Board of Directors
Meet the individuals who make the Mil-Tree Project happen! We are grateful for their service to this organization and their contributions to changing lives.
Danielle Giudici Wallis
Executive Director
Danielle Giudici Wallis is an experienced arts administrator, educator, and visual artist based in Yucca Valley, California. She has served as Executive Director of Arts Connection, Creative Strategist for the Ontario Museum of History & Art, and Project Director for the Redlands Eco Arts Community Home with The Artlands Creative. Danielle has also worked as a consultant for the Garcia Center for the Arts and as a Cultural Arts Commissioner for the City of Redlands. She has developed multiple community-driven arts initiatives that integrate art, ecology, and civic engagement.
JD Dennem
Navy Veteran
Project Director
John Dennem brings a decade of service in the United States Navy Submarine Force, followed by a medical retirement, to his continued work supporting communities and veterans. After his military career, he held leadership roles across multiple nonprofit organizations and earned a master’s degree in psychology from California State University, Los Angeles. He later served as Co-Principal Investigator and Grant Writer for the California Reducing Disparities Project at Native American Health Center in Oakland, managing major grants including SAMHSA and BSFC funding. John combines research expertise, program leadership, and a passion for equity to strengthen services that improve mental health, education, and community well-being. He is excited to be stepping into the role of Project Director for Mil-Tree and is excited to bring his lived and professional experience to this position.
Cheryl Montelle
Founder / Board President
Cheryl Montelle has worn many hats. Starting as a professional dancer and an actress in her youth, she has run a Pilates fitness business, she is a writer and performs her own stories, and currently conceived and curates Live From Joshua Tree, an annual community-based spoken word fundraiser for Mil-Tree. Mil-Tree was formed out of her wish to have the community at large embrace returning veterans and their families. Mil-Tree was founded in 2012, inspired by Dr. Ed Tick and his book, “War and The Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Krystian Lahage
Board Member | Secretary
Originally from Huntington Beach, California, Krystian graduated from California State University Long Beach with bachelor’s degrees in Geography and History. After graduation, he served in the office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein as her senior field representative for Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties covering desert conservation, wildfire, military, and veterans issues. He also recently worked as a Legislative Affairs Manager for the County of Orange, tackling issues including the creation of the county’s first veterans cemetery. Krystian is currently the Public Policy Officer for the Mojave Desert Land Trust and works to bring our community together around the healing spaces that are our public lands. Krystian lives in Joshua Tree, CA, and in his spare time, he enjoys backpacking with his dog, nature photography, and playing guitar.
Mike O'Connor
Board Member | Treasurer
Mike O’Connor, an Army Vet, is no stranger to the Hi-Desert. He has lived in Morongo Valley for the past 4 years, however as the son of a 30 year Marine Corps pilot he spent time in 29 Palms where he attended 4 years of High School. Prior to his move to Morongo Valley, Mike had a career with Merrill Lynch where he traveled much of the country training Financial Advisors. Mike saw a need for the FAs to change their methodology when delivering presentations and seminars to pre-retirees. Through his “Storytelling” framework Mike changed the way seminars were conducted by many of the FAs at Merrill Lynch. And, in fact, Mike delivered many of the seminars throughout his territory, as often as 3 seminars per day. Mike’s discipline with seminars did indeed increase business for FAs who followed it. Mike continued his Storytelling training in the field of Fine Art. Mike’s wife is an internationally shown artist, thus Mike entered this world when he retired. Mike has been conducting his own workshops as well as being invited as a featured presenter in a Fine Art workshop which presents 3-day events for artists from Hawaii to New York. They have called upon Mike for every workshop they have presented.
Mike’s goals are fulfilled when his workshop attendees discover their story and find the strength to tell it in an effective and compelling manner.
Crystal Wysong
Board Member | Chair of Community Garden
Crystal was born and raised in Los Angeles. After living in different parts of the country, she returned to her beloved Southern California desert 13 years ago. She is a trained chef and educator and is the former Culinary Arts professor at Copper Mountain College. Because of her love of food and desire to teach people how to feed themselves and others in a healthy way, Crystal helped start the Mil-Tree Community Garden in Joshua Tree.
Nadia Clark
Army Veteran/ First Responder
Board Member /Marketing
Nadia Clark is a U.S. Army veteran and former Police Sergeant who has dedicated her life to service. After being honorably discharged as a Captain in 2021, she transitioned into entrepreneurship, helping small businesses grow through merchant services. She now leads 2717 Consulting, offering payment solutions and business coaching. A proud desert native, Nadia uses her skills to uplift others, especially fellow veterans, by providing tools, mentorship, and community support. As a board member, she is committed to advancing the mission of supporting veterans through connection, empowerment, and shared purpose.
Barry Scanlan
Marine Veteran
Board Member | Veteran Outreach Coordinator
Barry Scanlan was stationed at 29 Palms in the early 1970s. Following his service, he received a graduate degree in education and was a school teacher, and eventually a Teacher on Special Assignment. In this role Scanlan coordinated school safety programs, trauma response teams for student and staff deaths or suicides, drug and alcohol counseling, support for vulnerable populations, and anti-bullying measures. Scanlan is from a family of veterans, with his father serving as a paratrooper in combat in WW2, and both his older brothers serving during the Vietnam War, one of which is suffering from Agent Orange at this time. Upon retirement, Scanlan and his wife moved to the Mojave Desert, a place he never forgot. He is an artist and has had shows in New York, Louisiana, Minneapolis, and other places around the country.
