EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

daniela@elevateherco.org

Daniela Wohlwend was born in the Principality of Liechtenstein and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1990. She attended primary school in southern New Hampshire and spent much of her childhood playing in the White Mountains. Daniela received her Bachelors of Fine Art in Photography from Montserrat College of Art, located on the rugged north shore of Boston. While in Boston, Daniela worked for Cerebral Palsy of Massachusetts, which turned into a formative experience that shaped her future career in human service non-profits. Daniela moved to Colorado to attend the University of Denver's prestigious International and Intercultural Communications program and received her Master's in 2010. For the last decade, Daniela has worked in direct service non-profits, most recently as Program Officer at Mountain Resource Center. She is thrilled to be a part of the Chaffee County community and excited to have the opportunity to shape the future of elevateHER.

PROGRAM COORDINATOR

jenny@elevateherco.org

Jenny has been with elevateHER since the fall of 2020. This desert rat hails from Arizona, where she grew up exploring majestic saguaro-filled landscapes and natural wonders like Humphrey’s Peak and the Grand Canyon. She graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Psychology and Sociology. In 2019 she moved to Colorado and has fallen in love with the small-town charm of Salida.

Jenny is driven by a deep passion for working with youth. She aspires to be a positive role model and a trusted adult in the lives of the individuals she serves. She feels lucky to do work that helps young people build their self-esteem and confidence; seeing elevateHER as a program she needed when she was a young woman navigating middle and high school.

When Jenny first joined the team, she didn't have any prior professional experience working in the outdoor recreation industry but was eager to learn! From rock climbing to white water kayaking, she has had the opportunity to plunge into exhilarating activities, growing and learning right alongside participants, and has cherished every second of it.

When she is not running programs, you can find Jenny traveling, watching stand up comedy that nobody else thinks is funny, whipping up way too much homemade soup or on the trails biking or running.

OUTDOOR MENTOR

maritza@elevateherco.org

Maritza grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where she learned to ski from a young age. She graduated from college in Minnesota with a degree in exercise science before returning to Colorado to pursue ski patrolling full time. After several years of ski patrolling, she obtained a doctorate in occupational therapy. She has travelled the country living in her van with her husband and is now parked in Buena Vista, CO where she calls home.

Working with elevateHER has given Maritza the amazing opportunity to empower young girls to recreate outdoors and grow from experiences had amongst female mentors and groups. When Maritza is not working at the clinic, she is outside mountain biking, climbing, backpacking, trail running and skiing as much as possible.