Who We Are

Jake Ellis

President

BOD Member Since 2019

Jake lives in Williamstown, KY on an 18-acre farm with his wife, dog, and new baby boy. He started climbing in college and has since climbed all over the US but spends most of his time at the Red River Gorge. Skiing, snowboarding, backpacking, and hunting some of his favorite outdoor activities when he is not climbing. Jake graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Science with a major in Computer Information Systems.

 

 

 

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Briana Mazzolini-Blanchard

Vice President

BOD Member Since 2019

Briana is a community organizer, Indigenous environmental conservation advocate, educator, and climber. She is Native CHamoru, the Executive Director for the Urban Native Collective, and the Co-Founder of the Indigenous Field Guide: a digital resource created to amplify Indigenous voices and provide public education to prevent the damage of non-renewable environmental and cultural resources. Briana currently lives on the homeland of the Shawandasse Tula and Myaamia peoples with her partner and son and she is also an athlete representing Gnarly Nutrition, Rhino Skin Solutions, and Asana Climbing. She is an advocate for equitable access, leading the organization in DEI, Education, and outreach initiatives.

 

 

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Brian Ogawa

Secretary

BOD Member since 2023

Brian started climbing as a way to stay active and meet new friends during summer internships in New York throughout college. After quickly falling in love with both the activity and climbing community, Brian began climbing at one of Cincinnati's local climbing gyms while finishing his degree at Xavier University, often taking weekend trips to the Red. If you met Brian on the street, he would likely tell you he works at a climbing gym before telling you about his day job as a community builder and real estate development professional. Brian understands the intricacies and importance of access, land ownership, and community stewardship and hopes to use his skill set to expand climbing opportunities. When he isn't climbing at the Red, you can find Brian behind the front desk at Climb Time. Don't be afraid to say hello.

 

 

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Matthew Fronek

Treasurer

BOD Member Since 2019

Matt is a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana. He discovered climbing by accident later in life after checking out a local climbing gym on a rainy day. Since then climbing has turned into a passion that brings him to the Red almost every other weekend. When he’s not climbing, he also enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, fishing, or hiking with his two dogs Enzo and Ares. Matt graduated from Purdue University where he earned a degree in Actuarial Science and Applied Statistics and currently works in Strategic Financial Planning for one of Indiana’s largest health systems.

 

 

 

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Curtis Gale-Dyer

Land Manager

BOD Member since 2016

Curtis Gale-Dyer discovered climbing in 1993 in a college course at Western Michigan University that took him to Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin. He started climbing in the Red in 2001. Since then he has become hooked and done all kinds of climbing all over the country and even in Ireland and the Czech Republic. He hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2002. Since finishing medical school, he took a residency in Lexington to be closer to the climbing here in the Red, and is now the proud owner of Lexington Osteopathic, and a bitchin’ trad rack! After volunteering for many years with trail work and Rocktoberfest, he is proud to join the Board as Land Manager.

 

 

 

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Colin Howell

Board Member

BOD Member since 2018

Colin found climbing in 2013 after a random invitation to a local gym. He got the bug immediately and immersed himself into the community, exploring every aspect he found available. Since his start he has visited the Red countless times and enjoys trips to the New, Seneca Rocks, and any other destination that the sport will take him. Colin has degrees in IT as well as Graphic Design and enjoys practicing fine art and illustration in his free time.

 

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Nicholas Hart

Board Member

BOD Member since 2018

Nick started climbing in the Red in the late 90s. Aside from four years at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, he has never been far away. After college, Nick returned to Kentucky and attended the University of Kentucky College of Law. He is currently a partner at a law firm in Louisville, Kentucky. During the week, you can find him at Climb Nulu or with his son and wife on their backyard boulder wall. Nick joined the BOD in 2018 because the Red holds such a special place in his life, and he is looking forward to climbing there with his son for years to come.

 

 

 

 

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Jereme Ransick

Board Member

BOD Member Since 2019

I love solving problems and have a hard time giving up, both of which apply to business, non-profits, and rock climbing. Over the years I have realized that nothing is free, and certainly not climbing, which is why I am excited to be a part of the Coalition and hope to help spread that message as we work to preserve and gain access to climbing here in the Gorge.

