STAFF
STAFF
Ryan Banks
Chief Executive Officer
He/Him/His
ryan@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 105
Ryan first came to RMYC in 2012 as an Assistant Crew Leader. While here, his life changed forever. He met his best friend and now wife, Caroline and he discovered a passion for conservation and environmental stewardship. He returned in 2013 as a Crew Leader for the Veteran Fire Corps and after stints with the US Forest Service in Idaho and as a Program Manager for an "at-risk" youth program in Portage, WI, he found his way back to RMYC in 2017. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Ryan has a background in Education, Environmental Studies and cheese consumption. The Green Bay Packers and his daughter Beatrice hold special places in his heart. Ryan has found a home here at RMYC. A place to express and be directly involved with service work and a place that shares his steadfast trust in community involvement and the powerful role that youth can have within our communities. He is looking forward to sharing the life changing experience that is the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps with young people of all ages.
Mark joined RMYC in 2005 and leads the organization's partnership development and operations. He serves on the South Routt Recreation Association Board and several regional outdoor-orientation coalitions and committees. After moving to Colorado for in 1994, Mark found himself at home in paradise! Following years of field-based work in Colorado and Alaska in conservation corps, wilderness guiding, and field-based graduate school, he is honored to work with the amazing staff at RMYC and partner organizations to empower young people to make positive changes in their lives and the environment. Mark is often outdoors with his wife, Kim, son, Henry, daughter, Alice, and dog, Sunday. He enjoys rafting, paddle boarding, hiking, biking, skiing, snowboarding, hunting, fishing, and playing music.
mark wertheimer
Chief Operating Officer
He/Him/His
mark@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext, 108
chrissy lynch
Chief Financial Officer
She/Her/Hers
chrissy@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext, 106
Chrissy eagerly started working with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in 2014. Having raised two children in Steamboat who benefited greatly from RMYC programs, Chrissy jumped at the chance to join an organization with a mission to engage young people in the outdoors. With a broad experience in all aspects of financial management, accounting and administration, Chrissy has been fortunate to work in progressive industries such as health care, construction, airline transportation, and real estate. Chrissy started her business career with Arthur Andersen & Co while earning her C.P.A. and then completing her Masters in Business Administration. Previous to her business career, Chrissy spent 7 years competing internationally on the U.S Women's Cross Country Ski Team and was inducted into the Colorado Sports Women Hall of Fame. Chrissy and her family enjoy skiing, hiking, biking, fishing, and exploring the Colorado mountains and wilderness.
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Jenna Gannon
Human Resources Director She/Her/Her
jgannon@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 107
Jenna grew up in the Yampa Valley and began her adventures in nature early on around the Steamboat area. Prior to coming to RMYC for the last 15 years she has worked with youth as a high school art teacher and as a Director and founder of youth development programming in Pagosa Springs. She has a Masters in Education and a background in program development. Youth development is where her passion lies and she is excited to support RMYC in such a great mission by being the HR Director. In her free time Jenna loves to get outdoors as much as possible with her family skiing, hiking, mountain biking, camping, backpacking and trying new adventures.
Mick Klohr
Office Manager
She/Her/Her
mklohr@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 104
Mick came to RMYC in 2002 as an Education Mentor and Crew Leader of the Ute Conservation Crew. She worked from the spring of 2002 to 2005, during her time with RMYC her life was changed, and a new trail began. She found a love of service, environment, and stewardship. She was born in South Dakota and raised from upstate NY to the Midwest. She has an associate in paralegal studies from CMC and has worked in transportation, customer service, and management since making the Yampa Valley her home. Mick has three young sons and lives in Clark, CO. She enjoys quilting, beading, hunting, and camping. Mick is excited to be working with RMYC again and looks forward to meeting and working with new staff and crew members.
SARAH BROCK
Operations Manager She/Her/Her
sarah@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 111
Sarah first joined RMYC in 2019 on a whim. Since that transformative first summer, she has completed three more seasons with the Adult Conservation Crews as an Assistant Crew Leader and Crew Leader. Sarah grew up outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and fell in love with outdoor recreation during her summers in the Adirondack mountains in New York. She has a B.A. in English from St. Lawrence University and a background in automotive repair. She developed a passion for youth development during her time as a Resident Assistant (RA) in college. She enjoys playing pond hockey, woodcarving, and hanging out with her many RMYC friends in her free time. Sarah is excited to set crews up for success!
