MEET OUR TEAM
The founders built this company – literally built the walls and have the scars to show it – and many of the HQ staff have been with us since almost the very beginning in our non-profit days. We are proud to be employee-owned and led, and we’re deeply passionate about being the very best we can.
This listing only includes HQ level staff and directors, but we need to acknowledge the coordinators and experience providers that aren’t here, too. Each gym maintains a staff of about 30-35 full time and part time people that make the experience go.
The people here set the policies and vision as members of our collaborative leadership, but they’re not the ones on the ground. And it’s those ones that make all the difference.
Kristin Horowitz - CEO + Founder
Started out wanting to be a vet, then got a theatre degree and English masters degree, lived in Yosemite for a number of summers, worked for small women-owned businesses, taught at community colleges, and ended up in charge of the whole shebang. She’s most motivated by being the change she wishes to see in the world.
Also, she still surrounds herself with furry animals, like this bottle lamb here, Fluffy. Our social feeds tend to be full of her pets.
Yishai Horowitz - Business Development Director + Founder
He has no idea how to take “no” for an answer when it comes to making cool things happen, so here’s where we are at.
Want to learn to build a gym in Sketch Up? Learned it. Need to learn to weld to build the gym in real life? Done. Needs to find someone to make something happen? No problem.
Still manages to be a pretty strong climber despite working more on the above than his forearm strength.
Jessica Mitchell - Communication & Systems Director
Though she be tiny, she is mighty. She never leaves well enough alone and is always pushing herself, her projects, and those around her to better accountability and efficiency – and she does it with incredible confidence.
Hey, Jessie, I have an idea. “Already thought of it, it’s on the portal.”
Her home library is mostly superheroes and graphic novels and she went on her honeymoon to ComicCon.
Josef Maier - Setting Director
Rumor has it Joe went to Cal Poly because he liked SLO OP. We liked him, too, and as soon as he graduated we snapped him up for head setter. As we’ve grown he’s been an amazing director, and always eager to support however he can.
He lived in a van for most of his college career with his wife. Could you do that? Exactly. That’s the kind of person he is.
Emilia Gildemeister - Regional Operations Director
With a Biology background, she is a self-identified nerd who fell in love with climbing as another way to be outside. After moving across the country to chase the rocks, she started at The Pad as a youth program manager, slowly taking on more and more responsibilities, including two high energy pups that keep her busy.
Loving a say in all the things, you can catch her behind the desk, instructing a class, or setting up a rope swing for summer camp
Clint Sanderson - Operations Manager
When asked what his story is, you’ll get a good answer. So good an answer that when we heard it, we knew we needed to have a Director of Climbing. He was brought on to produce summer camps during COVID and he just brings so many ideas to the table, we let him run free with them.
His nickname is “Peach.” We’ll let you ask him yourself.
Em Bright - Community Success Director
We thought she was just going to handle customer service, we really did. But the thing is – Em doesn’t let you miss opportunities to take advantage of her huge brains solely by speaking up and adding value at every opportunity. She’s involved in not only our relationship with our members and visitors, but she’s working on the back end, thinking how to automate, make us more efficient, and tell story with data.
When she’s not chasing her kid, Barkimal, and husband around in the Eastern Sierra, that is.
