Kelly Wiley
Kelly graduated with a BA in Child Development from Chico State. She has worked with young children in licensed programs since 1983.
She owned and operated Golden Gate Music Together in San Francisco 2001-2016.
She created Golden Gate Children’s Art & Outdoor Explorations in the Fall of 2013. Her vision was and still is, to offer a Reggio Inspired Enrichment Program that allowed children to tinker and explore a wide range of materials and express themselves with many different mediums. To document their process and reflect back their ideas by asking questions. To provide a art & outdoor space that was the third teacher because it inspired creativity. To build strong relationships with and between children. To foster their development and to encourage joy.
Kelly was first exposed to Reggio Emilia in 1995 when working at the PG & E Children's Center in San Francisco. It was one of the first centers in the city to start implementing Reggio Emilia inspired classrooms. Funding from the center allowed for her to take part in local and nationwide trainings and roundtable Reggio Meetings. She has remained an active member of NAEYC and attends NAREA Conferences throughout the year. Kelly has attended Reggio Emilia,Italy trainings since the Fall of 2019.
Kelly attends workshops in Reggio Emilia, Italy every Spring in April and in November. She often brings Teachers with her to attend these workshops.
This Spring 2026 she will attend workshops hosted by NAREA in Pistoia, Italy in April & Reggio Emilia, Italy in May.
Carla Reyes
Carla brings over nine years of experience in business administration, financial operations, and office management to her role as Operations Manager at Golden Gate Art & Nature. She works closely with the organization's leadership to manage administrative and financial operations, coordinate programs, and keep things running smoothly behind the scenes. Carla holds a bachelor's degree and has a strong background in executive administration and business operations. Her work helps support the teachers and staff so they can focus on providing creative and meaningful learning experiences for children.
Ximena Vilela
Ximena Vilela is a mixed media artist whose love for art began in early childhood. She holds a degree in fashion design and has spent years exploring a vibrant range of creative mediums, including sewing, textiles, sculpture, and acrylic on wood. She finds joy in experimenting, working with her hands, and bringing ideas to life through texture and color.
Based in the Bay Area, Ximena has worked in several art studios and Reggio inspired preschools, where she blends creativity, curiosity, and play into every experience. In addition to her artistic work, she also supports administrative operations, bringing organization and care to behind the scenes processes. Her work celebrates imagination, tactile exploration, and the beauty of artistic discovery.
Zizi Hayes
Zizi grew up in San Francisco and Oakland and later attended UC Santa Cruz and graduated with a BA in psychology. Zizi was very inspired by the nature that surrounds that area, which now heavily influences their art, as well as a lot of their interests. Zizi has experience working with children in different art and play based spaces and previously worked at a Reggio Emilia inspired school. They appreciate the way that the Reggio approach centers art, play, exploration, a deep connection to nature, and emphasizes the importance of children’s autonomy.
Zizi believes that access to art and nature are incredibly important for a child’s social emotional development and enjoys being a part of that experience. Zizi loves plants, crafting and experimenting with different art forms, cooking, hiking, singing, playing guitar, reading, and spending time with their cats and loved ones.
Attended Teacher Training in Reggio Emilia, Italy in April 2025.
Ana Ostrovsky
Ana (AW-nah) was raised in San Rafael, and now calls San Francisco home. From a young age Ana has been inspired by nature, feeling a calling to environmental activism. She has always felt a deep connection between her creativity and the natural world, exploring this in her art practice. Ana began working in childcare as a young teen; babysitting, as a theater camp counselor, assistant teaching, and more, and has continued her passion for working with youth through her collegiate studies and professional work.
Ana graduated from Connecticut College with a BA in Gender, Sexuality and Intersectionality studies with minors in Educational Studies and Fine Art in 2023. Her undergraduate studies focused in particular around questions of the relationship between nature, the environment, and identity, including a senior independent study which culminated in an extensive written praxis and gallery art show. This remains central to her pedagogy as an educator, positioning the teacher as facilitator and guide rather than an expert, prioritizing experiential education methods. Since undergrad Ana has worked as a nanny, deepening her understanding of respectful parenting styles and best practices in supporting child development at various ages and stages.
