OUR STAFF
Dave Elmore
Executive Director
Dave Elmore - Executive Director
Dave Elmore – Executive Director
As Executive Director, Dave works collaboratively with the board of directors and staff to achieve the overall strategic and operational goals of the organization.
Dave was introduced to Paradox Sports as a volunteer on a local climbing program. Inspired by the mission and community, Dave joined the board of directors. After four years of serving as board chair, Dave joins the Paradox Sports team with decades of non-profit leadership experience.
Dave began his career with Outward Bound, ultimately working for fourteen years as an educator, staff trainer and program leader. Dave has served as Patagonia Program Director, Environmental Resource Director, Director of Programs and Safety and is a co-founder of Mountain Professionals, where he has served as lead guide for international expeditions around the globe. Most recently Dave served as an experiential education school leader and volunteer for local non-profits.
As a true believer in the transformative power of being outside, you can find Dave climbing, biking, hiking or skiing on as many days as possible!
You can contact Dave directly at dave@paradoxsports.org
Becky Lindstrom
Development & Communications Manager
Becky Lindstrom - Development Manager
Becky Lindstrom – Development Manager
Born and raised in San Jose, CA, Becky moved to Colorado in 2004 to attend University of Colorado – Boulder. While in college, she met her future husband and upon graduation moved to Philadelphia where she worked as a preschool teacher and then a house manager for six years. The pull of Boulder proved to be too strong and in 2016, she moved back and got involved with Paradox Sports playing a key role in the first annual Base Camp Breakfast in 2016.
Together with her husband, Becky has a daughter, Rose, a golden retriever, Charlie, and two cats, Eliko and Rasputin. In her spare time she enjoys running, listening to true crime podcasts, and photography.
You can contact Becky directly at becky@paradoxsports.org
Sam Sala
National Program Manager
Sam Sala - Program Manager
Sam Sala- Program Manager
Born in northern Idaho and raised in the Reno / Lake Tahoe area of Nevada, Sam has always had a love for playing outdoors, particularly in the mountains. He grew up snowboarding and racing mountain bikes, and after moving to Colorado in 2006, began hiking and climbing CO’s 14ers which eventually led to him finding his ultimate love of rock, ice and alpine climbing in 2013. When he isn’t guiding rock and ice in the Front Range, you can likely find him romping in the mountains around the western United States. Some of his favorite areas include the peaks of the Alaska Range, Pacific Northwest, Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain National Parks, Red Rock NV, Ouray CO, and our hometown playground of Eldorado Canyon State Park.
After stumbling across a Front Range Adaptive Climbing Club (FRACC) night at a local climbing gym, Sam began volunteering with Paradox Sports in 2015, and has been a passionate supporter of the organization, and adaptive climbing in general, since. He is a co-host of the annual fundraising party, Unleashed, which has raised nearly $10,000 for Paradox Sports and other climbing based non-profits over its lifetime. Sam has received training and certifications as an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, as well as NOLS Wilderness First Aid and he is looking forward to furthering his education and earning more credentials in both the climbing and wilderness medical fields.
Sam also works as an Adaptive Climbing Initiative Lead Instructor and is the Team Manager for the Paradox Sports Competitive Adaptive Climbing Team.
You can contact Sam at sam@paradoxsports.org
Brittany Delfin
Operations & Program Manager
Brittany Delfin-Operations & Marketing Manager
Brittany Delfin – Operations & Marketing Manager
As someone who was raised in Colorado, Brittany has developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors and the positive impact time spent outdoors can have on people. Having worked in the outdoor industry, Brittany enjoys sharing her love of the outdoors with others at every opportunity. While attending CU Boulder, she volunteered with the National Sports Center for the Disabled, where she developed an interest in adaptive sports. Upon graduating, Brittany has held jobs as outdoor programs director, high school English teacher in rural Thailand and as a paraeducator. As an educator and climber for ten years, Brittany has a strong mission connection and currently serves as Operations & Marketing Manager for Paradox Sports. While not climbing, you can find her playing soccer, hiking 14ers and traveling.
