Our team
Patricia Aguirre
President | CEO
Patricia is the co-founder and current President of WARU, where she maintains both the overarching vision and the day-to-day guidance of our programs.
An experienced psychotherapist and facilitator of personal and community development groups, she brings depth, clarity, and presence to the workflow of WARU.
Her path integrates traditions of wisdom and body practices: she is a certified instructor of Chi Kung and Taoist Internal Alchemy by Universal Healing Tao of Mantak Chia, as well as an instructor and practitioner of Mayan/Toltec energy movements from the lineages of Carlos Castaneda and Carlos Jesus Castillejos.
As a representative of the Pachamama Alliance in Brazil, Patricia maintains a living commitment to intertwining indigenous wisdom, community well-being, and ecological restoration into a practical and transformative whole.
Janaina Ormart
Co- founder
Founding member of Waru, Janaina Ormart is an international executive with over 25 years of experience in project management, institutional relations, and intercultural leadership.
A specialist in designing and implementing institutional strategies and coordinating
multicultural teams across different countries.
Her career spans NGOs, schools, corporations, and global forums, where she has worked
on developing institutional policies, strengthening diplomatic relations, and delivering strategic Results. Trilingual—in Spanish, English, and Portuguese—she possesses solid competence in managing complex projects within highly diverse cultural environments.
Alongside her executive career, Janaina is a Medicine Woman, a Temazcal (Sacred Sweat Lodge) guide, an instructor of Kahlay (Toltec energy movements), an indoor and outdoor garden landscaper, and an enthusiast of conscious cooking anddaily living.
Initiated over 27 years ago on the Toltec path, in Tibetan Dzogchen, Native American traditions, and Taoism, she continues to dedicate herself to the study and transmission of these wisdoms.
She is a co-founder and current Director of the Nahualli Institute, an international organization committed to preserving and disseminating ancestral cultures. She also serves as the Strategic Development Director for the international initiative Despertar del Camino Sagrado.
Otan Patrick Ford
Secretary | Strategic Advisor
Otan serves as Strategic Advisor and Secretary of WARU, where he helps strengthen the organizational structure, governance, and fundraising partnerships. A Consciousness Mentor and trusted advisor to business and community leaders, he brings decades of experience at the intersection of personal transformation and collective well-being.
Author of the Unwavering Heart trilogy, his writings explore authenticity, destiny, and the power of a life guided by the heart. His professional background includes many years of practice as a licensed psychotherapist (LCSW) and as an initiated shamanic practitioner, grounding his leadership in both modern psychology and ancestral wisdom traditions.
His work with WARU is guided by a deep belief that we live and create at the level of conscience.
Gustavo de Almeida Carneiro
Treasurer | Sustainability & Programs
Gustavo de Almeida Carneiro has over 27 years of experience creating projects that integrate economic development, social responsibility, and sustainability. He is a founding partner of PCA, a company that has developed more than 25 shopping centers across Brazil, and believes that the real estate market should have the mission of improving people's quality of life through urban and rural planning initiatives focused on inclusion, economic development, education, access, and environmental regeneration and connection.
He is also a co-owner of Barraca dos Corais, a cultural and gastronomic space located on the waterfront of Boa Viagem in Recife.
Gustavo studied Law at PUC-SP and Biology at UFRJ, and is a certified Ecotourism Guide by SESC/SENAC, combining his professional work with environmental education and nature-based practices.
As a member of the collective TAO of the Nagual, he facilitates experiences grounded in
Internal Alchemy, Chi Kung, and ancient Mayan/Toltec wisdom, promoting self-awareness
and holistic well-being.
He is also deeply involved with the arts, especially photography and music, which he sees as essential tools for expression and emotional transformation. Gustavo is an active contributor to WARU, a non-governmental organization dedicated to environmental
education and community empowerment.
Patricia Camelatto
Community Engagement & Integrative Practices
Patrícia Camelatto works in communication and community engagement at WARU, weaving connections between people, ancestral knowledge, and processes of ecological and social transformation.
A clinical psychologist and acupuncturist, she holds a master's degree in Clinical Psychology, specializing in Traditional Chinese Medicine and trained in TRE (Trauma and Tension Release Exercises). Her clinical practice is shaped by the lenses of psychoanalysis, schizoanalysis, and ancestral knowledge.
She is a co-founder of TAO do Nagual, a collective dedicated to the research and practice of Alchemy. Internal Medicine/Chi Kung and Mayan/Toltec psychoenergetic movements. Trained in ancient techniques by institutions such as Energy Life Science Institute, Being Energy, and Intertao (Mantak Chia), Patrícia investigates the intersections between mental health, contemporary science, and...ancestral traditions and views the body as its own source of medicine.
In the artistic field, his expression comes through poetry and immersive, interventional installations.
Victor Ferraz
Senior Advisor
Tito serves as a Senior Advisor at WARU, offering expert guidance that helps inform decisions and strengthen long-term direction. He brings extensive experience working with NGOs and in socio-environmental leadership.
Holding a degree in Public Administration from FGV-SP and a Master's degree in Ecology from Plymouth University & Schumacher College, Tito has a long career dedicated to the socio-environmental sector, with extensive experience in collaborative networks and multi-sectoral work.
Currently, he coordinates projects at the Arapyaú Institute, focusing on sustainable cocoa initiatives, in addition to providing consulting services to various socio-environmental organizations.
At the same time, he identifies himself as a seeker of the mysteries of life and of humankind.
