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> 2009-10 Board of Directors
> Current Job Openings
> Intern / Volunteer Opportunities
> AmeriCorps Opportunities |
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Gail Loveland - Executive Director
Gail joined the National Ability Center following her work as Associate Executive Director at the Outdoors for All Foundation in Seattle, Wash. She volunteered with the International Paralympic Committee for the 2010 Paralympic games in Vancouver, Canada. Gail attributes her passion for adaptive recreation to the incredible athletes, families and volunteers who never cease to surprise and inspire her.
Over the last fifteen years, Gail has gained experience in the recreation and non-profit fields as a ski and snowboard instructor for Keystone Mountain, Education and Program Director for the Starlight Children's Foundation and Board President of the Washington State Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse. Her free time includes outdoor activities, team sports, and cheering on her home teams like the Philadelphia Flyers.
Gail graduated from the University of Vermont School of Business with honors and holds an Executive Certification in Non-Profit Management from Georgetown University.
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Marla Howard - Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, Marla wears many hats for the National Ability Center. She enjoys working for an organization that involves recreation, helping others and can make it a family event. Her work experience has included communications, accounting, human resources and benefits administration for fortune 40 company and an international mining company. Community service has included being a race officiating at PCMR, 2002 Olympics, 2002 Paralympics, at her children’s schools and helping at risk youth. Marla has her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Utah and was a CPA prior to coming to the Center. Her hobbies include alpine skiing, hiking, backpacking, writing, water colors and photography. |
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Larry Finan - Facility Officer
Larry was raised in southern California and attended Washington State University on a football scholarship. He graduated with a degree in Recreation and Park Administration. Before joining the National Ability Center, Larry was the Park Manager of the Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden, Utah. Larry has also been an assistant football coach and strength and conditioning coach at various universities. |
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Ellen Hall Adams - Program Director / Competition Program Manager
Ellen joined the National Ability Center in 2008. Originally from Vermont, she grew up riding and showing horses and alpine ski racing. She attended the Green Mountain Valley School and Middlebury College, where she was captain of the Ski Team, two-time NCAA Champions. After many years launching and successfully running start-ups in the winter sports industry, serving on several national non-profit boards, and raising a family, she discovered the world of adaptive and therapeutic recreation. Now she can’t imagine being anywhere else. In her spare time, Ellen and her family enjoy nordic and alpine skiing, hiking, biking, and playing golf and tennis. |
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Jennifer Atkin - Special Events Manager
Jennifer has a Bachelors in Science degree from the University of California at Davis in Exercise Science and Sport Psychology. She moved to Utah for an internship with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Shortly after arriving in Utah, she was offered a full-time position in Corporate Services for the Organizing Committee. Most recently, she worked at United Way of Salt Lake as the Special Events Manager. A native of Truckee, California, she enjoys skiing and the outdoors.
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Kristen Caldwell - Program Manager: Ski & Snowboarding, and Water Sports
Kristen started with the National Ability Center as a winter intern. She fell in love with both the National Ability Center and Park City and decided to stay a while! Kristen has worked with the ski/snowboard, water ski, cycling, and canoeing programs, as well as the intern and AmeriCorps staff. Along with being the NAC Ski School Director, Kristen is a PSIA Intermountain Adaptive Representative. Kristen has a Masters in Therapeutic Recreation from Indiana University and is a nationally Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. In her spare time Kristen enjoys rock climbing, running, skiing, and several types of cultural dancing. |
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Kim Desautels - Hippotherapy Program Manager
Kim relocated to Utah after growing up in Chapel Hill, N.C. and Berlin, Germany. Working as a board certified Occupational Therapist for over 20 years, Kim has gained extensive experience in a wide variety of clinical settings. With a specialty in outpatient neurology, Kim found her true passion in hippotherapy and began practicing in 2000. In 2007, Kim fulfilled a personal dream by working with therapists in Germany practicing hippotherapy with adults and children. Kim also serve’s as a liaison for the American Hippotherapy Association, as well as an adjunct faculty member of SLCC’s COTA program. Kim is an active member of UOTA, AOTA, NARHA, and AHA and serves as an advisory board member for a national cancer support organization.
