Meet The Staff

What makes a program amazing, is the energy that creates it.

- Louie The Lightning Bolt of Love

Meet (some of) Our Amazing Staff!

Veronica Rae Cowen aka Coconut, is a Mill Valley native, and has been working at kid’s camps since 1998. She helped create Camp Doodles, taught 3rd grade in Thailand, and is now happy to bring her passion for summer, fun and children to Funderblast. She started Camp Funderblast is 2013 and is excited to be expanding through Marin to impact and brighten the lives of even more children!

Veronica graduated from UC Davis in 2004 and spent the past years traveling around the world, running camps and teaching meditation & awareness classes to kids & adults at The Foundation for Spiritual Development. Veronica is grateful to share her love of the world and possibility with you. What inspires Veronica is inspiring others, she looks forward to getting to know you and your family!

Our Site Directors

Troy "Tiger" Cowen - Site Director
Tiger is filled with love, joy and authenticity. To be near him is to be happy. He has been working at Funderblast since 2014. Throughout the school year, he works at Funderblast After School Camp. Tiger and Veronica have been working together at summer camps since 2005, and working together in life since he was born! (They are brother and sister!)

Come to Funderblast and see Tiger cracking everyone up in his hilarious skit performances.

Summer "Beebs" Shapiro - Site Director
Beebs has been directing with Funderblast since 2016! She graduated from UCLA's School of Theater Film and Television with a degree in Acting. She has taught performing art workshops in New York, and spent years as a professional theater artist! During the school year, Beebs helps run the After School Program. You may see you wancing (walk-dancing) through the streets of Mill Valley on occasion.

Beebs loves creating dynamic and engaging spaces to nourish the growth of Funderblast kids and parents.

Gabrielle "Starlight" Banta - Site Director favorite color is yellow, like Louie! She is in Graduate School in San Francisco studying child therapy, and has been working at Funderblast since 2014. She oversees Funderblast events and works at After School Camp throughout the school year.

Starlight loves to dance, sing, hike, and be in nature. She enjoys doing fun art projects with kids and running around! She also loves the rain.

Nadia "Bloom" Dean - Site Director
Bloom has been working at Funderblast since 2015, and directing since 2020. She is attending UC Davis for her undergraduate studies in environmental science and studio art! Her passion is to bring kids out into nature and get them doing hands-on crafty projects to learn and have fun!

Bloom loves building fairy houses, running around, playing dodge ball, and reminding people of how truly amazing they are!

Cadence "Firefly" Larson has been working at Funderblast since 2022, and directing since 2023. She is in school getting an interdisciplinary studies degree at Cal Poly Humboldt, entitled Intersections of Identity and Social Development. She is passionate about music, creation, spending time in water, and encouraging others to be their authentic selves. She helps run After School Camp and school holiday programs, supports at Kinderblast Preschool, and directs Summers in Petaluma.
Firefly is an out-of-the-box thinker and loves finding creative solutions to problems. You can find her making music and art, dancing in the rain, and simply being her authentic self. She is so excited for the upcoming programs this summer and to create an expansive and loving space for kids across all Funderblasts!

Bert "The Garbage" Can inspires us to throw away our trash and keep our campus clean!

One staff meeting Funderblast counselors were brainstorming about how to get kids excited to throw away their garbage and keep our space clean. From a distance we heard the voice of Bert! "Decorate me and tell them my name!" He said, "Once they know me, they will want to feed me!" And so the legend of Bert began...

Each site has its own Garbage Can Mascot, Marsha the Mermaid Trash Can

Our Lead Staff

J. "Bubbles" Dunning is so excited to be working as assistant site director in Fairfax! She graduated from California College of the Arts with an illustration degree and brings her love for art and fashion to camp! Her positivity and self expression brings joy and excitement to every single day!

Bubbles LOVES to create and teach kids how to make amazing creations! Her favorite color is pink and has so much fun dressing up and being silly!

Maya "Galaxy" Paul has been supporting summer camps administratively since 2014 and joined the Funderblast family in 2022. She wears many hats such as: office management, bookkeeping, coaching (nutrition & spiritual), teaching meditation, and healing arts! She is excited to bring her gifts and spread the joy.

She is inspired by all the amazing possibilities in this world! She loves hiking, art, meditation, traveling and time with loved ones.

Sandrick "Thunder" Jackson has been running fishing camps for over ten years. He is one of the PE teachers at Ross School. He loves creative cooking, playing (and coaching!) Basketball, the New Orleans Saints, and playing instruments with his son. And he loves Fishing!!

Come and join Thunder on the water and learn about what's in your backyard, local fishing spots and how to drop in with Nature.

Lisa "Moonlight"Kay joined Funderblast in 2019 to do many things with her creativity, organization, humor and light, but first…..to make Louie the Lightening Bolt of Love available to kids (and adults)! She has always been drawn to working with her hands, and loves sewing and crafts.

Lisa loves swimming, puns, twinkle lights, organization and learning new things!

Just a few of our Awesome Counselors!

Hippo has been working at Funderblast for three years and loves to travel to new places. He likes to be active and play music! Hippo is currently at Tam High School and is thrilled to spread his goofiness, kindness, and love at Camp Funderblast during the summer times and at after school camp!

D. "Rio" Caridad worked at Funderblast for many years, now she is a consultant for all things creative. She likes to listen to music, and create art. She loves eating healthy, fun recipes she enjoys making at home. She grew up going to summer camps so it seems appropriate her first job is at one!

Blueberry has been working at Funderblast for one year as a Counselor, and one year as a CIT before that! He loves music and plays trumpet and guitar. He also loves sports and enjoys playing active games at camp. He is currently a sophomore at Tam High! Catch Blueberry in is iconic Blueberry costume on a Cray-Cray dress up day.

Grapes is a lover of all things music. She has been working at Funderblast for three summers and she loves arts and crafts, skits, and going on nature walks! She was a camper and CIT at Funderblast and is always excited to return to camp! She's currently a senior at Tam High, and you can find her singing, reading, playing piano, or hiking!