Meet Our Team!
Every staff member of OWLS values quality and integrity of content and character while also prizing and prioritizing fun and adventure in learning. We feel that education should be about discovery and personal growth.
DAWN BELLO - FOUNDER & CEO
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Dawn founded the Outdoor Wilderness and Leadership School in 2010. An avid outdoorswoman, wilderness first responder and survival skills instructor, Bello first developed outdoor skills training for adjudicated and at-risk youth, inner city children and women. Later, she developed programming for families through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - an effort that mushroomed into today's wildly popular Texas Outdoor Family program. Bello also managed TPWD's Houston Urban Outdoor Program for which she created a wide variety of outdoor educational curricula. Through many partnerships, HUOP reached tens of thousands of participants in the Houston area and across the state. Bello has written outdoor and environmental curricula for several educational organizations, museums, nature centers, outdoor learning centers, state parks, schools and community organizations. She played an instrumental role in university level programs, developing a STEMs camp for UT Brownsville and partnering on several efforts with Texas A&M. Dawn served on the launch team of the Houston Wilderness inter-agency collaboration and as one of TPWD's inaugural "Magnificent Seven" - the team which developed interpretive and educational master plans for recreational and cultural centers throughout the state of Texas. Today, Bello serves as the President/CEO of OWLS and Dean of the School of Terrestrial Studies. She also creates master plans for natural and cultural sites as well as training programs and curricula through her consulting agency, Beyond the Curve, LLC.
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SPEAKER:
NRPA and SEAFWA 2013 Annual Professional Conference,
TRPS, NWTF, NWF, TFEA, DU,
UT, TAMU and Lone Star College, also
numerous community organizations
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CERTIFICATIONS:
NOLS Wilderness First Responder
NASAR Air Scent Handler & Hug-A-Tree
Instructor Trainer,: Project Wild, Aquatic Wild, NASP, Angler Education, Hunter Education, Wilderness First Aid;
Instructor: ACA Kayak Touring & PLT
NAI Master Planner, Guide, Trainer
UT Project Management
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See Dawn's complete Dossier here.
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NYSSA CORREA - CO-FOUNDER
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Nyssa founded Peak Adventure Outfitters, an organization dedicated to getting women outdoors. In addition to introducing women to the outdoor, Peak was also dedicated to fostering an appreciation for conservation and helping women learn how to take their families into the outdoors safely. Peak later merged with OWLS to create a well-rounded program which now includes Nyssa's passion projects in aquatic and marine disciplines. ​
​The head of a panel for Texas Parks and Wildlife, wilderness medic, certified divemaster, kayak instructor, and backpacking guide, Nyssa is versatile in unmotorized outdoor recreation. Having initially studied Marine Biology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (now, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science), Nyssa went on to secure her PhD in Advanced Holistic Nutrition and is certified by NASM.
Nyssa was part of the instructor team for Miami SWAT's aquatic and dive training, as well as for the Coral Gables Police Department. She was a mentor to a number of SERE-trained military personnel who were expanding their skillsets, as one sailor stated, "We are specifically here after the knowledge in your head." when asked why they had chosen to attend Peak's survival training program. She has led university level programs for UT Brownsville and was a key contributor to programming by the Texas Forest Service, Texas AgriLife, and Lone Star College.
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CERTIFICATIONS:
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ACA Kayak Instructor
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PADI Divemaster
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PADI EANx
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ARC BLS CPR/AED: For Professional Rescuers
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NOLS: Wilderness Medic
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NASM
POSITION OPEN​
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The position of Dean for the School of Health & Fitness is currently open. If you are interested in the position and have a solid background in naturopathy, holistic health, or edible and medicinal herbs, coupled with a passion for and commitment to human and ecological health, we encourage you to inquire.
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Please contact us at:
POSITION OPEN
The position of Dean for the School of Outdoor Leadership is currently open. If you are interested in the position and have a solid background in the strategies, tactics, tools and emergency planning critical to competently leading and teaching in the outdoors, coupled with a respect and passion for all things wild, we want to hear from you!
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Please contact us at: