Biography of Susan Conniry

Susan has a BA from San Diego State University, a credential in physical education from Grossmont Community College and has been teaching for 27 years.  She has the rank of 4th degree Master Instructor in Tang Soo Do Martial Arts. Her political experience ranges from that of a citizen activist, to a member of the Planning Commission for the City of Santee, and Chairman of the Board for the Assessment Appeals Board for the County of San Diego.  She began her writing career in 1998 by writing preparedness articles for Westergaard 2000. Susan founded Backyard Tourist, Inc., a non-profit educational organization, in 2000. 

In partnership with Tom Beasley she developed Project Coyote as part of the Kiwanis Freedom Award and the Coyote Youth Project, a successful high school program for at risk youth and in 2002, Susan was recognized as Woman of the Year, by the Rancho Bernardo Soroptimist Club.

Susan is the Chair of the Lakeside Disaster Preparedness Committee, Lakeside, California. She is a volunteer Patrol Ranger for the San Diego County Parks Department and a volunteer for the City of San Diego Lakes Department.

Biography of Tom Beasley

Tom Beasley has 30 years experience in backpacking and has been awarded 11 certificates from the renowned Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracking School.  He is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), is a certified Wilderness First Responder and has a 3rd degree black belt in Tang Soo Do Martial Arts. Tom is the lead instructor for the wilderness survival classes and the urban survival workshops. Together Tom and Susan received the Channel 10 Leadership Award for their work with youth. Tom is the Education Coordinator for the Lakeside Disaster Preparedness Committee, Lakeside, California. He is a volunteer Patrol Ranger for the San Diego County Parks Department and a volunteer for the City of San Diego Lakes Department.

Though the main focus focus of Tom and Susan’s work since the early 90’s has been teaching wilderness survival and creating an understanding of the need for simpler living in order to reduce humanity's impact on the Earth, in 1997, they developed the “Travelin’ Road Show” an urban disaster survival training.  Knowing that emergency services personnel are often understaffed and under-budgeted, they undertook the unique approach to disaster preparedness by adapting wilderness skills into an urban environment and began teaching citizens techniques that utilize resources in their immediate environment. By “creating awareness without precipitating panic”, they teach communities how to “take care of themselves.”

During the last few years, Susan and Tom have been featured in:

Newsweek, The Boston Globe, San Diego Insider, Canadian Broadcast Corporation, Macleans Magazine, Japanese and French television and local San Diego newspapers and television stations.

Article written by Susan:

"Prepared"

Articles written about Susan and Tom:

Workshop to cover disaster survival

The Co-Intelligence Institute

Please and Thank You are popular words on the Abraxas campus

Real Survivors Don't Watch Survivor

Fishing program catches fancy of Coyote Youth students