Our Team

Director of Operations

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! 

General Manager

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, snuggling with her cats or baking. 

Director of Youth Programs/ Head Rec Climbing Coach 

Brentley “Coach” Hartman moved to the hills of Corvallis, OR from the concrete desert of East Dallas, TX in 1991 and has called it home ever since. After receiving his Bachelors in Elementary and Special Education from University of Oregon his older sister took him on his first outdoor climbing trip to Smith Rock, and the rest is history. Following college Brentley’s path led him towards merging his love of the outdoors with his passion for education and mentorship. He took a position as a Crew Leader for Northwest Youth Corps, and led youth ranging from 14 to 19 years of age for 6 years in trail construction and stewardship efforts from Arizona to Washington. After years, and over a thousand nights spent beneath starry skies Brentley decided to return to the classroom and certify as a Waldorf School teacher.  Brentley donned his new title of Mr. Hartman, and guided his class from 1st through 4th grade at the Corvallis Waldorf School (CWS). Currently “Coach” teaches games and movement for 1st-8th grade at CWS during much of the school year, and fights Wildland fire from May to October. Brentley is overjoyed to join the VRG community as the Director of Youth Programs, and engage his passion for climbing, learning, and mentorship to support the growth and development of our next generation of climbers!

Head Setter/Team Member/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. 

Floor Manager

  Mark Frost is a mechanical engineering student at Oregon State University from Oakland, California. He has a background in construction but his true passions have always involved spending time outdoors. At the end of middle school, he began climbing and has been in love ever since. It is his way to spend time with friends, disconnect from the world, and reset. Additionally, Mark is an avid cyclist, skier, and backpacker.  

 Team Member/Youth Instructor/Assistant Coach

Originally from the east coast, Julia moved to town in the summer of 2021 to continue her education at OSU, studying Environmental Economics and Policy. Looking for a new hobby, she started climbing and fell in love with the sport and its unique community. Julia is excited to explore the beautiful PNW through climbing, trail running, hiking and camping adventures, and can’t wait to meet all the lovely climbers of Corvallis! When Julia’s not running about, she enjoys reading and listening to music while laying in the treasured sunshine or from the comfort of her hammock. 

Youth Instructor/Team Member/Setter/Assistant Coach 

Growing up in Eugene, Andrew has lived in Oregon his whole life and moved up to Corvallis to attend OSU. He has been climbing on and off for five years with a preference to bouldering, although has found a passion for lead climbing as well. When he's not in the gym, he's either cooking, baking, or spending time with his doggo Cerberus. He is always up for climbing and sharing the passion for the sport that he has with others.    

Floor Staff,  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. 

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! 

Functional Performance 

Olivia loves activities that include her best friend and dog, Jazz. Some of the activities they do together include riding motorcycles, riding bikes, running, camping, climbing rocks at the beach, playing in the sand, practicing archery, hanging with friends, wrestling, eating, and cuddling. Olivia draws her experience from over 5 years as a personal trainer, a beginning MMA trainee, bicycling, swimming, taking regular yoga classes, playing intercollegiate soccer, high school sports such as shotput and discus and holding the position of football manager for 3 years, junior lifeguards, softball, and participating in over 20 kinesiology classes including qualitative biomechanics, exercise physiology, athletic training, sports management, sport psychology,

coaching, and psychological aspects of human movement. While Olivia was obtaining her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Washington State University she worked as a personal trainer and hosted several workshops on different aspects of exercise and leadership. She also taught classes on mobility and flexibility as well as Women on Weights. Olivia is now pursuing a PhD in exercise physiology beginning fall 2022.

Pilates/Yoga

 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.  

Yoga

Jenni completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training certification at Willamette Valley Power Yoga in 2018. She has a bold teaching style that encourages you to listen to your body and do what feels good in each pose. As a teacher it is her mission to empower you to create possibility on and off your mat. Jenni believes every body is different and that yoga is for everybody. When not on her mat, you can find her hanging out with her 2 French Bulldogs, at a baseball game, listening to music, and exploring the outdoors.

Yoga

 Ryan has been studying yoga and meditation for over 12 years and has taught for five of those years before taking a hiatus to travel and focus on his own practice. He has studied yoga in both Portland, and India with teacher training in Hatha (200 hours) and Ashtanga (500 hours). Aside from teaching yoga Ryan works as a gardener and landscaper where he designs, builds, and manages landscapes. He is an advocate of cultivating self reliance, and a sustainable lifestyle. When he is not working he enjoys spending his time outdoors and working on various homesteading projects around his home.