Bree Lindsey
she/her
Executive Director
bree [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Bree comes to ARC with a background in nonprofit leadership, with a focus on youth development, wilderness expeditions, and the intersection of K–12 and higher education. She began her career in North Georgia and has since worked in Alaska, Wisconsin, and California. She holds a B.S. in Outdoor Leadership with a minor in Appalachian Studies and Community Engagement, an M.A. in Outdoor Adventure Leadership, and is currently pursuing a doctorate with a focus on equity and self-efficacy in outdoor education. Bree has been a Wilderness First Responder since 2013, shortly after her first backpacking trip. In her free time, Bree is an adaptive ski instructor and avid cyclist. She appreciates reading the work of bell hooks, Zora Neale Hurston, and Mary Oliver, and enjoys life with her wife and their two cats, Cricket and Leo.
Elizabeth castro maldonado
she/her
Program Facilitator
Central Valley
liz [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Elizabeth’s connection to the natural world began in 2013 from her first job in high school working in agricultural labor admiring the sunrises’ light on the produce she tended to. Elizabeth is a first generation bilingual graduate from Fresno State earning a Bachelors of Science in Public Health. She is a Healing
Circle Facilitator certified from Los Compadres Network, holds a Mental Health First Aid certification from National Council for Behavioral Health, and will receive her Wilderness First Responder Training in 2025. Elizabeth has been able to advocate for the outdoors in multidisciplinary non-profit roles. She has had the honor of being a literary tutor for K-3rd grade monolingual Spanish students using nature as an example of the beauty of adapting to new environments, supporting perinatal women by illustrating the use of the outdoors as a stress buster, as well as planning outdoor field trips with 7th- 12th grade youth to support resiliency, joy, and self-esteem building. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys volunteering for Latino Outdoors organizing events for BIPOC and allies, practicing yoga, dancing everywhere her body takes her, as well as truly loves channeling her inner child with the wisdom of her ancestors.
Gilian Meyers
she/her
Program Coordinator
Tahoe
gilian [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Gilian (sounds like fish “gill” ) has taught a variety of subjects in nature-based K-8 schools, completed high alpine trail construction in the western Rocky Mountains, led a youth conservation crew on projects in and around Plumas National Forest, and worked as an English teacher in Spain. Gilian returned home to continue learning and exploring in the Sierras in 2024, joining ARC as a Summer Instructor and continuing on as a Program Facilitator in Tahoe. Gilian holds a Bachelors of Science in Society and Environment from the University of California – Berkeley, and is a certified NOLS Wilderness First Responder. Gilian loves to sing, cook and throw long, lazy dinner parties with friends and family. Favorite poems of hers include Kobayashi Issa’s “Cherry Blossoms” and “i thank you god for most this amazing…” by e.e. cummings.
Jesus Alejandre
he/him
Program Manager
Central Valley
jesus [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Jesus is a graduate of ARC’s summer course in Yosemite in 2012. Since then, he has served as an ARC intern, summer instructor, Bilingual Outreach Coordinator, and more. Jesus is passionate about empowering youth in his community. He finds motivation and fulfillment from the success stories of the many students that have participated in the program. He believes that all individuals can learn and grow together with support and compassion. Jesus likes reading comic books, especially MAUS by Art Spiegelman which he appreciates for its story of bravery and hope.
Jorge Mendoza
he/him/el
Director of Operations
jorge [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Jorge’s passion for the outdoors began in 2007 when he attended his first outdoor leadership program in the Sequoia National Forest. Since then, he has worked in roles such as Program Director, Operations Manager, and Outdoor Educator for organizations such as the Pali Institute, Big City Mountaineers, and EarthCorps. Jorge earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Redlands, is a NOLS instructor, and holds certifications as a Wilderness First Responder, Leave No Trace Master Educator and AMGA Apprentice Alpine Guide. In his spare time, Jorge can be found on the trails with his dog, mentoring Aspiring BIPOC mountain guides, perusing the short stories in Love After the End by Joshua Whitehead, or catching up on The Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo.
