About our staff

Chris Lauf- Facilities Coordinator and Instructor

Chris grew up in Australia where he spent most of his childhood weekends in the shed, building go-carts, toys and tree forts, or backpacking in the mountains around his hometown of Canberra. As he grew up, the urge to build things and explore the world never left him.

While studying Biology and Music at UC Santa Cruz, Chris began teaching basic bicycle mechanics to developmentally disabled adults, sharing the feeling of empowerment which comes from the building process. He also studied education theory and philosophy which led him to complete a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication focusing on science education at the Australian National University.

Chris has spent the last year working as an educator in Jakarta with the Indonesian National Science and Technology Centre, and in 2008 he co-founded the Cycling Scientists, a 100% bicycle-mobile educational organization which runs hands-on science and technology workshops for remote Indigenous schools in the Australian Outback. Now that he lives in the Bay Area, Chris is excited to share his passion for nature, carpentry and education with the vibrant community of students at Sienna Ranch.

Sophia Maria Fox- Program Support and Instructor

Sophia grew up in rural Oklahoma camping, fishing, and gardening with her grandparents. She studied school counseling, and has a Masters in Education. Some of her experiences include: working with the youth of the Choctaw Nation in college-prep programs and facilitating challenge/ropes courses, a 6 month permaculture internship in Hawaii, and most recently teaching and administrative positions at two outdoor science schools here in CA. Sophia is very excited to be spending her days at the ranch playing, sharing knowledge, and letting Mama nature be the lead teacher! She believes in cultivating a love and respect for our planet by allowing children to explore, and learn from their natural curiosities. Some hobbies include: yoga, crafting, baking, snorkeling, camping, disc golf, dancing, and reading in the sunshine.

Kim Casey- Horse and Equestrian Program Instructor

Kim started working with animals as a young teenager in a veterinary hospital and then eventually became a veterinary assistant. At the age of 8, she started riding hunter/jumpers and through the years worked as a barn crew at local stales, where she mucked stalls, grommed and tacked horses, fed, and medicated- all in exchange for lessons.

After earning a degree in English and Fine Art, she started working as a writer, but soon transitioned back into employment with animals. She was accepted into apprenticeship programs at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and the Oakland Zoo, working with giraffes, grant zebras, small primates, American alligators, elephants, and many other exotics. While still in the D.C. area, she volunteered for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), assisting in the effor to adopt neglected animals.

Before coming to Sienna Ranch, she held a position exercising horses, providing daily enrichment and training, with the goal of offering vigorous activity, teaching proper ground manners, and alleviating stable vices.

At Sienna Ranch, she holds a position as a horse back riding instructor and horse program teacher, where she supports Sienna Ranch’s philosophy of Natural Horsemanship. In her free time, she enjoys playing and coaching soccer, skateboarding, riding motorcycles, and spending time with her husband and three kitties.

Alison Gould- Program Coordinator and Instructor

Alison comes from the southern forests of Nashville, TN where she grew up playing in creeks and climbing trees. She spent many years teaching visual arts to kids in Nashville and has taught nutrition, gardening, sewing and summer camp to all ages in California. In addition to completing a BA from the Evergreen State College, as well as a two year certificate from the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, CA, she has also pursued studies in permaculture, youth mentoring, wildlife tracking, and primitive survival skills. Alison's hobbies include gardening, bird watching, hiking, rock climbing, yoga, and wildcrafting.

Karen Wallace- Horse and Equestrian Program Coordinator and Instructor

Karen is an Orinda artist and mother of three grown children who has taught art and sewing to youth and adults for over 20 years. Her goal as a teacher is for her students to feel comfortable, creative, and successful. She has a mild and calming nature which gives children a sense of safety, allowing them to shed any inhibitions around art and creativity.

As an artist, Karen thrives on experimentation and discovery. While her degree is in digital art and animation, she has worked extensively in watercolor, printmaking and sculpture. Her work can be found in collections throughout the United States and in Japan.

Karen hopes to inspire children as they create in the serene and natural Sienna Ranch setting which she, herself, loves. Karen regularly volunteers with the care of the various farm animals at Sienna Ranch.

Savannah Beauregard- Animal Care and Education Coordinator

Savannah grew up in the Bay Area, taking every opportunity presented to her to work with animals. She has a BS in animal science from UC Davis and hopes to return to school in the next few years to obtain a degree in veterinary medicince, focusing on wildlife. Through high schoo, she worked as a veterinary assistant at a small animal hospital in Moraga and since then has volunteered with several pet adoption organizations. She has had several internships at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum (two in the hospital and one with the exhibit animals) working with native California species. Her experience at the musem include: Work with song birds, raptors, raccoons, opossums, among others. She also interned at the Oakland Zoo working with reptiles, amphibians, insects, and arachnids. Savannah looks forward to many more days working with the menagerie of creatures living on the ranch. Her goals is to enhance the lives of the animals in her care, both large and small, through enrichment. She hopes to build an educational program for the ranch that inspires visiting children and ignites them with the same passion and love for animals that she realized at a very young age.

Alex Clements- Horse and Equestrian Program Instructor.

Alex grew up in Lafayette and attended all Lafayette public schools. She graduated from Acalanes high school in 2005 and attended Diablo Valley College. She has a certificate for clinical medical assisting, she is certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR. She also attended a Wrangler Training class at Swan Mountain Outfitters in Swan Lake, Montana and received a wrangler certification. She has been an animal lover ever since she can remember and has owned many animals but horses have been her main focus. They have been her love and passion from a very young age. She started trail riding with her father around 8 years old and then began taking english riding lessons around 10 years old. She owned her own horse at the age of 12 and had him for many years. She and her horse, Bo Jangles, attended many camps in Southern California together for weeks on end. At the camps she learned how to ride on trails, jump, english equitation etc. She also did many schooling shows in english equitation and jumping with her Arabian, Bo Jangles. She also is very familiar with western riding and is currently taking roping lessons. She has been a groom for a dressage trainer where she exercised, groomed, fed, tacked and untacked Warmbloods. Just this past summer, she was a wrangler at a guest ranch in Montana where she looked after a herd of 60 horses and guided trail rides daily throughout Big Timber Canyon. Her approach to horses is kind but stern and uses many natural horsemanship techniques. She loves to share her knowledge with others and enjoys seeing others happy while they are learning about horses. She is very compassionate and kind natured. It makes her happy to see children happy around horses, the way she was when she was young. Alex's hobbies include riding, gardening, swimming, taking roping lessons, going to concerts, traveling, hiking etc.

Matthew Zalewski- Facilities Support and Animal Feeder

Matthew is a homeschooled, high school student, who came to Sienna Ranch a couple of years ago as part of the Ranch Hands program. He currently helps care for the animals on the weekends, assists with camps, and performs other duties. Matthew is currently working towards his eagle rank in boy scouts.

Eliot Rhodes- Facilities Support and Instructor

Eliot grew up playing in the creeks and parks of Franklin, Indiana. He studied English Literature and Philosophy/Religious Studies at Elmira College in New York and then spent the next 6 years traveling around the country (and the world) studying and teaching environmental education, including stops at High Trails Outdoor Science School in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California and Hava v' Adam, an ecological farm in Modi'in, Israel. He believes that spending time outdoors is important, and that everyone should learn a little bit about how to grow their own food and cook it, too. His hobbies include: making music, cooking, hiking, gardening, scrabble, frisbee, watching football and just being outside.