Mike Fox

BOARD MEMBER  |  E-MAIL: madfox@gmail.com

Mike "Fox" Fox is an executive specializing in marketing with experience at Google, Verizon and Apple. Mike graduated Leadership San Jose in 2006 and served on the San Jose Leadership Council board of directors from 2009-2013. His two children attended science camp at Walden West and Mike likes to hike, camp and play pickleball.

Steve "Sequoia" Betando

BOARD MEMBER  |  E-MAIL:

Steve "Sequoia" Betando recently retired as the Superintendent of the Morgan Hill Unified School District. He now uses experience from his 38-year career in public education as a consultant supporting educational and business executive leaders. Throughout his years of teaching and administrative positions, Steve supported students attending Walden West Science Camp, including as a 6th grade teacher himself. He has extensive board and steering committee experience through other education-related organizations. As a board member, Steve hopes to not only share his professional expertise but also his passion for environmental conservation and wildlife protection. In his spare time, Steve enjoys time with family and friends along with countless healthy outdoor activities including distance and trail running. When not traveling, Steve frequents events including local sports competitions and a variety of visual and performing arts shows and exhibitions.

Linda Caplinger

BOARD MEMBER  |  E-MAIL: caplinger@gmail.com

Linda “Fish” Caplinger grew up in a family that loved to camp and has been involved with girl scouts, teaching both K-12 and community college engineering students, and has a background in science.

Linda attended the University of California, Irvine majoring in Anthropology and Economics. She has worked as a laboratory archaeologist on numerous archaeological digs in Southern California and also in UCI’s radiocarbon laboratory. She currently works at NVIDIA as head of global integrated search marketing.

She loves the outdoors, and you can find Linda and her husband camping, kayaking, hiking, foraging for mushrooms and native plants, or tending to their flock of hens. Her two step children attended Walden West Camp and it remains as one of their fondest memories.

Marie Bacher

BOARD MEMBER  |  E-MAIL: Marie_Bacher@sccoe.org

Marie “Pineapple” Bacher is Director of Environmental Education at Walden West. Her last assignment was Educator-on-Loan to the Alameda County Office of Education in Hayward for Integrated Middle School Science Partnership, which was a $12 million dollar NSF-funded grant working with middle school science teachers all over the Bay Area. In her 22 years as a teacher for Santa Clara Unified School District, Marie has taught 2nd through 8th grade. Marie started her teaching career at Walden West and to this day believes the best way for everyone to learn is through engaging hands-on, minds-on experiences in nature. Marie has two beautiful children, Kate and Rick. When not at Walden West, Marie can be found spending time with her family, surfing, hiking, camping, playing her ukulele, or dancing the hula. She has a Masters of Education in Administration and Supervision from San Jose State University and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Humboldt State University.

Deanna "Ocean" Estes

BOARD MEMBER  |  E-MAIL:

Deanna "Ocean" Estes is the Assistant Clinical Director at The Behavior Exchange in Colorado. She grew up in Saratoga and throughout her childhood participated in many of Walden West’s programs. She hopes to give back to the community she grew up in and a place that was important to her in her formative years. She is also passionate about connecting children with nature.

Elia "Rain" Rubio

BOARD MEMBER  |  E-MAIL:

Elia "Rain" Rubio is a Clinical Trial Coordinator at The Francis I. Proctor Foundation for Research in Ophthalmology. She has recently become a board member of the Walden West Foundation, where she brings her strong dedication to youth development and advocacy for equitable access to outdoor education. Elia has extensive experience working with children, having been a Girls on the Run coach, a camp counselor, and a Spanish tutor for students. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and playing basketball.

Bryan “Earthworm” Sablan

BOARD MEMBER  |  E-MAIL:

Bryan “Earthworm” Sablan is the Director of Athletics and Recreation at Tessellations School, an independent K-8 school, and is a spirited advocate for nature and adventure. With a lifelong passion for the outdoors, Bryan's dedication began as a volunteer at Walden West and has since shaped his journey. Now, as a board member supporting Walden West's programs, he inspires others to connect with the wonders of nature through outreach and advocacy. Outside work, Bryan finds joy in the expressive art of dance, explores his artistic side with tie-dye, and finds peace through meditation while organizing his trading card collection.

Teresa Shipp

BOARD MEMBER  |  E-MAIL: tshipp@sccoe.org

Teresa "Dolphin" Shipp serves as the Assistant-Superintendent of Educational Services for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. An experienced, passionate leader who thrives in a data-driven environment, Teresa is focused on team and individual development, large organizational initiatives and making the vision become a reality. She is skilled in collaborative practices, team building, project management and communication. Her objective is to laugh, enjoy the work and to share her talents with others.

Andrea "Egret" Maes

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR  |  E-MAIL:

Andrea Maes, a non-profit and school veteran, joined WWF as its Executive Director in January 2023. Andrea brings knowledge and skills from over two decades of working in non-profit administration and fundraising, including leadership of two local educational foundations as board chair and extensive grant writing experience. She is a collaborative leader who is passionate about hands-on learning, outdoor education, and connecting kids with nature. Both of Andrea's children (now in high school/college) attended Walden West Outdoor School and still talk about it to this day. When she is not working, you can likely find her out on a hiking trail with her dog!