OUR TEAM
Responder ALliance Operations Team
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For the past 20 years, Laura McGladrey has instructed for NOLS Wilderness Medicine and is currently a Nurse Practitioner with dual certification, practicing both emergency medicine and psychiatry across the lifespan. She is currently a clinician with the Stress Trauma Adversity Research and Treatment (START) Center and provides trauma support for Emergency and Wilderness Responders. She has a background in international and relief work, teaches courses to wilderness medicine providers, and lectures nationally on Psychological First Aid and Stress Injuries. She is the Stress and Resilience advisor for Portland Mountain Rescue and Eldora Ski Patrol, and consults with and advises several other rescue and patrol teams throughout the United States and beyond. She is the founder, and volunteer-in-chief- of Responder Alliance, and is profoundly grateful to work alongside the talented group of staff and volunteers at Responder Alliance.
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Griffin is an educator who works to help others do good without burning out. In addition to his work with Responder Alliance, he is a WEMT, instructor for NOLS Wilderness Medicine, board member for Slow Food Wind River, and leader of Lander Search and Rescue’s Resilience Team. His background includes climbing events, outdoor education, local foods, public health, and guiding. He enjoys cooking, climbing, and soaking up the sun with his wife Kristen and dog Acorn.
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Over the past two decades, Josie’s career in the outdoor industry has included guiding and personal climbing expeditions around the globe, working on the Yosemite Search & Rescue team and teaching wilderness medicine. Stress exposure throughout this career gave her personal insight into the value of resilience training. She is currently in a masters program in Performance Psychology, providing mental training to athletes and serving on the Lander Search & Rescue resilience team. As Director of Education at Responder Alliance her goal is for stress resilience education to be a workplace standard within the outdoor and EMS industries.
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Over the years Katy has gained experience working in a variety of positions across the outdoor industry. With a background in wilderness therapy, guiding, wildland fire, and ski patrol. Katy has found her home working on the Yosemite Search and Rescue Team. This skill set has taken her deep into the field supporting search and rescue on Denali, and climate research in Antarctica. Working as a WEMT in these environments has deepened her interest in what it takes to make this line of work sustainable and synonyms with a balanced lifestyle. She is excited to be part of the Responder Alliance team, and hopes to continue fostering connection and resiliency alongside other first responders.
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Julia is a full time mental health counselor working with individuals experiencing stress and trauma. With five years as an outdoor instructor in Alaska, Australia and North Carolina, seven years as an EMT on a 911 response ambulance, and five years with Search and Rescue in southern Oregon on the medical and helicopter rescue teams, her clinical perspective is grounded in lived experience. Julia worked with Responder Alliance supporting its early growth, and has returned as an instructor to support their mission of addressing stress injuries and building responder resilience.
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Aaron works professionally as a skier, writer, and educator. Since learning to ski around the same time he learned to walk, skiing has been a guiding force throughout his life. He began working as a ski instructor in high school on the same small hill in Massachusetts where he first learned how, and later moved West to earn a degree in snow hydrology and atmospheric science from the University of Colorado. It was there that he was first "formally" introduced to backcountry skiing, and after graduation, spent four years climbing and skiing in the Tetons.
As an outdoor educator, Aaron has led trips throughout the Four Corners and in Alaska. Despite his desert dwellings, he is a snow-nerd at heart: he works as a faculty instructor for the Silverton Avalanche School, where he teaches Rescue, Recreational, and Professional courses; and as a pro-patroller at Ski Santa Fe, where he is the lead snow safety trainer. He volunteers as a pro-observer for the Taos Avalanche Center, and sits on the board of directors for the Taos Avalanche Dogs non-profit. Outside of the snowy months, he works as a senior editor for OutdoorGearLab.com, and has regularly contributed to Backcountry Magazine. He lives in Santa Fe with his wife, Jill, and their young family.
Aaron holds certifications as an NREMT-B, WEMT, Professional Avalanche Level 2, and is an AMGA Apprentice Ski Guide.
