|
Joseph Marshall (Hupa, Yurok, Karuk) - Founder and Director
Joseph Marshall is the Founder and Executive Director of the Warrior Institute. Joe grew up on the Hoopa Tribal reservation. At Hoopa Valley High School, Joe excelled in academics and basketball earning a Gates Millennium Scholarship and staring on a team in 2000 that made it all the way to the state championship.
While at Humboldt State University, Joe was awarded “Man of the Year” for the 2003‐2004 academic year. After graduating from Humboldt State University with a teaching credential, he returned to the Valley to raise a family and teach at Hoopa Valley High School, where he coached boys’ varsity basketball, teaches PE, weight training, world history, and civics teacher. Joe is a certified CrossFit instructor, whitewater guide, farmer, and all around great guy.
|
|
Nelia Marshall (Hupa, Yurok, Karuk) - Leadership Team
Nelia Marshall serves as the Culture Pathways Manager, which includes the Traditional Skills, Language, and Arts Programs. Nelia is was raised in Hoopa where she lives with Joe and their family, and she is of Natinixwe (Hupa) and Karuk ancestry.
She has a passion for creative art and photography and is learning traditional basketry. Nelia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Humboldt State University.
|
|
Jude Marshall (Hupa, Karuk, Yurok) - Coastal Branch Manager
Jude of the Warrior Institute Coastal Branch is our Coastal Branch Manager and also the younger brother of Warrior Institute Founder and Director-Joseph Marshall. Jude grew up in Orleans and Hoopa. He would spend his summers attending ceremonies, playing basketball, hiking in the mountains and spending time on the river. He also spent some of his childhood on the North Coast of Mckinleyville and Arcata while his mother attended Humboldt State University.
Jude earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Recreation Administration from Humboldt State University and is currently the Community Nutrition Program Manager at the Potawot Health Village in Arcata, CA. He oversees the thriving Potawot Community Food Garden, that supplies healthy nutrition to many Native families along the coast. Jude brings with him a great deal of knowledge and experience on providing healthy activities to Native families in Humboldt and Del Norte regions. Jude’s passion for good food and nutrition is something that he’s experienced firsthand, how eating in a way that resembles the local native traditional diet can transform lives and communities. “To have strong Tribal Nations we must have strong and healthy individuals... We must eat and move like our ancestors.” Jude believes to be physically healthy, it starts with nutrition. When it comes to eating healthy and building healthy communities, Jude believes Tribal Nations need to have control of their food systems. “Tribal Nations must have Food Sovereignty. To be able to control and manage all of the factors that contribute towards a self-sufficient food system. We must feed ourselves from our resources from within. We need to constantly work on weaving the food web, one strand at a time.”
Jude values his family, his loving wife Windy and his two daughters, Hazel and Yaamach and son Kavish. He is also a cultural practitioner and believes the cultural knowledge, skills, and values will help heal our Native communities and the World. Jude would like to thank all the warriors past and present who are helping make this world a better place.
|
|
Keoki Burbank (Okinawan) - Outreach Coordinator
Keoki of the Warrior Institute Coastal Branch us our Activities Coordinator. Keoki grew up in Weitchpec and Hoopa playing sports and spending his summers on the river. After high school he turned his love of sports into a football scholarship at Sterling College in Kansas. Which he used to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science.
After college Keoki returned to California to coach football at College of the Redwoods. He then went back to Hoopa to teach Physical Education and coach football. While there he worked at WI and became CrossFit 1 certified. After 2 years in Hoopa Keoki moved back out to the coast to teach and coach at St. Bernard’s Academy in eureka. After being on the 2015 state champion coaching staff he moved to Mckinleyville.
Keoki now lives in McKinleyville where he has been coaching football for the last 4 years and works in the high school’s Indian Education department as a career and college readiness counselor. Along with coaching football he is helping to start WI Coastal Branch, coaching girls basketball(high school and AAU) coaching sticks, and consulting with Two Feathers Native American Family Service.
Through Warrior Institute’s Coastal Branch we plan on working with the local tribes as well as HSU to offer our youth healthy activities and pathways.
|
|
Ramone Mullens - Leadership Team
Ramone splits his time between his native Hawaii and the Hoopa area with his family in tow. He has degrees in Psychology and Social Work, and has worked extensively in vocational training and developing life and career skills for youth.
Ramone uses his contagious positive energy to be a master motivator. A certified CrossFit instructor, Ramone is the Fitness Program Director and helps coordinate the Warrior Institute’s Hupa CrossFit gym.
