speaker-category/2026

Patrick Tumamait is the son of Vincent Tumamait & Lucy Castro Tumamait. He grew up in the Ojai Valley and still lives in the Meiners Oaks neighborhood near the birthplace of his great, great grandmother, Maria Ricarda Alulalmeque, who was raised in the Chumash village of Matilija. Pat can trace his family lineage from his father to at least 11 known Chumash villages and as far back as the mid-18th century. “The culture and the people are still alive. Our life entails protecting the cultural history and ancestry of our people, having people recognize the past as a legacy to our future. Protection and awareness so that we can share it with others and preserve it for the future generations to come.”

Carol Wade has been a practicing professional herbalist and nutritional counselor for more than 30 years and is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild. She is the founder and Director of the Ojai School of Herbal Studies, a 22-month herbal studies program located in Ojai, California. Her garden, the Earth Island Medicinal Herb Garden in Ojai, California, serves as a hub for several medicinal herb-oriented ventures that bring the idea of using medicinal herbs in daily living as a viable and logical choice to the community at large.

Lanny Kaufer, Ojai herbalist and native plant educator, is enjoying his 47th year of leading “Herb Walks” and nature hikes in Ojai, Santa Barbara, and the surrounding area.  A retired public high school teacher with a Biology degree from the University of California, Lanny specializes in making learning about edible and medicinal plants accessible and fun for people of all ages. Lanny acquired much of his plant knowledge in field study with well-known herbalists and ethnobotanists, including the late William LeSassier and the late Chumash teacher Juanita Centeno.