Meet Drake

Drake James (she/her) is a regenerative designer, educator, and steward of living systems. Through Urban Village Designs, she works with land stewards, communities, and organizations to recognize patterns within their systems and develop ways of working that nurture holistic health, diversity, and resilience.

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Her work weaves together ecological design, relational practice, and systems thinking, grounded in the understanding that landscapes, communities, and organizations are all living systems shaped by relationship and care over time.

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Areas of Experience​

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• Regenerative landscape design and permaculture

• Ecological restoration and land stewardship

• Urban Farms, beekeeping and animal Integrations

• Experiential education and group facilitation

• Project management and crew leading

• Business and nonprofit development

• Service-learning and international education

• Event production and program coordination

• Personal coaching and mindfulness practices

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Education & Training​

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• Permaculture Teaching Certificate – Cascadia Permaculture (2026)

• M.S. in Sustainability Education – Portland State University (2020)

• Challenge Course Technology Teacher Training Certificate – Synergo (2015)

• Oregon Youth Conservation Corps Training – Synergo (2014, 2015)

• B.A. in Social Sciences, Civic Leadership – Portland State University (2014)

• Permaculture Design Certificate – Portland State University (2014)

• Carpe Diem Latitudes Program – India (3 Months, 2010); South America, with  Internship set in Peruvian ecovillage practicing biodynamic farming (7 Months, 2011)

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​Drake’s work is rooted in the belief that regeneration begins when we learn to see the relationships that shape living systems. She supports people in cultivating those relationships in ways that strengthen the landscapes, communities, and organizations they care for.

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Personal Life

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Drake lives in Milwaukie, Oregon and enjoys all the time she can get with her husband and son, cultivating and experimenting on her 3/4 acre living lab, as well as tending to her dogs, chickens, frogs, insects and bees. Additionally, she loves backpacking (both internationally and in the backcountry) and writing (including her 3-part memoir series that captures her journeys on el Camino de Santiago from France to Western Spain in 2019, through India and Nepal in 2024, and back home into a more rooted life 2024- Present). She is also a garden manager for the Yamane-Bose Food Forest. ​​​