Meet Our Team
Elissa Kobrin, Executive Director
Elissa was born in the Bronx, New York and has lived all over the United States. She spent many formative summers attending Camp Fire Wilani’s flagship program, Camp Wilani. The inclusive, positive environment at Camp Wilani led to Elissa’s love for the natural world and inspired her professional career. Elissa received her BA in Planning, Public Policy and Management with a minor in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Oregon (UO) in 2013. While attending UO, she participated in the Sustainable City Year Program and was one of eight students selected to participate in the Environmental Leadership Program. She was a trip leader for the UO Outdoor Program and spent her summers as an interpretive park ranger for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
In 2013, Elissa relocated to Bellingham, Washington where she earned her M.Ed. from Western Washington University. She spent a year-long graduate practicum at North Cascades Institute and served as a backcountry ranger for North Cascades National Park. Elissa has been certified in backcountry emergency medicine for 20 years and is currently a certified Wilderness First Responder, Lifeguard, and First Aid/CPR instructor.
After graduate school, Elissa served as a recreation and camp staff training consultant and team building facilitator. She also assisted new nonprofits in their formalization and expansion phases. She served as a regional director for the YMCA before returning to Eugene to take the helm of Camp Fire Wilani. Elissa loves hiking, yoga, excellent coffee, birds and moose. (She really loves moose.) She can often be found in parks or other outdoor areas naturalizing to strangers whether they are interested or not.
Tanja Baker, Office Manager
Tanja grew up in Colorado and was lucky enough to spend her summers camping and backpacking throughout the Rockies. She moved to Oregon in 2006 and has been exploring the Cascades ever since. She feels most at home when she is out in nature and is excited be a part of Camp Fire Wilani to ensure the next generation has the same opportunity to connect with nature at a young age.
Tanja’s work experience ranges from caring for 8 African Elephants at the Kansas City Zoo, to running hospitality programs at 5 Olympic Games, to building high efficiency stoves in the highlands of Guatemala. With over 15 years of business operations, office management and accounting experience, she is ready to support all the team members and participants at Camp Fire Wilani.
In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering, hiking with her dogs, friends & family, playing volleyball, home improvement projects, gardening, reading nonfiction, & experimenting with healthy recipes.
Drelin Julkes, Director of Inclusion
Drelin is from Gary, Indiana, and has had the opportunity to live across the United States. He attended the University of Southern Indiana and received a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Individual Studies with a minor in Psychology in 2020. He then earned his Master of Science in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Mississippi State University in 2022.
He moved to Eugene, Oregon in August 2022 to work at the University of Oregon. He began working at Camp Fire Wilani in January 2023 as our Director of Inclusion. During his time in the role, he has worked to create an inclusive and safe environment for the students and campers to explore the outdoors and learn more about themselves. In addition to this, he has created a workplace culture that allows staff to be themselves while also having the opportunity to impact youth and program participants.
In his spare time, he enjoys road-tripping, rollerblading, concerts, and spending time with his friends and family.
