Our Team

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General Manager/Setter/Program Coordinator

Johanna is an avid adventurer with a passion for wellness, active living  and building community. Over the past 10 years, Johanna has worked as a climbing instructor, an outdoor educator for NOLS, a guide and a teacher. She  is driven to help make climbing more accessible to people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities through community engagement and lowering barriers to entry. When Johanna isn’t climbing, you can find her trail running with her pup, gardening, creating art or baking. 

Director of Operations/Setter

Morgan was born and raised in Corvallis, Oregon. He started climbing at a very young age and as a kid growing up in Corvallis regretted the lack of climbing opportunities the area provided. He has continued to follow his passion for climbing, majoring in outdoor recreation, working as a guide, instructor, and route setter, and exploring the worlds climbing areas. All of his knowledge and experience finally bringing him back to his childhood dream of opening a climbing gym in Corvallis. Morgan also enjoys fishing, playing soccer and foraging for wild food! 

Head Setter/Climbing Team Coach/Program Coordinator

Michael began climbing during his undergraduate studies on steep sandstone in the Midwest. Since then he has been fortunate to work as a route setter, coach youth climbing athletes, and take his passion for outdoor climbing across several countries. Michael has been living in Oregon since 2018; recently graduating from Oregon State University with a master’s degree in Environmental Science.  Michael is passionate about creating an inclusive, equitable, and supportive community around climbing, education, and stewardship.

Floor Manager, Instructor

 Justin has been passionate about sports for as long as he can remember. He used to be a swimmer until he started climbing 2 years ago and has found himself climbing whenever he has the chance. He just graduated with a degree in Biology at Oregon State University with interests in the medical field and marine biology. Oh! And he LOVES to cook and has a weird obsession with making and eating lasagna. 

Assistant Climbing Coach

Banner fell in love with the beauty of climbing movement in 1998, in Rock Canyon, Utah. Having the opportunity to learn from some of the best climbers in the US, she soon discovered her passion: teaching others the foundation and nuance of climbing technique. Over the years, she has shared the joy of breakthrough moments with many - whether it be helping youths achieve podium finishes in national competitions, teaching new lead climbers as an adjunct instructor at Utah Valley University, or coaxing individual climbers up their first V0’s in private gym lessons. Recognized for her climbing and coaching influence, Banner was selected by La Sportiva to serve as a brand ambassador for nearly a decade. 

Now back in her native Oregon, if Banner isn't wrangling her young sons, you can often find her playing sudoku, puttering in her garden, or running around with their family goats, Oreo and Winnie.

Assistant Climbing Coach/Team Member/Setter/Instructor

 Cellina is a 4th year student at OSU. She climbed for the first time when she was five in Portland, and joined the climbing team in middle school. She competed in bouldering, sport, and speed all through high school, and got to travel to cool places like Alaska and Quebec! Her favorite place to climb is Bishop, and her favorite mountain she's climbed is Mt. Hood. She also loves snowboarding, is on the ultimate frisbee team at school, and likes to skateboard on the rare occasion that it’s sunny out. 

Operations Assistant

Spencer is a PNW native who from an early age has spent his time in the outdoors enjoying a full spectrum of activities. This developed his passion for the outdoors and to pursue a future in land stewardship. After a career in the building trades, Spencer is now studying ecological restoration to further pursue his dreams of supporting our public lands. He brings a passion of climbing to the team and hopes to encourage and support that in others. 

Team Member/Setter/Instructor

  Evan Powers has recently moved to Oregon from the southeast, where he has spent most of his life. He went to college in Tennessee for a degree in audio engineering and music production. While in college, Evan discovered rock climbing, and spent many years enjoying the high quality rock the southeast has to offer. He considers places like Red River Gorge, Little Rock City, and Horse Pens 40 to be his home. He has spent several years managing a gym, routesetting, and leading outdoor trips. Evan is excited to utilize his skills and knowledge with the team to help build Valley Rock Gym into a quality establishment. 

Team Member

Chelsea is passionate about living a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science, and over the last five years has worked in event marketing to promote natural and organic products. She brings with her a genuine enthusiasm to connect with everyone she meets, as well as a drive to make healthy choices accessible to all. She is a mother of two young boys, and looks forward to introducing them to the rock climbing and outdoor lifestyle. Chelsea is excited to be part of a team providing safe, inclusive and fun climbing for our community. 

Setter

Justin has three great passions in his life petting doggies, cooking for friends and climbing. Originally from Texas, Justin moved to Oregon back in the fall of 2019 and has been in love with it ever since. When he is not at the gym you will usually find him either out at The Garden or Eagles Rest. If not there he’s probably whacking his way through overgrowth in search of new projects and climbing areas. 

Justin has been climbing for over 15 years now and in his youth was an active part of the Houston competitive climbing scene. With over 7 years of setting experience, he is now looking forward to challenging himself by setting more parkour and comp style boulder problems. Justin’s favorite climbing areas include Horseshoe Canyon, Red Rock Canyon and Hueco Tanks. 

Team Member

 Michael is originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin. He moved to Corvallis in 2017 to study Environmental Engineering at Oregon State, and has since graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 2021. He hopes to develop sustainable practices for use in business and industry, or work in water resource management and conservation. Michael enjoys climbing, surfing, camping, cooking, and listening to music. He likes the beach, coconut water, sushi, and taking a siesta after work. His favorite fruit is cantaloupe, and his favorite color is blue.  

