Nathan Lou - Co-founder and Executive Director
Nathan was born and raised in San Diego and has completed an AS in Agriculture from Yuba College, and BS in Natural Resources, with special emphasis in Fish and Wildlife Conservation, from Oregon State University. With over 15 years of cultivation experience, Nathan has developed a passion for agro-ecology and agro-forestry. Nathan is the co-founder and executive director of Mongol Tribe, a community and capacity building 501c3 focused on bridging health and wellness with civic ecology. With pillars in co-operative development, regenerative practices, and education, Mongol Tribe is cultivating urban food forests and seed libraries for its Food & Medicine Sovereignty Program. Nathan is leading the process of developing an apprenticeship program with an emphasis on traditional ecological knowledge and regenerative agroforestry practices. Nathan recently completed a pilot project funded by the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego via the Department of Conservation’s Regional Fire and Forest Capacity Program, which took place on Palomar Mountain. Nathan performed a comprehensive GIS vegetative survey for forest health, primarily studying the oak trees and relevant ethnobotanicals as part of Mongol Tribe's Natural Land Management Program. Nathan sits on the board for Slow Food Urban San Diego as the Food Justice Chairperson. |
Alicia Lou - Co-founder and Wellness Director, CMT, NCBTMB
Alicia is a devoted and empowered mother that lives a holistic lifestyle. Alicia has nearly 15 years of experience working in the wellness industry, graduating from the Aveda Institute in 2005 for Massage Therapy. Alicia is currently in pursuit of an A.S. in Oriental Medicine from the Pacific College with aspirations for a doctorate. Presently, Alicia is the Lead Massage Therapist at the Willow’s Spa. Inspired by her grandmothers’ devotion to the cultivation of a deep connection to all living beings, Alicia continues to serve and advocate for human equality. She has a profound appreciation for plants and their medicinal uses to harmonize imbalances in the earth and ourselves. With a keen understanding about how to support others in their healing, Alicia has an incredible ability to recognize opportunity for growth. Alicia provides an enriching and dynamic perspective to our wellness program and its enrichment. |
Dan Mueller - Managing Director
Dan has a degree in Communication, Culture and Community (Saint Louis University, 2015), training in Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation and Program Design and Management, and currently serves as Managing Director to Mongol Tribe. A passion for intercultural exchange has sent Dan to Belize, Jamaica and Puerto Rico to support grassroots community development initiatives in Education and Agriculture through various organizations, such as the United States Peace Corps. Dan’s work with food access and policy coalitions has allowed her to expand upon the social theories from her undergraduate studies and put them into practice developing programming for communities of concern across various contexts. Dan has more than seven years experience assisting numerous nonprofits with board development, community outreach and engagement, content development and editing, fundraising (event planning), program design and management, and strategic planning. She has been offering nonprofit management consultation services as an independent contractor in the following areas: civic ecology, community development and wellness, food and medicine sovereignty, social enterprise, urban agriculture, youth development and education. |