Meet The Team
SARA Mincin
Founder/Co-Creator
Sara holds degrees in Biology and Psychology and is currently certified to teach Biology, General Science, and Environmental Science. She worked for several years as a lab manager and adjunct professor in higher education where her fertile imagination cooked up a bunch of ideas that led to her involvement in Outside the Box Labs.
Talman Charters
Founder/Co-Creator
Talman holds a degree in Biology and spent nearly a decade at the helm of a successful science education company which he founded. In 2012 he left his first venture to pursue other interests. The knowledge and insight he obtained from that startup motivated him to start Outside the Box Labs.
Jacob PanYON
Lead Instructor
Jake holds a Bachelor’s degree in the Geo Sciences and has several years of experience leading outdoor excursions and working with scouts and other youth groups. He likes to encourage critical thinking and enjoys working with youth and playing with science gadgets. On his off days he enjoys getting outdoors with friends.
EILY MacRitchie
Instructor
Eily is current a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a Master of Science in Quantitative Economics. She has several years of experience working with kids, from working at a sleep away hiking camp in the Rocky Mountains to teaching Irish Dance lessons in New Hampshire. In her free time, she is a member of the Pitt Club Triathlon team and also enjoys fashion design and sewing!
Brenden Wargo
Instructor
Brenden is passionate about working with kids to spread a positive message about acceptance and encouragement. He has also worked as a professional DJ for almost a decade and at the age of 24 realized that with proper support and encouragement anyone can accomplish anything in this world.
Melissa Powell
Instructor
Melissa currently holds the record for completing our training program the fastest. Like the rest of our team, she is always excited to learn something new. She loves the woods, nature and being outdoors. She particularly likes plants. She spends the warm months growing vegetables and flowers in her yard and maintains an extensive collection of exotic house plants year-round.
Eric Molina
Instructor
Eric has a Bachelor’s of Art from Temple University. He is an actor, writer, and educator throughout the Pittsburgh area performing on stage, film, and even murder mystery dinners! He was an Eagle Scout and holds a black belt in Taekwondo.
Chiara Mincin
Market Consultant
Chiara is currently enrolled in college for Computer Animation. She provides valuable insight and ideas to our team to ensure our services are in line with our target markets interests and goals.
Our Community Partners