Sara stumbled into RMYC in 2018 seeking a change of scenery and the mountains. That year she served as an Assistant crew lead for the youth corps. That challenging and incredible experience changed her career and life goals forever. Since then she has worked to blend conservation and youth development with every season. She has been an intern for Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, a Backcountry monitoring technician for Colorado Mountain Club, a mentor for Partners in Routt County, and the program coordinator for the Boys and girls club. In 2021 her travel bug kicked in again and she headed to Alaska to work as a wilderness ranger in the Tongass National Forest on Admiralty Island. Sara is happy to be back in the valley and a part of the RMYC community again. She is so excited to be the Youth Programs Manager and hopes to continue to inspire new generations to take active roles in the stewardship of their public lands. When not at work you can find her volunteering for RCSAR, walking uphill in her skis, mountain biking, climbing, or fueling her newfound love of the river as a mini enthusiast.
Sara Duft
Youth Programs Director
She/Her/Hers
sduft@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 102
Sierra McQuay
Youth Programs Manager
She/Her/Hers
smcquay@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 109
Sierra excitedly joined RMYC in 2023 as a youth program field coordinator hoping to blend both of her passions: conservation work, and youth education. She grew up in the PNW exploring the local National Forests and swimming in the pristine lakes of the Sawtooth Mountain Range. Her childhood fostered a passion for the outdoors that influenced her to pursue a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources. After graduation, she worked with the Forest Service to help protect our natural resources on public lands for future generations in both Washington and California. While she loves working in conservation, she also loves recreating in the outdoors and traveling. She has hiked both the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand and has big plans to hike the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) some day. While working at Steamboat Ski Resort, she found a secondary passion for teaching kids how to ski. She is excited to join the team in 2024 as the Youth Program Manager and hopes to pass on her own passion for the outdoors. On her free time, you can find her skiing, backpacking, paddle boarding, climbing, canyoneering, and playing board games with friends.
alex Guerra
Natural Resource Internship Director
He/Him/His
aguerra@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 103
Alex joined RMYC as a crew leader in 2019 after having been a member in other corps in the southwest. He's led 4 crews since then and worked as a field coordinator for the conservation corps and intern program. He grew up in Puerto Rico, and at the age of 20, left the island with a desire to see natural places all over the world. After vagabonding for years he found a place he'd like to call home for a while, the Yampa valley. He's part reptile and enjoys basking in the sun, but manages to make it through the winters thanks to his snowboard. In the summers he enjoys the mountain bike trails, fishing, backpacking, and skating.
Liz hartstein
Data Systems Manager/Salesforce Admin
She/Her/Hers
lizd@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 103
Liz came to us in 2016 and during her time has held a variety of roles, including Field Coordinator, Natural Resource Internship Program Manager, and now Data Systems Manager. She got her B.S. from the University of Maryland before making Colorado her home base in 2007. She then spent the next 10 years working all over the US and Canada running rivers, leading wilderness trips, teaching science school, teaching skiing, coaching swim teams, dog sledding, and ski patrolling. When she’s not in the office she is most often on her bike but could also be found trying her best to get her 2 young boys to enjoy the same outdoor activities she and he husband love. AKA bribing them with fruit snacks.
lauren hewitt
Accounting Director
She/Her/Hers
lhewitt@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 112
Lauren made her way to Colorado from Rochester, New York almost ten years ago, driven by her love for the mountains. Lauren discovered the paradise that is Steamboat Springs when she took a seasonal summer gig with The Home Ranch back in 2008, where she realized her passion for the outdoors and the part of the country she would eventually call home. In 2010 Lauren graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia with a B.A. in Communications Studies and English Literature and promptly made her way back west to begin a new chapter in Steamboat. Since that time Lauren has worked for such local organizations as Yampa Valley Bank, where she performed the roles of Teller, Loan Administrator and Credit Analyst, and Yampa Valley Medical Center as an Accountant. In addition, she has provided bookkeeping services to several small businesses in town. Lauren enjoys running, hiking, cross country skiing, gardening and spending time with her husband, Cole, and their 5 fur babies. Lauren couldn’t be happier to have joined the team at RMYC as it continues to cultivate a deep appreciation for the outdoors in our youth.