An excellent athlete, Ramone paddles competitively in Hawaii and coaches football. He strongly believes in youth empowerment and the development of holistic life skills. He has personally seen the power of mentorship and coming of age rituals to transform lives for the better.
|
|
Ernie Albers Jr. (HUPA, YUROK, KARUK, AND CHILULA) - Wellness Promotion Specialist
Ernie Albers Jr. of the Warrior Institute Coastal Branch is our Wellness Promotion Specialist. Ernie is a cultural bearer and practitioner. He has knowledge of local ceremonies, village restoration and traditional stories along with being a culinary chef and wellness and fitness coach. He shares his wellness journey: As a kid and young man I played sports and was involved in a lot of active youth groups. After high school I found myself in the cooking industry and excelled to the point where I got to be chef and help open two restaurants. Along with this success I also developed some very unhealthy habits of staying up late, drinking, and smoking cigarettes. I started my functional fitness journey in 2012 at almost 300 lbs. I quickly fell in love and was known as the guy who would throw up after every workout. That year, life also decided to challenge me with a lot of personal growth. I engulfed myself into the community and felt the love and support I needed and craved. I got my level 1 Crossfit cert that same year. Still being a chef and growing my passion as a coach I decided to take the big leap of faith and stopped cooking. The past 6 years have been amazing. From losing 80+lbs, to my wife having our beautiful son. I’ve gotten my level 2 CrossFit cert and am in the process of getting my level 1 and level 2 Functional Movement Screen (FMS) certs. I have been blessed with so much opportunity. Building people up and being apart of their journey is my passion.
I am deeply rooted in my culture and ceremony...I want to run LiFTED in the same way as a ceremony. Everyone plays their role to the best of their ability, everyone has trust in one another and there is one goal in mind. I want LiFTED to feel like community and family, putting community and health - - physical , mental, spiritual - - as a priority.
Ernie is the owner of LiFTED Arcata https://www.liftedfitnessarcata.com/about/- A functional fitness gym and he is looking to promote individual and community wellness through his gym, family, and Warrior Institute.
|
|
Tyler Mitchell - Outreach Coordinator
Tyler Mitchell (Yurok) was born and raised in Hoopa, California. After graduating from the Community College of the Redwoods in 2012, Tyler completed Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation Administration with Minor in Native American Studies and Business Administration from Humboldt State University in 2014.
Tyler works as a Guidance Technician II for the Yurok Tribe at Hoopa Valley High School in the JOM program and Success In Both Worlds serving students in College and Career Readiness. He has also served as the High School Varsity Basketball and Baseball Coach from 2017-2019. Tyler has skills with planning and organizing and works well with others. He enjoys working with students and assisting them with mentorship and academic advising. Tyler’s main hobbies include fitness and nutrition, health and wellness, food, outdoor activities, family time, travel, and reading.
Tyler began participating in Warrior Institute events in 2012 and has paticipated in numerous activites since 2012. Some of which include Hoopa Warrior Camps, Hupa Crossfit, Raft Guide Certification, Crossfit Certification CF-L1, Crossfit Specialty Weightlifting Certification, Warrior Institute Club, Standing Rock, Rios to Rivers Guide and Gym Trainer to local athletes.
Tyler makes good use of his friendly and enthusiastic nature. He is excited to be part of the Warrior Institute team and making a positive difference. He aspires to help serve his community and assist in providing opportunities to build others up. He believes in creating much needed opportunities in the community, making connections, and building relationships. His motto is “Do all the good you can”
|
|
Guylish Bommelyn - Tolowa Dee-ni’ Branch Developer
Guylish Bommelyn descends from the Dee‐ni and Karuk peoples in his ancestral homelands of Northern California. He is an enrolled member of the Smith River Rancheria of the Tolowa Tribe. He grew up steeped in the culture and language of his peoples. He is also a member of a ceremonial family and learned at a young age how important his responsibilities are for the continuance of those he descends from. He holds culture, ceremonies, and language in the utmost reverence.
Guylish has been instrumental in helping his community improve their health and wellness. His focus on nutrition and physical activity and strength have changed the way his people live their daily lives for the better. Through his outdoor activism he has continued his work for the communities’ health and our environmental wellness as well. He is CrossFit enthusiast and trained whitewater river guide.
Guylish grew up in a home where Dee‐ni' came before English. Language has always been an important part of his life. He began an active part in language restoration and continuance in high school. As an adult he became focused on teaching when he began working for his tribe. For the last 6 years he has been actively learning more language and teaching to the community and students. He has worked with groups from Head Start, High School, and community classes as well. Guylish is a natural teacher with patience and an ability of helping his students truly learn language and culture.
|