Our Volunteer Staff and Board of Directors
Meet Our Co-Founders
Kent Weber, Co-Founder and Executive Director
Kent has spent the past two decades as an experiential educator working to provide a home for rescued animals. His patience and skill as a teacher have benefited thousands of volunteers and visitors over the years. He is the main spokesperson for the traveling Ambassador Wolf Program and has inspired countless people to care. Kent has profound architectural knowledge from his background in construction management and applies this knowledge to making the sanctuary sustainable through solar power and passive solar design. Kent wears many different hats at the sanctuary. You might find him in the Mission: Wolf tool shop teaching new volunteers how to build something for the first time, talking about group psychology to a bunch of high school students, or explaining wolf-dog regulations to someone on the phone. During the summer, the one hat you can count on him wearing almost every day is his cowboy hat.
Tracy Ane Brooks, Co-Founder and President
With over two decades experience working with wolves and horses, Tracy oversees animal care at the sanctuary. She understands animal behavior and has developed gentle handling techniques that are truly her own. Tracy teaches interested Mission: Wolf staff how to use body language to communicate with wolves and horses. As the primary Ambassador Wolf leader, she has developed successful handling techniques for the captive Ambassador Wolves to help them be calm and happy in public, unnatural and new environments. Tracy is currently developing a wolf/horse body language teaching program at the sanctuary, using positive interactions between people and animals as an educational and therapeutic tool. She is nearing completion of a detailed book about her work. An accomplished artist, Tracy has raised money for the sanctuary from sales of her donated art.
Meet Our Core Teaching Staff
Kathy Bennett
When she first came to Mission: Wolf, Kathy was working in the competitive world of corporate telecommunications. She was inspired by the simple living and environmental consciousness she encountered at Mission: Wolf. Kathy likes that Mission: Wolf has volunteers from all over the world and she loves watching people grow here. She has been rescuing animals since she was a little girl, and also brings valuable logistics experience. Kathy oversees business operations at the sanctuary and is a valuable part of the animal care and education team. One of the most fulfilling parts of her job is helping people connect with animals. In her free time, she loves cooking and playing board games. Outside of Mission: Wolf, Kathy works as an educator and loves inspiring kids.
Paul Ross
After working 70 hours a week for many years, Paul decided that he needed a serious, positive change in his life. The decision came quickly to inform his employers that he must be moving on and within two weeks he had given away or sold most of his possessions and drove West. Paul loves waking up in his two-story tipi to the howling wolves every morning. Also, learning the skills necessary to run a refuge has been rather exciting. Paul went to a Quaker boarding school and is familiar with living in small community. He grew up around horses and also brings several years of experience with construction. Paul enjoys his role as refuge caretaker and looks forward to the inevitable growth here at Mission: Wolf. Paul’s hobbies include hiking, climbing mountains, and becoming a world class hacky sack professional.
Danika Oriol-Morway
Danika came to Mission: Wolf after several years working in the fast-paced New York fashion industry, looking for something different. She likes that Mission: Wolf teaches people self-awareness and body language. In addition to her work as an operation manager in the fashion industry, Danika has two years of experience as a veterinary technician. She works with Mission: Wolf animal care and office operations, and has shown tremendous leadership in helping improve our preventative vet care program. In her free time, Danika enjoys travel and snowboarding. She also harbors a fondness for the elusive American jackalope.
Mike Lydon
Mike was looking for work as a computer geek in Boulder when he heard about Mission: Wolf from a friend. He appreciates the opportunity the refuge offers to do good in the world without being caught up in the 21stcentury rat race. Learning the mysteries of automotive mechanics while at the refuge, he continues the valiant tradition of keeping donated trucks running by any means necessary. He can also be seen doing any number of the miscellaneous tasks that are a constant presence at the refuge. In his free time, Mike continues his dabbling in various forms of geekery, and can occasionally be spotted in Connecticut or California, on his annual migration to visit friends and family.
Jeff Wagner
Jeff was 9 years old when he first visited Mission: Wolf as a camper. Now he has returned as a core teaching staff, bringing with him a contagious passion for sustainability and the environment. Jeff loves M:W’s community, earthy feel and ability to make people notice the changing seasons. He currently manages the Mission: Wolf gardens and greenhouses and leads sustainability projects. During summers, Jeff works for NOLS and other companies as an outdoor educator in the mountains of Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. In his free time, Jeff plays mandolin, dances, bakes sourdough bread, climbs mountains, takes photos and makes movies.
Matt Landever
Matt has a lifelong passion for wildlife and has always wanted to work with wolves. He likes the deep connection with nature that he experiences while living at Mission: Wolf. Matt comes to us with a variety of experiences with wildlife research, education, and rehabilitation. He works primarily with animal care and also assists with refuge maintenance and education. Outside of Mission: Wolf, Matt is a wildlife biologist with a focus on wolf research. His hobbies include hiking, photography, camping, karaoke, and pumping iron.
