People at Topa
To fulfill our mission, vision, and goals, we invest in experienced staff and maintain a leadership team committed to our vision and organizational transparency.
Team
Marisa Peck Johnson
Executive Director
Marisa Peck Johnson comes to her role as Executive Director after 25 years of work at Topa’s Ojai retreat center.
Marisa Peck Johnson comes to her role as Director of Development after 25 years of work at Topa’s Ojai retreat center. From attending and facilitating retreats, to building cobb structures that survived the Thomas Fire, to fundraising and visioning, Marisa is grateful to be a forever student of this extraordinary land, and a carrier of its timeless teachings.
Originally from Los Angeles, Marisa first came to the retreat center as a high school senior for a Rites of Passage retreat. The profound impact of the week-long program, a program Topa still proudly runs to this day, set her up for a life of service, introspection, and connection. Marisa graduated from Brown University with a degree in Social and Environmental Justice, and returned to intern in the Rites of Passage program shortly after graduation. That internship became a decade of facilitation experience that helped propel Marisa into a role as a Council Facilitator at Snap Inc where she was able to again return to the retreat center as a facilitator for corporate events.
Marisa is grateful to her many mentors along the way, and most especially to her three children who have helped her hone her most powerful and profound professional skills.
Alea Wade
Director of Programs & Partnerships
Alea Wade steps into her role as Program Director at Topa Institute with excitement and great care to honor history and nourish a path into the future.
Alea Wade steps into her role as Program Director at Topa Institute with excitement and great care to honor history and nourish a path into the future. She is dedicated to creating stronger, more equitable communities through programs that support nature-connection, resilience, and transformative learning experiences that empower both personal and collective thriving.
Alea brings over a decade of experience in leadership development, business administration, and applying learning science and proven methodologies to create meaningful organizational and community transformation.
Raised in Ventura County, Alea graduated from UCSB where she became a life-long student of philosophy, Black Studies, and English. Her roots at Topa Institute run three generations deep—dating back to 1981 when her grandmother Vani was first called to hold ceremony alongside spiritual and indigenous elders on this ridge. What began with Human Dimensions-West, then became The Ojai Foundation, and now Topa Institute, and has remained a constant thread in Alea’s family story. Guided by her mother Leah, her aunt Irasha, and many other mentors, she continues weaving her own relationship with this land and its care.
Alea believes in the power of genuine relationships and draws on both research and lived experience to create lasting change, with a particular focus on ensuring equity and access for Black communities and others who have been marginalized. In that vision, she co-founded Blk Crcl to create sacred spaces for Black communities to connect, heal, and build resilience through council, wellness, and nature-based practices.
In addition to her role at Topa Institute, Alea is a certified council trainer and facilitator and currently serves as a senior trainer and consultant for Beyond Us & Them, Snap Inc., Circle Ways, Circle Learning Institute, and Seeds of Belonging. She is a Rites of Passage facilitator for youth and young adults, and she is honored to currently serve with The Trainers Mentoring Circle, overseeing the certification process and requirements for new council facilitators and trainers in The Ojai Foundation lineage tradition.
Kali Delgado
Caretaker
Kali Delgado is a ceremonialist and steward of Topa Institute.
Kali Delgado is a ceremonialist and steward of Topa Institute. A people lover, an animal lover, a nature lover and an artist; Kali is committed to creating pathways that allow us to reconnect with the earth and each other.
Logan Henderson
Caretaker
Logan Henderson brings his creative energy and calming presence to the Topa team through his work as a Caretaker on this land.
Logan Henderson brings his creative energy and calming presence to the Topa team through his work as a Caretaker on this land.
An artist who has explored many disciplines, Logan is especially passionate about shooting film photography. Working with film requires one to let go of the outcome and be fully present in the moment, and has taught Logan some of the most valuable lessons of his life such as being intentional and reverent in every moment.
At Topa, Logan can be found tending to the land and community in many ways – walking with an eye for what is needed and with gratitude to be part of the long lineage of stewardship on this land.
Andrew Webb
Project Manager
Andrew Webb is the project manager and co-land supervisor at the Topa Institute in Ojai, working alongside his wife, Gisela.
Andrew Webb is the project manager and co-land supervisor at the Topa Institute in Ojai, working alongside his wife, Gisela. Together, they nurture a deep connection to the land with dedication and passion.
With a background in landscaping, sustainable practices, and culinary arts, Andrew brings a wealth of experience to his role. He also draws on his construction skills, having helped build the yurts, platforms, and other structures, like the kitchen, that visitors enjoy on the land.
Andrew is a fourth-generation resident of the Ojai Valley, and his daughters represent the fifth generation
Gisela Webb
Garden Manager
Gisela Webb is the Garden Manager at Topa Institute, where she tends the land with a blend of practical experience, curiosity, and deep care for all living beings.
Gisela Webb is the Garden Manager at Topa Institute, where she tends the land with a blend of practical experience, curiosity, and deep care for all living beings. With five years of hands-on work at a landscaping company, she brings strong skills in gardening and landscaping along with a grounded understanding of what healthy, thriving land needs.
A mama to both two- and four-legged creatures, Gisela is passionate about nurturing life in all its forms. She is currently expanding her knowledge in permaculture, native planting, and the fascinating world of the fungi kingdom, and is excited to weave these teachings into her work at Topa, supporting a more resilient and interconnected landscape.
Outside of her work, Gisela enjoys surfing, skateboarding, and learning the art of weaving hammocks from her mother-in-law—creative practices that keep her connected, balanced, and inspired. She is also part of an Azteca dance group called Xochiketzali, where she deepens her connection to her roots and honors the traditions that continue to shape her path.