Board Officers
Advisory Board
Marie Bobin
Marie Bobin is the Program Director for Arts Connection, the Arts Council of San Bernardino County and the Deputy Director of the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. After starting her career producing for the Finborough Theatre in London, she worked for the Getty Museum’s education and registrar departments before being appointed Director of Operations for the Jules Verne Film Festival. Marie was the founding producer of TEDx Culver City and the creative producer for the Skirball Cultural Center where she produced and programmed exhibition-related programs as well as film, music, and theater series. She received her BA in Theater Studies from Emerson College and her MM in International Arts Management from Southern Methodist University and HEC Montreal. Marie was on the board of Mil-Tree from 2018 to 2019 and is grateful to be able to continue supporting Mil-Tree as an advisory board member.
Julia C. Bookout
Julia C. Bookout is our expert in all things non profit. She is currently the ED & Co-Founder of The Chimaera Project, a nonprofit focusing on advocacy and action for female filmmakers. As an individual artist, Bookout is included in the California Women Artist Project archived at the University of Southern California and Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries, a project organized by Gloria Orenstein, Professor of Women in Literature and Art at USC. Bookout has co- produced two award-winning short films and is co-producing a feature-length documentary film with a 2023 release date.
Terry Taylor Castillo
Terry Taylor-Castillo moved to Joshua Tree in 2014 and opened Taylor Junction art gallery and event space. She is currently the executive director of the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, a 501c3 organization for individuals and groups to create and experience new ways to approach spiritual living and personal well-bing. From 2009 -2013 she was the president of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 30 in Pomona and the District 18 community chair.
Tracy Johns
Tracy is a climate finance and carbon markets specialist and leads carbon credit purchasing in Meta's Net Zero Program She received her MS in climate policy and forest ecology from ASU's Center for Science, Policy and Outcomes. She has worked at the intersection of climate policy, finance, and land use for over 15 years. Tracy discovered the high desert while stationed at the Marine Corps base in 29 Palms, and is thrilled to once again call the area home. Her goal as a board member of Mil-tree is to better understand the needs of the military and veteran communities, and build partnerships that address them, as well as support veterans and military families in accessing and protecting the incredible natural environment of the high desert.
Renee Pickup
Renee Pickup is a writer, editor, and Marine Corps veteran. Her short fiction has been featured in nine anthologies and several online publications. Her essays exploring our culture’s obsession with true crime have reached millions of readers, and she has worked as an editor at every level in both traditional and online publishing. Her novel, co-written with Andrez Bergen, Black Sails, Disco Infernowas published by Open Books in 2016. Renée runs the weekly Mil-Tree writers group and produces the Mojave Noir reading series.
Miguel Rivera
Miguel Rivera Is a teacher, drummer and translator, and has sat on the Board of Directors for Soldier’s Heart. Director of Western Gate Roots and Wings Foundation, has been leading retreats and Ceremonies in the United States for over 30 years.
Scott Rusczyk
Scott has served in a variety of C-Level executive roles in organizations ranging from $5M to over $70M in annual revenue. Scott has also overseen a wide range of M&A transactions and projects ranging from $5M to $50M, building a reputation for efficiently driving transactions to their most rewarding conclusion. Scott earned his J.D from Brooklyn Law School and, although no longer practicing, his transactional, restructuring and business operations experience continue to be accretive in his solely owned consulting company, MMHF, Inc., located in Yucca Valley. Scott is an avid golfer and student of military history.
Ed Tick Ph.D
Dr. Ed Tick was the founding director of Soldier’s Heart: Veterans’ Safe Return Programs. Honored for his groundbreaking work in the spiritual, holistic and community-based healing of veterans and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Dr. Tick has been a psychotherapist for 38 years, specializing in working with veterans since the 1970s, and wrote the award- winning book War And The Soul. Dr. Tick is an internationally recognized educator and expert on veterans, PTSD, and the psychology of military-related issues and has conducted trainings, retreats and workshops across the country and overseas. He has lectured and trained staff and worked with wounded warriors at West Point, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, Fort Knox, Altus Air Force Base and other Dept. of Defense facilities. The Department of Defense now uses his pioneering work and he is the U.S. Army’s 2012 trainer for its annual Chaplain Sustainment Training in PTSD.
Pat Wallis
Pat Wallis is an Army veteran, technologist, and community builder based in Yucca Valley. After being commissioned as an Army Engineer officer and forward deploying to Germany in support of operations during the Kosovo War, Pat transitioned to civilian service, working as a city planner in the Bay Area and managing bases for the U.S. Coast Guard. For the past fifteen years, he has worked at Esri, the world leader in mapping technology, where he founded the Esri Innovation Lab and pioneered digital facilities and indoor mapping to make buildings smarter and safer. Pat's connection to Mil-Tree began over a decade ago, first as a participant, then as a volunteer, then as Board President until 2026 — working alongside his wife Danielle to help end veteran isolation in the High Desert. In 2024, Pat and Danielle moved from Redlands to Yucca Valley to be closer to this work. He continues to serve Mil-Tree on the Advisory Board, bringing his experience in systems building, strategic planning, and veteran advocacy to support the organization's mission and growth.