Jenny Wagner
Jenny came to Mission: Wolf for the summer after spending half a year as a volunteer educator in Africa and Asia. She likes that Mission: Wolf gives the opportunity to live in a community of volunteers from all around the world while providing lots of quiet aspen groves to hang out in. Jenny oversees education at the sanctuary, assists with animal care, helps in the office, and guides students through hands-on learning experiences. In her free time, Jenny enjoys hiking, doing yoga, dancing tango, making music, staring into fires, and traveling.
Moses Cooper
Moses has been involved in animal welfare and volunteering since his young teenage years. He has volunteered in Malaysia at a Green and Hawksbill turtle hatchery, at a rabbit and pig refuge, and now has been with Mission: Wolf since 2007. What he enjoys most about Mission: Wolf is the opportunity to fall asleep to wolves howling. At this time Moses can imagine a vast fenceless land free from enclosures, deep lush forests, and the true balance in the wild. Currently, Moses assists with facility and fleet management, wood harvesting and processing, and general daily chores. In addition to his hard skills, Moses brings leadership experience, group management skills, and an ability to help kindle such opportunities for growth in others. Moses satisfies his desire for growth through risk through fly fishing, downhill mountain biking, snowboarding, and climbing trees as a professional arborist.
Travis Moonschein
Travis comes to Mission: Wolf with extensive background in carpentry and fine art. At the refuge, Travis assists with refuge maintenance and is famous for being able to build just about anything. He also brings considerable culinary skills to the table and as such is a huge asset to Mission: Wolf's community living aspect. Outside of Mission: Wolf, Travis produces sets for Film and TV production, mainly in New York City.
Board of Directors
MW operates with a Board of five Directors that oversee the executive director and president who live on site and are responsible to oversee the refuge operations. The board of directors set priorities and expectations for on site animal care needs, and works to assure all licenses, permits, insurance and other legal requirements are in order. The Board also oversee our national educational program. MW is operated as a sustainable facility and is designed to function with minimal cost. The MW Board members all contribute funds annually, but more over, they are seen as recruiters for large donors and specific material donations including land and vehicles. Most directors own adjacent land to buffer the refuge from development. For more information about our Board, please contact us directly.
Kent Weber, Co-Founder and Executive Director
Kent has spent the past two decades as an experiential educator working to provide a home for rescued animals. His patience and skill as a teacher have benefited thousands of volunteers and visitors over the years. He is the main spokesperson for the traveling Ambassador Wolf Program and has inspired countless people to care. Kent has profound architectural knowledge from his background in construction management and applies this knowledge to making the sanctuary sustainable through solar power and passive solar design. Kent wears many different hats at the sanctuary. You might find him in the Mission: Wolf tool shop teaching new volunteers how to build something for the first time, talking about group psychology to a bunch of high school students, or explaining wolf-dog regulations to someone on the phone. During the summer, the one hat you can count on him wearing almost every day is his cowboy hat.
Tracy Ane Brooks, Co-Founder and President
With over two decades experience working with wolves and horses, Tracy oversees animal care at the sanctuary. She understands animal behavior and has developed gentle handling techniques that are truly her own. Tracy teaches interested Mission: Wolf staff how to use body language to communicate with wolves and horses. As the primary Ambassador Wolf leader, she has developed successful handling techniques for the captive Ambassador Wolves to help them be calm and happy in public, unnatural and new environments. Tracy is currently developing a wolf/horse body language teaching program at the sanctuary, using positive interactions between people and animals as an educational and therapeutic tool. She is nearing completion of a detailed book about her work. An accomplished artist, Tracy has raised money for the sanctuary from sales of her donated art.
Meet Our Core Teaching Staff
Kathy Bennett
When she first came to Mission: Wolf, Kathy was working in the competitive world of corporate telecommunications. She was inspired by the simple living and environmental consciousness she encountered at Mission: Wolf. Kathy likes that Mission: Wolf has volunteers from all over the world and she loves watching people grow here. She has been rescuing animals since she was a little girl, and also brings valuable logistics experience. Kathy oversees business operations at the sanctuary and is a valuable part of the animal care and education team. One of the most fulfilling parts of her job is helping people connect with animals. In her free time, she loves cooking and playing board games. Outside of Mission: Wolf, Kathy works as an educator and loves inspiring kids.
