ABOUT US
Meet the Unite the Parks Team. Integrity, Intelligence, Energy
Deanna Lynn Wulff
Executive Director
Dr. Joseph Werne
Chief Scientist
Deanna is an award-winning author and advocate with a deep love of and commitment to the Sierra Nevada. For more than 20 years, she has been a project manager and editor, organizing complex and highly technical projects on a diverse set of topics. While working as a consultant, she explored vast portions of the west and the world, developing a comprehensive understanding of the American landscape. She has been a ranger, a river guide, and a yoga instructor. Her outdoor experience, organizational skills and adaptability laid the ground work for her role as the founder and executive director of Unite the Parks.
Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Lowell Young
Central Valley Advocate
Kim Hall
Leadership Advisor
Kim serves as a troop leader and training chair for Scouts BSA. She has a diversity of life and work experience, with a speciality in youth advocacy and outdoor skills. She has taught English as a second language (ESL) in Indonesia, Mexico and the United States, and she is currently working as an Emergency Services Analyst for the Oceanside Fire Department. When not working, she loves to read, walk, hike with her two sons, and grow amazing organic vegetables in her garden.
Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. John Muir
Jessie Hoag
Youth & Grassroots Lobbying Lead
Jessie is a senior-standing Political Science student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Jessie leads a very active life style, and is a true believer that everyone (including herself) should be outside more often. Passionate about helping others, Jessie is compelled by Unite the Park’s goals, and hopes to share the environment with everyone she can reach. In her free time, Jessie enjoys exploring new music, playing with her dog, and laughing with her loved ones.
You cannot change what you are, only what you do. Philip Pullman
Dr. Joseph Werne is a senior research scientist at NorthWest Research Associates. He has a Ph.D in Physics from the University of Chicago and Bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University. The primary focus of Dr. Werne’s work is in atmosphere, ocean, and solar system simulation and modeling, with specific emphasis in fundamental processes and their nonlinear interplay. For Unite the Parks, he provides scientific analysis, research, and advocacy support. In addition to his professional work, he is also a baseball coach and house-concert host. See Dr. Werne's CV.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein
Lowell Young
Central Valley Advocate
Lowell is an expert birder, advocate and active member of the California Democratic Party. He has been the President of Yosemite Area Audubon, and the winner of the Charles H. Callison Award for volunteerism, Audubon's highest national honor. He has pursued environmental and social justice all his life, working on the Audubon's campaign to save the tri-colored blackbird. Audubon recently designated the Southern Sierra Nevada IBA in his honor. Read more about it here.
Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. C. S. Lewis
Jesus Martinez
Youth and Marketing Lead
Jesus is a student at CSU Fresno, and he was born and raised in California's Central Valley. He has a deep passion for conservation and public lands, such as Yosemite National Park. He hopes to show the importance and value of protecting our parks and inspire the next generation to become environmental activists and outdoor enthusiasts. He enjoys working out at the gym, hiking, training jiu-jitsu, traveling, and spending time with his German shepherd.
Nature has given us all the pieces required to achieve exceptional wellness and health, but has left it to us to put these pieces together. Diane McLaren