From this and working as a substitute preschool teacher, Ana has specific experience supporting neurodivergent children and their parents. Ana further expanded her skills as an educator and facilitator working for the Exploratorium, designing and implementing STEAM education experiences for thousands of field trip students. Her interest and passion for fostering effective learning environments which promote social-emotional development, encourage empathy and autonomy, align her teaching style with Reggio Emilia. Ana’s preferred mediums in her own art are charcoal and oil pastels. Her hobbies include crochet, hiking, biking, walking her dog, and playing kickball with friends.
Kelley Brown
Kelley was born and raised in LA, but has absolutely adored and adopted the city life of the Bay Area since moving here to complete her undergrad at SFSU in Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation. Kelley has always been into natural and holistic approaches of learning and teaching. Having grown up in an immigrant household, it has always been a priority to reconnect with nature to better understand herself and the systems around her. Through this regimen and receiving her bachelor’s degree, Kelley began her journey of giving back to the community in sharing these types of experiences through working with youth groups through the national parks system and stewardship.
Kelley is also a big birder and finds that the majority of her artistic expressions come from observation through bird watching and the soundscape of nature. She believes that all art forms are important to practice to help others navigate their paths in the art world. However, Kelley thoroughly enjoys making music the most and is a part of a local SF post-punk band playing bass.
Andrew Thompson
Andrew Thompson is an educator and ceramicist who has worked for the past decade making ceramic sculpture and functional ware while simultaneously teaching classes and managing various ceramic studios. He graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Art Studio, and soon after moved to Spain where he taught children English and worked in a tile factory. Most recently, he worked as an outdoor camp counselor, where he became aware of the benefits of teaching and learning in nature. He feels that making things with your hands is important, especially for children, considering the ubiquity of screens and digitalization. In his free time he enjoys hiking, playing chess, reading, writing, and of course, making art.
Yinabelle Liang
“Bella” to those close to her, grew up in San Francisco and graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a B.A. in Computer Science. She has experience working with children in summer camp and educational settings, beginning in high school when she started volunteering at a summer camp with elementary school-aged students. After volunteering for several years, Bella began working as a Camp Lead Instructor once she was an adult.
Even though Bella pursued computer science in college, working with children has always been something that brought her joy. Bella believes that everyone is capable of accomplishing the things they put their hearts into, and she hopes to encourage children to believe in themselves and their own abilities. She enjoys creating hands-on learning experiences that encourage children to explore, problem-solve, and build confidence in their abilities. She especially enjoys seeing children become excited when they discover something for themselves and believes that learning should be a space where children feel comfortable being curious, asking questions, and trying new things. Her experience working alongside other instructors has strengthened her ability to create a supportive and engaging environment for children with different interests and learning styles.
Outside of work, Bella enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and cat. She loves karaoke, playing guitar, swimming, playing video games, watching 4D movies, and going on adventures.
Katia Pontillo
Katia Pontillo is a muralist and fine artist native to the Bay Area. She received her B.F.A. from California College of the Arts. Her mural work incorporates elements from nature and the use of fine decorative finishes such as plaster, guilding, and faux finishing. Using these techniques she has worked with many talented designers in SF and the broader bay area, bringing their vision to life in a unique way.
Kaita has had experience as an art teacher since 2017 implementing after school art programs at various schools/programs such as Oakland School for the Arts, La Scuola, The Hamlin School, and SFARTSED. Growing up she attended Oakland School for the Arts which showed her the value of art being a part of daily life and education. She believes that art is a crucial tool to help us navigate, interpret, and understand the world. She hopes to share her passion for art with kids just as her teachers impressed upon her as a child.
Isaac Rodeadilla
Isaac brings years of professional driving and transportation experience to Golden Gate Art & Nature. He helps ensure that children travel safely and comfortably between their schools, the studio, and program activities. With a strong background in transportation logistics and route coordination, Isaac takes pride in providing reliable and timely transportation while making each pick-up and drop-off a smooth experience for children, families, and staff.