Kim loves spending quality time with her two sons, family, and friends as well as traveling, snowboarding, horseback riding, hiking and biking in the Wasatch Mountains. |
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Jan Drake - Equestrian Program Resource Manager
Jan has been involved with the NAC as both a volunteer and staff for eight years. Before coming to the NAC, she studied business administration at Missouri Western State College. Other than keeping the NAC's four-legged friends happy, Jan also enjoys golf and working with young mustangs.
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Abby Ferrin - Equestrian Programs Manager
Abby is a Park City native who began volunteering with the National Ability Center's ski and horseback riding programs in 2003. She is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist with a degree from the University of Utah and is also a NARHA registered instructor. After volunteering for two years Abby became an instructor, then volunteer coordinator and is now the equestrian prorgams manager. Abby owns three mustangs and competes in triathlons.
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Sue Greenberg - Director of Athlete Development
Sue has been an integral part of the growth of the NAC's ski team over the last two years. She has also helped athletes in other programs, like cycling, to hone their skills and improve their training programs. Sue has travelled with the ski team to various competitions to provide on-site analysis for the NAC's racers.
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Ryan Jensen - Outreach / Marketing Manager
Office phone: (435) 200-0990
Ryan's first experience with the National Ability Center came after interviewing a few members of the Ability Ski Team while working for a local television station. Two years later, he decided to use his talents to help promote those skiers and the rest of the participants at the Ability Center. Helping people find a place where they can discover their abilities makes this a fulfilling role at the NAC. Ryan enjoys the year-round beauty and activities in the Park City area. Ryan has a degree in journalism from Utah State University.
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Evan Kessler - Aquatics & Archery Program Coordinator
Evan first began working with people of all abilities while attending the University of Tennessee. Evan also went on to receive his Masters in Recreational Therapy from the University of Tennessee. As a graduate student, Evan was the Director of Camp Koinonia which served 142 campers with multiple disabilities as well as coordinator for Project TRIPS (Therapeutic Recreation in Public Schools). Evan moved out to Park City for an internship at the National Ability Center. Since completing his internship, Evan has served as an adaptive ski instructor, hippotherapy volunteer, adventure learning facilitator, aquatics coordinator, and archery coordinator. In his free time Evan enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, camping, and running.
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Rip Pridday - Ability Ski Team Head Coach & Cycling Program Coordinator
Rip has been a career coach for more years than he likes to remember. He is a fully certified High Performance Coach (level III) with the Canadian Ski Coaches Federation (CSCF). He is also a level III with the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance (CSIA). He has a High Performance Coaching Diploma from the National Coaching Institute (NCI) of Canada. He holds the designation of Chartered Professional Coach (CHPC) as awarded by The Coaches of Canada. He is a World Cup Slalom Champion guide for visually impaired Chris Williamson. He also holds a Canadian Speed Skiing Championship title. He took the Ski Area Management program at Humber College. Favorite Quote: "If you ain't first, you're last" Reese Bobby.
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Tracy Riddleberger Meier - Program Manager: Interns, Discovery Camps & Ski/Snowboard (Asst.)
Tracy moved to Utah from Virginia starting her National Ability Center career as an intern. Since then she has instructed in our equestrian, ski and snowboard, climbing wall and adventure learning programs and was the office manager. She has now settled in as the Internship supervisor, Discovery Camp Manager and is the Assistant Ski and Snowboard program manager. She continues to instruct in our equestrian program two nights a week. Tracy has a degree in Recreational Therapy from East Carolina University and is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist.
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Kim Millikan - Program Manager: AmeriCorps & Adventure Learning
Kim began at the National Ability Center as an Adventure Learning Program facilitator and volunteering with the Center’s equestrian program. Since then she has instructed for the climbing wall and ropes course, ski and snowboard program, equestrian program and served a two year AmeriCorps Service membership - all with the National Ability Center. Kim has volunteered within most of the programs offered at the Ability Center. In her spare time she enjoys advising the local “People First” chapter, assisting with high school leadership programs, and playing outside with friends and her dog Roo. Kim earned her B.S. in Social Work from the University of Utah. |
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Allie Schneider - Communications & Events Assistant
Allie Schneider has been with the National Ability Center as a participant for eighteen years in programs such as snow skiing, horseback riding, water skiing, cycling, and now bobsledding. As the Communications and Events Assistant, Allie has worked with national and local news organizations which have visited the National Ability Center, and she helps coordinate all major events at the Center.
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