You can contact Brittany directly at brittany@paradoxsports.org
OUR INSTRUCTOR+GUIDE TEAM
Nate McKenzie – Lead Instructor
Nate McKenzie
Nate McKenzie
Nate McKenzie is a climbing guide based in Connecticut where he runs a monthly adaptive climbing night. Nate served on the Paradox Sports Board of Directors from 2014 to 2019 and has been Paradox Sports’ Lead Guide, helping to coordinate and guide Paradox Sports rock and ice climbing trips since 2009, including in the Gunks, North Conway, Joshua Tree and Red River Gorge. Nate contributed his expertise to Paradox’s Adaptive Climbing handbook and now leads Adaptive Climbing Initiative courses from coast to coast.
Gary Dunn – Lead Instructor
Gary Dunn - Program Lead
Gary Dunn – Program Lead
Gary began sharing his passion for adventure as a guide over 20 years ago. Guiding throughout North and South America, he has taught rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, tree climbing, caving, mountain biking, kayaking, and leadership development to a wide variety of audiences ranging from at-risk youth, people with disabilities, veterans, and business leaders.
Gary is an advocate for equal access for all and enjoys working with participants regardless of whether it is their first time climbing or they are climbing El Capitan in Yosemite. In his free time, he enjoys designing and innovating technique and gear to improve access as well as planning expeditions for people with disabilities. Gary truly believe what he does, while not therapy, is therapeutic. His favorite weekend of the year is the annual Paradox North Conway Ice Climbing trip.
When not in the field, he enjoys traveling with his wife and twin toddlers, as they learn all of the benefits of leading an active outdoor lifestyle.
Andy Hershey – Lead Instructor
Andy Hershey
Andy Hershey
Andy began his involvement with Paradox Sports in 2013 with a fundraising initiative. Since then, Andy has volunteered each year at the Paradox Rocks program in the Gunks and the Paradox Ice program in New Hampshire, coordinated the first adaptive climbing academic course at Garrett College and joined the Adaptive Climbing Initiative as a course instructor in 2018.
A former professor at the Adventuresports Institute of Garrett College, Andy is now Program Coordinator and Lecturer in the Adventure Sports Management program at nearby Frostburg State University in Western Maryland. Andy’s career has included field, classroom and administrative positions working with a variety of populations in the outdoor industry and he has spent time as a backcountry ranger in Yosemite National Park, as a Program Coordinator at the Yellow Breeches Educational Center and as a guide and instructor at a variety of outdoor programs and guide services. In addition to his role at Frostburg, Andy is also a partner at North Fork Adventures LLC and Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides.
Andy resides with his wife and two children in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the family spends their summers living and working in Seneca Rocks, WV.
Jillian Yatsko – Lead Instructor
Jillian Yatsko
Jillian Yatsko
Jillian is a competitive rock climber and coach based out of San Diego, California. Growing up at the base of the Appalachian mountains she has always used outdoor recreation as a means for personal growth and exploration. After moving to California she narrowed her focus in on climbing. With San Diego’s large medical needs community, Jillian found it important to provide access to climbing for those with chronic medical conditions. Shortly thereafter, she began an adaptive rock climbing program at San Diego based climbing center Mesa Rim. A few months after program inception, Jillian was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Following a year of aggressive medical treatment Jillian saw how destructive the western approach to disease can be. She then set out to work with the medical community to embrace athletics and the outdoors as a supplement to traditional treatment modalities. Throughout this process, Jillian has traveled throughout the US and Europe advocating for the importance of inclusive climbing.
Jillian now works with individuals, groups, and organizations to put together athletic programming to serve the specific needs of their community. She presented at the Climbing Wall Summit in May 2018 on Adaptive Climbing and joined the Paradox ACI Course Instructor team in August 2018 to continue to educate and expand the climbing community nationally.
Peter Thomas
Peter Thomas
Peter Thomas
Peter is a Colorado based climbing instructor who spends much of his personal and professional time sharing the outdoors with others. Peter found climbing early in life while growing up in Colorado. He has seen how the skills, relationships and attitudes learned while on the rock have enriched his life, and can be transferred to help navigate life’s challenges. These experiences have led to a passion for fostering equity and belonging in outdoor and vertical spaces. Peter graduated from Prescott College in 2011 with a BA in Adventure Education. He is a certified Single Pitch Instructor, Apprentice Rock Guide and Wilderness First Responder. Outside his professional roles, Peter spends much of his time volunteering with organizations committed to building and preserving equitable access to the outdoors.