laurel taschetta
she/her
Program Facilitator
Tahoe
laurel [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Laurel has worked all over California as an outdoor educator and wilderness guide, sharing her passion for the natural world with youth and adults. She earned a B.A. in Public Health and Spanish at Pitzer College, and has since applied both her preventative health lens and Spanish language skills to her work in the outdoor field. Over the past three seasons, Laurel has guided backpacking trips in the Sierra Nevada, exploring glaciated valleys and identifying pine trees. She is eager to return to the Yosemite area with ARC students this summer to continue teaching and learning about this dynamic and magical place. When she is not playing in the mountains, Laurel enjoys live music, cooking, and reading, especially historical fiction. Laurel earned her Wilderness First Responder certification in 2018 through Wilderness Medical Associates.
Maddie Leh
she/her
Senior Program Manager
Tahoe
maddie [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Maddie joined the ARC year-round staff in 2022. Prior to joining ARC’s team, she worked as an environmental educator in programs for youth in North Carolina and Colorado. She has a Bachelor’s in sociology and anthropology from St. Olaf College and a Master’s in nonprofit management from Regis University, and has been a Wilderness First Responder since 2019. In her free time, Maddie loves to connect with nature through trail running, hiking, backpacking, and identifying plants; enjoys sewing, water coloring cards, photography, and pie-baking; and keeps her commitment to lifelong learning by reading (especially nonfiction!) and conversing with friends, colleagues, and students. Wendell Berry’s poetry has been particularly influential in her connection with nature.
Mel Hoffman
she/her
Program Director
mel [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Mel joined ARC in the summer of 2010 after nearly a decade at outdoor education programs around the U.S. At ARC, Mel has held the roles of Science Instructor, English instructor, Course Director, and Program Manager, and she has also revised and updated many aspects of the ARC curricula over the years. Mel loves sharing her passion for nature and helping people feel comfortable in new environments. She enjoys reading the words of our talented ARC students, as well as the poetry of Mary Oliver and Joy Harjo.
Melany Ricardo
she/they
Program Coordinator
Central Valley
melany [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Melany is ARC’s Central Valley Program Coordinator in Firebaugh and Dos Palos. She was an ARC 2016 summer graduate and attended retreats after graduating. Melany was born in Guatemala and moved to the US when she was 4, and has always dreamed of becoming an art teacher. She is currently a full-time student, and in her free time, she loves to draw, sew, and read fictional pieces of literature. One of Melany’s favorite art pieces is Among the Sierra Nevadas by Albert Bierstadt, and one of her favorite books is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz.
Sarah Cupery Ottley
she/her
Director of Development
sarah [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Sarah joined ARC in 2009 to launch the new program region in the Central Valley and Yosemite National Park and has since served ARC in many different roles. She currently implements ARC’s fund development efforts and provides financial leadership for the organization. Sarah began her career in environmental education working at national parks in Arizona, Alaska, and California. She enjoys many outdoor activities, especially backpacking, rock climbing, and birding. Sarah is a fan of the environmentally brave writing of David James Duncan and Terry Tempest Williams and the heartbreakingly hopeful novels written by Barbara Kingsolver. Sarah and her partner, Graham, have two kids in grade school. Owen and Eleanor are named after bodies of water in the Sierra Nevada.
Valerie Soto
she/her/ella
Communications Coordinator
valerie [at] adventureriskchallenge.org
Valerie joined the ARC team late fall of 2022. In 2017, Val received her B.S. in Recreation Administration from Fresno State University and has worked with different communities in both Fresno and Tulare Counties to develop recreational programs for the youth. She has also worked with other non-profit organizations coordinating fundraising events and marketing strategies. In her spare time, Valerie enjoys guiding local hikes in both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and finds pleasure through hiking, backpacking, photography and swimming. Valerie admires the vulnerability and courage that ARC youth display and she is motivated to have more youth tell their personal stories. Valerie has been influenced by her favorite author and podcaster, Brené Brown.