I re-found climbing in 2010 after putting on my 12 year old Scarpas and bouldering at the Old Reservoir Wall at Eden Park in Cincinnati. I had migrated from mountain Biking to road cycling to marathoning and was getting a bit burnt out on all of that cardio. I distinctly remember an older (than me) gentleman, I now know as "Captain Static," who literally climbed circles around me on Spiderman's Traverse (a.k.a AKA Ohio's Longest Hardest Climb). At that moment I realized, that while I was falling behind as a runner and cyclist, I had many great years ahead of me as a climber.

When I am not working, training or spending time with my "Special Lady Friend" and our three kids, you'll likely find me climbing. If sending temps are good and it is a Sunday, there's a good chance I'll be at one of our local crags.

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Sam North

Board Member

BOD Member since 2021

Sam lives in Florence, Kentucky and has been climbing in the Red for 4 years, she was quickly drawn into volunteering and giving back to the community from the start. Sam is currently working on a bachelor’s degree in environmental science at Northern Kentucky University. When she’s not in the Red you can find her mountain biking or at her local ski hill where she is a certified snow sports instructor.

 

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Curtis Rogers

Board Member

BOD Member since 2023

Curtis lives in Lexington, Kentucky and has been hiking and camping in the Red since he was old enough to walk. He started climbing in 2022 with his daughter and he was quickly hooked to not only the sport, but the community climbing offers. Curtis is passionate about helping youth access the outdoors and has been involved with the RRGCC’s Climb L8 program, as well as with Red Oaks Forest School which offers outdoor educational programs in the Red and around Kentucky. Curtis has an MA in International Diplomacy and Commerce, as well as an MBA, both from the University of Kentucky. Curtis enjoys spending as much time outdoors as possible with his partner, Danielle, and their two children, Ben and Eva. The Red is a place that Curtis and his family love, and he looks forward to working with the RRGCC to preserve it for future generations.

 

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Cat Runner

Board Member

BOD Member since 2023

Standing at a staggering 5-foot, Cat took up rock climbing to see the world from a higher vantage point. When he's not dangling from a rope, Cat spends his time taking pretty pictures, cuddling with his pup, and working to make the climbing community a safer and more inclusive environment. In 2022, he founded the Queer Climber's Network which focuses on helping queer climbers connect with each other, instructors, educational programs, and professionals within the climbing industry. He currently resides on Cherokee and Shawnee land.

 

 

 

 

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Amber Garvey

Board Member

BOD Member since 2023

Amber is originally from Nashville, Indiana (beautiful Brown County), and is a proud Indiana University graduate. Professionally, Amber has successfully managed comprehensive projects in a variety of industries from education, to music, to fine art. Since 2010, she's led work with KERTIS, a Louisville based creative agency committed to telling the stories of people, organizations, and brands that make our communities more livable, equitable, and interesting. Amber was informally introduced to climbing as a kid, scrambling around boulders, and admiring the clifflines of Jackson Falls in Southern Illinois, and then formally in 1996 at the original Hoosier Heights warehouse in Bloomington. For three years, she enjoyed climbing at Smith Rock while living in Bend, OR - then moving to Louisville and becoming an avid Rocksport & RRG climber. She successfully converted her musician husband into the sport and together they get their kids to the Red as often as possible. Son Cohen can now say he's been climbing since was 3, and it's no exaggeration! She and Zack (husband) hope to own property in the Red someday soon, to be active stewards in the way the RRGCC models, and to enjoy the overall beauty of the area.

 

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Anjel Ciaravino

Board Member

BOD Member Since 2024

I am Anjel (with a J). I like rocks and stuff. I am not from Kentucky, but I have been climbing in the Red off and on for the last 23 years. Climbing gives me a feeling of freedom and release from the pressures and stress that every day life brings. Being at the top of a wall or mountain and looking down at everything puts life into perspective for me. Climbing does so much for me in my life that I want to be able to give back to the community and hopefully give others what I receive from it. I've been a volunteer on committees for the last 2 years and volunteering at Rocktoberfest for the better part of a decade. I'm excited to see how we grow and I hope to catch you all at future RRGCC Events. If you see me, come say hi!

