Meet Our Staff

Kent Weber, Director and Co-Founder

Kent has spent the past three decades as an experiential educator working to provide a home for rescued animals. His patience and skill as a teacher have benefited thousands of volunteers and visitors over the years. He is the main spokesperson for the traveling and on-site Ambassador Wolf programs, and has inspired compassion and understanding in countless visitors.

Kent has profound architectural knowledge from his background in construction management and he applies this knowledge to make the sanctuary sustainable through solar power and passive solar design.

Kent wears many different hats at the sanctuary: You might find him in our tool shop, teaching new volunteers how to build something for the first time, talking about group psychology to high school students, or discussing wolf conservation with a visiting biologist. During the summer, the one hat you can count on him wearing almost every day is his cowboy hat.

Tracy Ane Brooks, Co-Founder

With over two decades of experience working with wolves and horses, Tracy understands animal behavior and has developed gentle handling techniques that are truly her own.

Tracy teaches interested Mission: Wolf staff how to use body language to communicate with wolves and horses. She has also developed successful handling techniques for the captive Ambassador wolves to help them feel calm and happy in public, unnatural, and new environments. Tracy is currently developing a wolf/horse body language teaching program at the sanctuary, using positive interactions between people and animals as an educational and therapeutic tool.

She published a book about her work, entitled A Walk in Connection. An accomplished artist, Tracy has raised money for the sanctuary from sales of her artwork.

Mike Gaarde, Refuge Director

Mike is a lifelong wolf enthusiast, dedicated to the idea of running a wolf sanctuary since he was 5 years old. He came to Mission: Wolf in July 2013 as a short-term volunteer determined to learn. Eventually, Mike’s intended 2 week stay turned into 6 months, then to 2 years, then to indefinitely.

Now a decade later Mike has worked as a core staff member in every aspect of Mission: Wolf and has dedicated his future to the refuge. Mike’s charisma and excitement for our mission makes him a driving force on our staff. When he’s not working with the wolves, Mike can be found leading many refuge projects and teaching new skills to any and all who are interested.

In his free time, Mike likes to ride his dirt bike, go snowboarding, and play with his beloved dogs. Mike enjoys life to the fullest and aims to always see the joy in any situation. Much like the wolf, Mike is always striving to be mindful, aware, and knowledgeable of the world around him.

Moira Schein, Animal Caretaker

Moira arrived at Mission: Wolf in summer 2023, elated to return to her home state of Colorado. Moira graduated from the University of California Berkeley in 2021 with a degree in biology, and decided to pursue her passion for wolves. This led her to work with the California Wolf Center, learning about wild wolf biology and captive wolf husbandry.

Over the past 5 years Moira has also cared for her own two Wolfdogs, Faelen and Maeve, and created her organization “Running with Wolfdogs” to offer public education and wolf programs. Both Faelen and Maeve made the journey to Mission: Wolf with their “mom,” and all three are thriving at the refuge together. Moira gratefully accepted the role of Animal Caretaker at Mission: Wolf in Fall 2023, and is truly living her dream.

When she’s not busy preparing wolf meals or thinking up fun enrichment ideas, Moira loves hiking with her two wolfdogs, taking photos, working on social media, dirt biking, or simply laying in the grass under the sun. Moira is a wild and determined spirit that couldn’t be happier to find her home alongside the wolves and the people who love them too.

Sam Renk, Education Caretaker

Sam has been a part of Mission: Wolf since summer of 2020. His first trip to see the wolves wasn't by himself--he led two different groups of high school kids camping onsite over the summer. Instead of being shipped to South America like the year before, a pandemic sent him to remote Colorado..which was a bummer until Mission: Wolf turned into an inspiration and then eventually home a year later.

Since 2021, he has called on his past experience as summer-camp trip leader and substitute teacher to lead as the "Education Caretaker" in the M:W community. In his words, “It's a huge privilege to coordinate the experiential education happening here onsite. Seeing the awestruck wonder that happens when someone meets a wolf for the first time is something that never fades or grows old, and I love it.”

”Living at M:W has been an intense experience but I like that. I am grateful to be living and working with such beautiful animals (humans included). I enjoy how work and life and friend and teammate all blend into the day-to-day. Days and weeks start to feel more like circles and not one endless straight line. With no intention to leave any time soon, I look forward to helping the sanctuary persist in its mission and move into a bright future including wild wolves in the surrounding wilderness.”