growth. He often has patience for others when he does not have patience for himself. He believes that travel and exposure to new ideas and experiences is essential for a growing sense of empathy and spirituality. De Andre has gained experience in working with youth by coaching youth basketball for a number of years. Leading and managing a team to an undefeated season. He prides himself in being a solid and accountable role model for youth, as well as an understanding and respectable team member.

Alex Seebeck

Born and raised on the East Coast, Alex Seebeck grew up surrounded by nature and owls. Earning Eagle Scout, as well as Vigil Honors, Boy Scouts created the foundation of primitive skills and youth development. Working as a soccer ref, camp counselor and even substitute teacher Seebeck found various ways to encourage and teach. Since moving to the West Coast Alex has worked as an Owl Surveyor and became intimately familiar with the plants and animals of the PNW. Recently, Alex has earned his Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from the Evergreen State College studying Barred owls in West Olympia. He is eager and looking forward to guiding kids to better understand and appreciate the natural world around them.

Marina Larson

Originally from Hansville, WA, Marina grew up on the calm waters of the Puget Sound. Raised by a Marine Biologist and a Fisherman, she has been fascinated with the diversity of life and beauty of the pacific northwest since day one. She has been working with young people since her days as a sailing instructor starting in 2015. Since then, she has branched out into the world of fisheries science and has pursued a career in art on the side as well. Marina has been inspired to work outdoors with young people from her experiences volunteering at the Seattle Aquarium, studying outdoor recreation and leadership at OSU, and working for the Linn Benton Salmon Watch program. She takes great pride and joy in facilitating young people's exploration of nature, and is dedicated to developing her own skills as an educator and mentor.

Joseph Howell

Originally from Alapaha GA. Jo Howell up in the woods and has always been fascinated with the woods and how people used to do things. He read My Side of The Mountain, A book about a young boy who runs into the Catskill Mountains with little more than a hatchet and a pocket knife and learns to live off the land by harvesting wild foods, training a peregrine falcon to hunt for him, and stealing deer from lost hunters. Jo has been running away to the woods ever since! He has learned a great many things about living off the land and spent many nights in the woods. He has learned how to forage, make and use stone, bone and wood tools for everyday life in the woods. Jo seeks to help others gain this sense of wonder and appreciation for the outdoors and the knowledge of our ancestors, whether it's learning about banging rocks together or the way your grandpa did things.

Kayli Jones

Kayli is a passionate PNW water woman with a decade of teaching experience. As the founder and head instructor at PNW Surf Education in Newport, Oregon, she immerses people in new outdoor environments while building up risk assessment and foundational skills they need to spend time in nature responsibly and joyfully! Her connection to the outdoors began in childhood during family backpacking trips, blossomed in high school teaching elementary students about local flora and fauna as a Nature Center Docent, and deepened further while split boarding, backpacking and trail running her way through Montana’s vast backcountry. This love expanded even more when she made her way to the ocean to pursue surfing and freediving. Kayli enjoys every moment in nature, regardless of the weather, and treasures simply being present in the natural world. Her experiences have fueled her to share these skills with others, creating vital moments of peace and connection amid the chaos of modern life.

Jeremy Dunlap

Jeremy Dunlap is a farrier and blacksmith from Olympia, Washington. His outdoor background and skills stem from wildland firefighting experience and formal/informal bushcraft education. Teaching young adults farrier work and equine physiology inspired Jeremy to become an instructor for Coyle Outside.

Jillian Andersen

Lead Educator

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Jillian has been living in Alaska for the past 15 years. She studied Environmental Sciences, Anthropology and Fiber Arts before completing her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education at the University of Alaska Southeast. She then went on to complete her Montessori Certification while working at a public Montessori Elementary school in Alaska for 4 years. Her passion has always been for connecting with the natural world through backpacking, fishing, and foraging. She is excited to bring her knowledge and passion to Coyle Outside, connecting children to the great outdoors though confidence building experiences.

Alexander Ellsworth

Alexander Ellsworth grew up in an old farm house in central New Hampshire with a wood stove, a barn in need of repairs, and a trail system weaving from the house up the mountain. After school activities included splitting wood, exploring the New Hampshire White Mountains, and music lessons. Alexander continued into music school, receiving a Masters Degree and working as a performer and educator, most recently serving as Music Director at Holderness School.
In addition to his musical responsibilities, he was a dorm parent and a faculty leader for the freshmen orientation backpacking trip.
Alexander has worked as an educator with toddlers through adults and models a sense of curiosity, clear communication, and a can-do attitude.

Mike Heck "Professor Newt"

Mike has been teaching Outdoor School with Coyle Outside since 2019. He has a Bachelor's and Master's in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University and has spent over two decades working as a fish biologist in streams and lakes across the American West. Mike brings his passion for science to the Outdoor School "classroom" and enjoys learning alongside students. Courses that Mike takes pride in teaching include stream ecology, wildlife biology, and archery. Mike's favorite part of being an Outdoor School instructor is watching students experience stream environments and sharing their excitement of discovery. In his free time, Mike is often found on the oars of Desert Storm, his 14' raft, or in the backcountry chasing elk, deer, and antelope.

Home Base: Corvallis, OR
Interests: Big game hunting, whitewater rafting, backpacking, and yard work

Dr. Susan Salafsky

Susan has a B.A. in Natural History from The Evergreen State College, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Ecology from Colorado State University. She used her graduate research on forest food webs to identify areas of climate refugia and land use practices that enhance resilience to drought. Dr. S started substitute teaching in the Corvallis School District in 2019 – 4 months before the pandemic forced the world online. After Covid, to counteract less time spent outside, and the disconnect between people and their surroundings, Dr. S created an outdoor science education program, to provide opportunities for students to learn through the physical application of their hands and imaginations. In 2023, Pika joined the Coyle Outside team and began teaching students how to use their senses to expand perspectives. Through paying attention to the sights, sounds, and smells around them, students became more aware of their surroundings and most of them felt more relaxed, peaceful, and happy. Going forward, Pika will continue to refine curricula to enhance the development of skills foundational to critical thinking, and the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of time spent outdoors. Her goal is to help people feel more grounded, centered, and connected.

Home Base: Corvallis, Oregon
Interests: In her free time, Pika enjoys pickleball, reading, hiking, puzzles, traveling, and just “being” in nature (aka Sit Spots).

Jessie Zimmerman

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.

Erik Syverson

Erik grew up in Cottage Grove, Oregon with the Row River in his backyard. That is where his love for the outdoors started. As a young boy he spent time fishing, floating and exploring the river behind his childhood home.

After teaching 6th grade for 32 years at Cascade School District in Turner, Oregon, Erik retired in 2024. Besides being a teacher, he coached cross country, basketball and track throughout his career. One of his favorite things about teaching was going to Outdoor School each year. He loved getting the kids out of the classroom and into nature as it was such an awesome experience for kids. Erik joined Coyle Outside for the Fall Outdoor School program in 2024. He used his experience of teaching and love of the outdoors to bring excitement to the kids he taught.

As a teacher, Erik emphasized to his students to pursue their dreams. He leads by example: He recently bought and converted a van into a camper to travel. He also completed an Ironman 70.3 with one of his daughters in Summer 2024.

Home Base: Salem, Oregon
Interests: Kayaking, Rock Hounding, Triathlons, Exploring the Outdoors

Kids working together to move log

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Location

 

Coyle Outdoors

PO Box 2389

Corvallis, Oregon 97333

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COYLE OUTSIDE

Contact

 

coyleoutside@gmail.com

 

1 (541) 760-0774

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