Paul Ross
After working 70 hours a week for many years, Paul decided that he needed a serious, positive change in his life. The decision came quickly to inform his employers that he must be moving on and within two weeks he had given away or sold most of his possessions and drove West. Paul loves waking up in his two-story tipi to the howling wolves every morning. Also, learning the skills necessary to run a refuge has been rather exciting. Paul went to a Quaker boarding school and is familiar with living in small community. He grew up around horses and also brings several years of experience with construction. Paul enjoys his role as refuge caretaker and looks forward to the inevitable growth here at Mission: Wolf. Paul’s hobbies include hiking, climbing mountains, and becoming a world class hacky sack professional.
Danika Oriol-Morway
Danika came to Mission: Wolf after several years working in the fast-paced New York fashion industry, looking for something different. She likes that Mission: Wolf teaches people self-awareness and body language. In addition to her work as an operation manager in the fashion industry, Danika has two years of experience as a veterinary technician. She works with Mission: Wolf animal care and office operations, and has shown tremendous leadership in helping improve our preventative vet care program. In her free time, Danika enjoys travel and snowboarding. She also harbors a fondness for the elusive American jackalope.
Mike Lydon
Mike was looking for work as a computer geek in Boulder when he heard about Mission: Wolf from a friend. He appreciates the opportunity the refuge offers to do good in the world without being caught up in the 21stcentury rat race. Learning the mysteries of automotive mechanics while at the refuge, he continues the valiant tradition of keeping donated trucks running by any means necessary. He can also be seen doing any number of the miscellaneous tasks that are a constant presence at the refuge. In his free time, Mike continues his dabbling in various forms of geekery, and can occasionally be spotted in Connecticut or California, on his annual migration to visit friends and family.
Jeff Wagner
Jeff was 9 years old when he first visited Mission: Wolf as a camper. Now he has returned as a core teaching staff, bringing with him a contagious passion for sustainability and the environment. Jeff loves M:W’s community, earthy feel and ability to make people notice the changing seasons. He currently manages the Mission: Wolf gardens and greenhouses and leads sustainability projects. During summers, Jeff works for NOLS and other companies as an outdoor educator in the mountains of Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. In his free time, Jeff plays mandolin, dances, bakes sourdough bread, climbs mountains, takes photos and makes movies.
Matt Landever
Matt has a lifelong passion for wildlife and has always wanted to work with wolves. He likes the deep connection with nature that he experiences while living at Mission: Wolf. Matt comes to us with a variety of experiences with wildlife research, education, and rehabilitation. He works primarily with animal care and also assists with refuge maintenance and education. Outside of Mission: Wolf, Matt is a wildlife biologist with a focus on wolf research. His hobbies include hiking, photography, camping, karaoke, and pumping iron.
Jenny Wagner
Jenny came to Mission: Wolf for the summer after spending half a year as a volunteer educator in Africa and Asia. She likes that Mission: Wolf gives the opportunity to live in a community of volunteers from all around the world while providing lots of quiet aspen groves to hang out in. Jenny oversees education at the sanctuary, assists with animal care, helps in the office, and guides students through hands-on learning experiences. In her free time, Jenny enjoys hiking, doing yoga, dancing tango, making music, staring into fires, and traveling.
Moses Cooper
Moses has been involved in animal welfare and volunteering since his young teenage years. He has volunteered in Malaysia at a Green and Hawksbill turtle hatchery, at a rabbit and pig refuge, and now has been with Mission: Wolf since 2007. What he enjoys most about Mission: Wolf is the opportunity to fall asleep to wolves howling. At this time Moses can imagine a vast fenceless land free from enclosures, deep lush forests, and the true balance in the wild. Currently, Moses assists with facility and fleet management, wood harvesting and processing, and general daily chores. In addition to his hard skills, Moses brings leadership experience, group management skills, and an ability to help kindle such opportunities for growth in others. Moses satisfies his desire for growth through risk through fly fishing, downhill mountain biking, snowboarding, and climbing trees as a professional arborist.
Travis Moonschein
Travis comes to Mission: Wolf with extensive background in carpentry and fine art. At the refuge, Travis assists with refuge maintenance and is famous for being able to build just about anything. He also brings considerable culinary skills to the table and as such is a huge asset to Mission: Wolf's community living aspect. Outside of Mission: Wolf, Travis produces sets for Film and TV production, mainly in New York City.
Board of Directors
MW operates with a Board of five Directors that oversee the executive director and president who live on site and are responsible to oversee the refuge operations. The board of directors set priorities and expectations for on site animal care needs, and works to assure all licenses, permits, insurance and other legal requirements are in order. The Board also oversee our national educational program. MW is operated as a sustainable facility and is designed to function with minimal cost. The MW Board members all contribute funds annually, but more over, they are seen as recruiters for large donors and specific material donations including land and vehicles. Most directors own adjacent land to buffer the refuge from development. For more information about our Board, please contact us directly.