Yoga  

Lauren Bartholomae is a certified 500 hour yoga teacher, specializing in a Baptiste style power vinyasa flow.  She completed her 200 hour training with Willamette Valley Power Yoga in Corvallis in 2018,  and her 300 hour training with Listen and Know Yoga in Portland in 2019.  Lauren has been teaching yoga at Willamette Valley Power Yoga in Corvallis since September 2018.  As a yoga teacher, Lauren loves the opportunity to connect with a community of people through the power of breath and movement.  When not in the yoga studio, Lauren can be found adventuring with her husband and 2 children.  She loves anything active and outdoors, and will try almost any adventure activity at least once (but probably more times).

Fitness

 Riley has been living in Oregon for over 3 years. He has worked as a wildlife technician, doing avian surveys all over Oregon while sneaking in rock climbing when he has time. His love for climbing really took off while working in Southern Oregon, spending much of his time training at the Rogue Rock Gym in Medford. In 2019, he obtained certifications through the NAFC and worked as a personal trainer focusing on teaching proper body mechanics and overall health and wellness. His goal is to create classes that will build better mobility, strength, and flexibility while mixing in exercises that will benefit climbing. Riley currently works for the Forest Service here in Corvallis and is originally from Cedar Rapids Iowa. 

Yoga 

 Prior to being a mom, Erin enjoyed travelling the world to climb and to do service. With a toddler in tow, she finds herself increasingly grateful to engage in the simpler moments of life, such as biking to Valley Rock Gym with her son and partner.  Erin currently works full-time at Oregon State University as the Yoga Coordinator.  She is also a counselor who specializes in neurodiverse adults.  Erin sees a strong connection between yoga, climbing, and well-being. Her doctoral work investigated the use of these activities, coupled with self-compassion, to support growth post trauma.  One of Erin's top teaching priorities is to nurture an experience of self-compassion in her student's.  Erin also enjoys trail running, reading, laughing, and eating cupcakes. 

Yoga

Haley Rayo received her 200RYT in Hatha Yoga in Florida, but has since incorporated other teaching styles such as Yin, Restorative and Yoga Nidra. For the past 5 years she has been practicing and teaching in Austin Texas. She began practicing Yoga in 2008 as a way to help counteract the mental and physical stresses of her job as a zookeeper.(If you are ever curious about the profession she has some wild stories!) Since 2008 she received a BA in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis, which she uses everyday on her dog, her spouse and herself. Her professional and personal experiences have given her a unique insight into what a wellness practice can do for you. She wants to inspire the students in her classes to be their own keeper, so to speak. To ask “what kind of care do I need today?” When you start on one aspect of wellness the other habits will follow. Her classes encourage building your intuition, self compassion and humor. Her teaching technique is to teach from the ground up encouraging students to build the pose making the class more accessible to all. To be successful at yoga you just have to come to the mat as you are.

When she's not teaching Yoga she loves being outside in her garden or hiking with her partner and dog, Archer. She is an avid baker and cook(hot tip: she almost always has baked goods in her purse). She unwinds by settling in for a Bollywood movie and bowl of popcorn or a good book and some tea. Her favorite thing in this world is sitting around sharing good food, music, and conversation. 

Yoga

Elena renace cada día como aprendiz, así como maestra de materias relacionadas con la energía de la expresión individual y de la conciencia colectiva. El arte, la lengua materna, el contacto con la Madre Tierra –Juya Annia- y la Yoga son senderos que le permiten compartir estos descubrimientos. Elena y su hija Ita recibieron el regalo de la Yoga de Shelley Brown y agradecidas por siempre practican a diario desde hace siete años. Elena obtuvo su certificado de instructora de Hatha Yoga en junio 2018 para hacer extensiva esta práctica de Paciencia y Perseverancia a todas, todos y todes. Transformemos nuestras vidas respirando, con cada inhalación y con cada exhalación. Descubramos que Tú eres mi otro yo.

Elena reinvents herself each day as an apprentice, as well as a teacher of maters related with the energy of individual expression and collective consciousness. Art, mother tongue, contact with of our Madre Tierra –Juya Annia- and Yoga are paths that allow her to share her discoveries. Elena and her daughter Ita received the gift of Yoga from Shelley Brown and gratefully for life they have sustained a daily practice for the last seven years. Elena obtained her certificate as Hatha Yoga instructor in June 2018 with the intention of making extensive this practice of patience and perseverance with everyone who is eager to transform his/her/their life breath by breath and discover that Tú eres mi otro yo.

Yoga 

 Chloe received her 200 RYT in 2018 at Wasatch Ayurveda and Yoga in Salt Lake City, where she focused on deepening her Vinyasa and Ashtanga practice. Since then, yoga has been an important part of how she maintains her wellness. She is committed to helping people find wellness through building strong foundations in asana and mindfulness practices. The mental and physical application of yoga to climbing can be quite impactful and she's excited to explore that with folks at Valley Rock Gym. She moved to Corvallis about a year ago for grad school where she studies environmental toxicology and water quality. During an abnormal year, VRG has been a wonderful way to connect with community and she is excited to become more involved with the community. When she's not in the lab or in the studio, she enjoys climbing, rafting, birding (to name a few outdoor hobbies), reading, making playlists and baking. 

Yoga

  Sarah is a 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher who teaches empowering, energetic power vinyasa classes. Her non-judgemental and genuine attitude creates an open space for students to feel energized, encouraged and challenged. Sarah is committed to bringing yoga to everybody and every body. When not teaching, you can find her cuddled up with a good book and a mug of tea or outdoors hiking and camping! 

Pilates

 Diana Blau has been a Certified Pilates Instructor since 2017. She enjoys teaching body awareness and self care through the modality. She enjoys being active and motivating others to do the same to bring health and well being into daily life. When teaching, she likes to keep the focus on discipline of the workout and integrity to encourage sustainable progression in strength, flexibility, and agility.