ashley Roscoe
Conservation Corps Director
She/Her/Hers
aroscoe@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 113
Ashley got her start in the corps world in 2017 after a post-college job didn’t pan out. With a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Missouri- Kansas City, she was looking for more tangible impacts in environmental work and stumbled upon conservation corps. After holding positions with RMYC as a Trail Crew Leader and Field Coordinator, she is back full-time as the Conservation Corps Program Manager. Ashley is excited to get others engaged with their public lands through meaningful work and empowering people to become stewards of their environment! In her spare time she can be found entertaining her dog Benson, camping, climbing, biking, or playing in the snow, depending on the season.
CJ LeCluyse
Conservation Corps Manager
She/Her/Hers
clecluyse@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 101
CJ first joined RMYC as a crew member in 2017, escaping the Colorado front range to live in the mountains full time. She found the personal and professional growth to be so profound that she returned for two more seasons, working on the 14ers crew and then as a crew leader. She attended Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs, earning a BA Sustainability Studies, an AA in Outdoor Education, and a GIS Certificate. During this time she completed a a two-year Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship (RMLMI) in partnership with CMC and the US Forest Service. She has kayaked and climbed around Chile and Mexico, further stoking her love for outdoor adventure, rivers, and mountains. This past year the Yampa valley curse sucked her back in for an amazing winter season and she decided to stick around full time. She loves exploring our national forests, rock climbing, canyoneering, desert dwelling, kayaking, stomping around in any river she can find, snowboarding, and all things dog. Through her experiences she realized a passion for not only pushing her own comfort zones, but also in facilitating this for others to help the experience personal growth. She believe this is an integral part of empowering future generations in the conservation sphere and beyond. She is excited to cultivate connection to place through outdoor immersion and education while providing a safe space for differing skill levels.
lauren vandenhurk
Development Director
She/Her/Hers
lvandenhurk@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
970.879.2135 ext. 110
Lauren grew up in the hills of Pennsylvania where she developed a love for the outdoors and earned her B.A. in Secondary Earth Science Education from the University of Delaware. She spent much of her early twenties facilitating environmental education and outdoor leadership programming for young people in Delaware, New York, Alaska and Tennessee before calling Colorado home. An AmeriCorps term of service with Partners for Youth brought Lauren to Steamboat Springs in 2013 and the Yampa Valley curse clamped on tight. She worked for Rocky Mountain Youth Corps as a Youth Programs Leader and YVSS Instructor before joining the team full time as the Regional Youth Program Manager in 2015. Lauren is a Certified Prevention Specialist in the State of Colorado, a Positive Youth Development facilitator, Wilderness First Aid Instructor for Desert Mountain Medicine, a First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor through the American Heart Association, and serves on the board of the Routt County Youth Services Coalition. In her free time, she can be found exploring with her adventure buddies, Jimmy & Eisley.
MeGhan Loury
AmeriCorps Grants Manager
She/Her/Hers
mloury@rockymountainyouthcorps.com
Meghan grew up in the foothills of Colorado and received her degree in Ecology from the University of Colorado. After working as a Naturalist (Nature Nerd) and environmental educator, she wanted to have a hands-on impact on the land, so she joined RMYC! As an Assistant Crew Leader for the Conservation Corps, she loved the community, the conservation work, and the challenges brought by the job. From here, served as an AmeriCorps member with the Maine Conservation Corps helping to create a Youth Corps in Portland, Maine. She came back to RMYC in 2021 and worked in Youth Programs before transitioning to the AmeriCorps Grants Manager position. When not at work, you can find her playing with her dog Inky, nature nerding out on plants, birds, and rocks, or bikepacking with her partner. She is stoked to help the RMYC team provide meaningful personal and professional experiences in conservation!