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Gates is the Operations Director for Experiential Consulting, where he and the EC team provide risk management consulting services for outdoor programs who are committed to optimizing risk to achieve their mission. Gates has been involved in outdoor education and EMS since the early 90's. Over the years he's worked outdoor programming throughout the Rockies, Pacific Northwest and Alaska as a field instructor and supervisor for several outdoor programs. He's worked urban EMS in DC, WA, CO and WY. Gates is also an active member and training officer for the Fremont County Search and Rescue team in Lander, WY.
He began teaching for NOLS Wilderness Medicine in 1998 and has been awarded the Wilderness Medical Society's Warren Bowman award for contributions to wilderness medicine by a non-physician as well as the National Collegiate EMS Foundation's Distinguished Service Award.
Gates has a passion for understanding how people make decisions, and how to improve that process. Gates, his wife and their children live in Lander, WY where they can be found running, hiking, skiing and fishing. But not at the same time.
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A self-proclaimed “mercenary educator,” Paul has worked with numerous organizations (including NOLS, Where There Be Dragons, High Mountain Institute, Watershed School, and numerous universities and colleges). Paul works throughout the world as a facilitator, presenter, curriculum designer, coach, counselor, expeditionary leader, risk management consultant, staff trainer, team builder, and remote medicine instructor. After many years as the CEO of Avid4 Adventure, Paul transitioned to full-time consultant work. He now supports multiple organizations, including Responder Alliance where he serves as a Thought Partner to inform strategy. Paul holds a Masters Degree in Counseling and is trained as a Wilderness EMT.
Responder ALliance Trainers
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Moose has nearly 4 decades of traditional and alternative education experience around the globe. He has course directed 58-day Outward Bound instructor trainings in Appalachia, been a deputy headmaster in the Kalahari Desert, managed a beach concession on the Mediterranean, slogged through Australian rain forests with middle school students, juggled as a street performer in too many cities to mention, has more than 2000 days of field instruction in a wilderness setting, spent a winter as the Interim Head for an elite ski academy, and returned to Outward Bound to instruct a canoe program for Veterans on the Gulf of Mexico.
Since 2002 Moose has been a member and senior trainer of Yosemite Search and Rescue, working as a technician and within Incident Command, at one of the busiest SAR operations in the world. He is a Rescue 3 Agency Instructor, Wilderness Medicine Instructor and a Lead Family Liaison Officer trainer for NPS.
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Brigitte Denton brings over 25 years of experience in EMS, education, and outdoor leadership to her work with Responder Alliance. Her teaching career spans K–12, college, and outdoor education, with extensive curriculum development in both
classroom and field settings. A trauma-informed educator and Wilderness Advanced EMT based in the Eastern Sierra. She holds a Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, and a California Single Subject Teaching Credential in
Biological Sciences with CLAD emphasis. She is the founder of Beyond Limits Education, an education company dedicated to expanding access to high-quality first
aid, wilderness medicine, EMS, and resilience education in rural and remote communities. In addition to her work with BLE, she teaches at Cerro Coso Community College, serves as the Education Specialist and lead instructor with Wilderness Medical Associates International, and works as an Advanced EMT in Mono County. Brigitte’s approach is rooted in real-world experience—drawing on years of service as an ocean lifeguard, SAR volunteer, outdoor educator, and AEMT. She is passionate about integrating mental health awareness into responder education and currently leads initiatives supporting hybrid learning models, instructor development pipelines, and rural
EMS degree pathways. When she’s not teaching, you’ll likely find Brigitte skiing, climbing, paddling, or exploring the backcountry with her husband—always continuing to learn and grow.
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Ben O’Brien
Structural & Wildland Fire/EMS Liaison | Lead Educator
After 27 years with South Metro Fire Rescue as a firefighter/paramedic, including over a decade leading peer support programs, I’ve dedicated my career to building resilience in the responder community. At Responder Alliance, I combine field-tested experience with practical, science-backed strategies to help responders and organizations prevent burnout and stress injury.
I’m also the creator of Vital Responder, a platform offering tools and resources to help responders align with their core values, build emotional competency, and thrive beyond their careers. As the founder of the Lead Like a Hero podcast, I amplify stories that normalize our experiences and foster hope within the community.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me skiing, backcountry elk hunting, pheasant hunting, or paragliding—activities that keep me grounded, inspired, and connected to the resilience work I love. My goal is simple: to empower responders to navigate their careers and lives with strength, clarity, and purpose.