 

 

 

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Cole Musial

Board Member

BOD Member Since 2024Cole is a resident of Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, OH with his wife and two kids. Climbing has never stopped since college, though like most it has ebbed and flowed. Mountain biking, coffee roasting, and home/cabin construction projects are the highlights when not thinking about his kids or climbing. He has worked in the environmental compliance/remediation industry since finishing his graduate program at the University of Kentucky. Cole joined the BOD to continue being a steward for an area he loves, so that it can be there for future generations to enjoy.

 

 

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Billy Simek

Executive Director

While growing up in Massachusetts, Billy dabbled in rock climbing for a few years in high school until committing more time to fly fishing and snow sports. After shipping off to Indiana for college, he found more corn than rivers or mountains, but quickly became a bona fide Red River Gorge weekender once he caught wind of the sandstone cliffs tucked away in eastern Kentucky.

During his tenure at Purdue University, Billy served as a climbing officer in the Purdue Outing Club and helped set up bi-annual trail days for the POC to give back to the RRGCC and its properties. Upon earning a Bachelor of Science in biology, he continued west to work for Trout Unlimited in the Lake Tahoe area conducting fisheries research and community organization until ultimately returning to the Red River Gorge to focus on climbing and photography. One season extended into a second and an extensive job search led Billy around the country in his truck only to eventually end up right back where it started with a position as the Executive Director of the RRGCC.

 

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Emily Bruns

Marketing Director

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Bill Strachan

Executive Director Emeritus

Bill’s first rock climbing experience was at Carlton Peak on the shore of Lake Superior in the summer of 1971 when he attended the Voyager Outward Bound School based in Ely, Minnesota. With a background in AAU competitive gymnastics, he enjoyed the athletic challenge of climbing and quickly developed a passion for the sport. In the summer of 1974, Bill attended the National Outdoor Leadership School, earning a Mountain Guide Certificate and participating in the first ascent of the West Face of Mt. Koven (5.7, A1, Grade III) in the Wind River Range, Wyoming. Twenty years later, Bill returned to the Winds with his long time climbing partner Dave Christenson of Rocky Mountain Rescue and completed the first free ascent of the route.

From 1973 to 1981, Bill studied civil and environmental engineering at the University of Cincinnati where he was an active member of the UC Mountaineering Club. Also from 1975 to 1977 he had a coop job in Richmond, Virginia and regularly climbed at Seneca Rocks, West Virginia where he developed his lead climbing skills. During the 70s, Red River Gorge was a popular UCMC destination for camping and backpacking, but was not considered to be a significant climbing area. However, while on a camping trip to the Gorge, Bill found that a wall next to Indian Staircase was a good place to set up tope ropes. Discovering a crack adjacent to Staircase Wall, Bill brought his lead climbing rack one weekend in 1978 and established “Here Comes Batman” (5.11c) now acknowledged to be the first 5.11 in Red River Gorge.

As Executive Director of the Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition, Bill Strachan brings almost two decades of non-profit experience to the organization. After graduating from college, Bill became involved with the Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association and served as an At-Large Representative of the organization’s Board of Trustees from 1986 to 1988. From 1990 to 1993, he served progressively as the Treasurer, Vice- President, and then President of the Ohio Buckeye Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America. Also from 1991 to 1993 Bill served on the Board of Directors of the Engineers & Scientists of Cincinnati. After retiring from career related non-profit service, Bill was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Climbers Association in 1994 and served as the OCA President from 1997 to 2004.

In 2004, Bill was asked to join the RRGCC Board of Directors and was elected to the position of President. He had previously been involved with the RRGCC as a member of the RRGCC Climbing Advisory Council. In 2005, when Dr. Bob Matheny was elected as President of the RRGCC, Bill took the position of Executive Director. Bill has a strong commitment to maintaining rock climbing access on both public and private lands in the Red River Gorge Area. He became involved with Daniel Boone National Forest planning efforts when he was President of the OCA and is an active participant in the DBNF’s current Limits of Acceptable Change process for Red River Gorge. Bill is a champion of the RRGCC’s Pendergrass-Murray Recreational Preserve acquisition and lends high skills in land use planning and environmental matters to the project.

Bill is married to Laura who is also a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School. Bill and Laura have two children, Suzy and Will, who have both been climbing since they were four years old.