Rima Villarreal

Rima Villarreal was born in Lompoc, a small city nestled in the valley, near the ocean and surrounded by languorous mountains. She has lived in Southern California her entire life. Her hometown was a place well suited to her solitary and reflective spirit. Growing up in one of the most beautiful places in the world encouraged a love for nature. All her life she has revered and cherished the landscape and animals within her surroundings.

Rima is a longtime Waldorf parent, and all four of her children are students/alumni of the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara. Rima is deeply inspired by her children's remarkable teachers and their ability to provide a reverential, developmentally appropriate, nature-based, heart-centered education. She is grateful to support the administration at WSSB in her role as Registrar, and also serves on the Fundraising Events Committee, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Rima studied Structural Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, and Psychology at Antioch University Santa Barbara. She has 12 years of experience in trauma-based education, nature-based education, conscious parenting and parent-child interaction therapy. She provided early childhood education to children through CommUnify, and taught college preparatory courses to first generation high school students at the Upward Bound Program at UCSB. Rima has 12 years of experience in municipal government, in roles focused on the integrity of public records, City Administrator, Mayor, City Council and City Commissions support, Parks and Recreation and Library systems. She has over 20 years of administrative and grant-based fundraising experience in the governmental and non-profit sectors.

Rima has provided artistic services through advocacy work with local nonprofits, won collegiate drawing competitions, and shown her work at local I Madonnari chalk festivals, the Art and Soul Gallery in Santa Barbara and the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard, through the Oxnard Performing Arts Center (OPAC). One of her charcoal pieces is housed in the permanent collection at the Mexican Consulate. Rima enjoys providing a myriad of artistic services to the Waldorf School of Santa Barbara, including needle felting two and three dimensional pieces. She was taught to needle felt by beloved Waldorf teacher and community member Kathy Neely, and loves the organic, living and flexible nature of this fiber art.

Rima is passionate about cultural preservation, ancient indigenous wisdom, and inner child healing.

Rima lives in Santa Barbara with her four incredible children, who are the light of her life. She enjoys spiritual pursuits and practices, running and writing.