Meet Our Team | Colorado Wilderness Corporate And Teams

Joshua Baruch Owner Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides Colorado

Joshua Baruch
Owner, General Manager, Senior Educator & Senior Guide

As the owner, Joshua has more than 21 years of experience facilitating Leadership Development and Team Building Transformational Experiences. Josh has called Colorado home since 2002. He grew up in CT, but has lived in WI, FL, CA, and spent much time overseas in some of the most extreme environments in the world. Since 2010, Joshua has facilitated more than 1000 Corporate and Organizational Leadership Development / Team Building events and workshops.

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Josh has a BS in environmental studies and nursing and graduate research/studies in Adventure Education and Leadership Development. As a former professional athlete, he studied with some of the foremost international sports psychologists and athletic coaches in Tennis, Baseball, American Football, Alpine Skiing, Boxing, and Martial Arts for more than 15 years during his formative years.

Since 2010, Joshua has facilitated more than 1000 Corporate and Organizational Leadership Development / Team Building events and workshops. Josh has undergone specialized leadership training in DiSC, Myers-Briggs, Strength Finder, 360, Peak performance for professional athletic teams and athletes, Leadership and Decision Making in high-risk occupations and environments, Leadership in Wilderness Survival, and Risk Management Leadership.

Growing up around professional athletes and athletic teams and working in EMS/Rescue, and Critical Care Medicine, he has learned the fundamentals of achieving peak performance and achieving excellence through self-discipline, self-actualization, and highly effective teamwork. He has been fortunate to have worked with native healers to some of the foremost psychiatrists and psychologists in the world trying to better understand communication and team dynamics. His goal is to help foster individual self-actualization and peak team performance with the mindset of achieving transference to our team, work, and professional life setting.

Josh’s medical licenses and certifications include Colorado RN with CCRN, ACLS, PALS, ATLS. Joshua had worked through many outdoor disciplines to achieve instructor or lead status including AIARE Avalanche Level 3; Avalanche Level 1 and 2 Course Lead; WFR and EMT instructor, AMGA SPI instructor and working on completing AMGA Rock Instructor Exam and Ski Guide certifications; Whitewater Rescue Technician (WRT), Colorado Raft Guide Instructor; Fly Fishing Instructor; and Leave No Trace Master Trainer.

These certifications and expertise help Colorado Wilderness Corporate And Teams create very unique Colorado experiential education by harnessing the power and wisdom of the outdoors combined with the art, science, research of a long human history in leadership development. CWCAT believes heavily in using the best evidence-based practices in leadership development and building highly effective teams. Come join us and collaborate in creating the best leaders and teams of the 21st century and beyond.

Erica Baruch
Facilitator / Guide

Erica truly appreciates the ways in which the wilderness provides inspiration. She has been guiding for Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides and Colorado Wilderness Corporate and Teams since the company’s inception and has been moved by how instructive and stimulating the outdoors can be when incorporated into team building and leadership development events. Erica brings a passion for the diversity of perspective and an ability to help team members recognize the abilities and experiences of their colleagues. Erica’s skill in noticing team dynamics allows her to make insightful observations that carry through to an organization’s day-to-day work

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In addition to working for Colorado Wilderness, Erica serves as an independent diversity and inclusion consultant for several local organizations. Her facilitation skills, honed in her consulting practice, contribute to her success with our clients. Additionally, she brings an enthusiasm for teaching effective communication and building trust. Erica values the cross-pollination of ideas that occurs by working in different contexts and enjoys seeing how quickly clients link what they learn in an outdoor event to their office environment. She believes nature encourages an openness that can be hard to achieve in the conference room.

Erica came to Colorado in 2001 so she could access the inspiring and stress-reducing properties of the wilderness on a daily basis. She spends time outside whenever possible and particularly enjoys the power of the wilderness to promote personal growth and connection with others.

Erica holds an AB and a MA in English Literature and a Juris Doctor. She is a certified trainer of the Influence Style Indicator (ISI), as well as a Wilderness First Responder.

Shunnie Chen
Group Sales Manager

Shunnie is a native of Taiwan who grew up in New Jersey. He found his passion for the outdoors when he went on a backpacking trip in the Adirondacks at a young age.

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Shunnie is a native of Taiwan who grew up in New Jersey. He found his passion for the outdoors when he went on a backpacking trip in the Adirondacks at a young age.

Since then, he’s backpacked, climbed, skied, and whitewater canoed in the Canadian Rockies. He thru-hiked the Long Trail in Vermont and eventually migrated to Colorado to pursue his outdoor interests. Shunnie has worked in various sales and marketing roles in the outdoor industry for more than 15 years. He had a short stint as an outdoor instructor for Project USE, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving at-risk youth and underserved communities in the NY/NJ metro area. He enjoys connecting people to the outdoors and helping them see the value and benefits of experiential education and outdoor adventure. He loves traveling and spends most of his time hiking, skiing, and suffering on his bikes. He also enjoys a good slice of pizza and beer.

Chris Mitchell (Chip)
Facilitator / Guide

I am originally from New Hampshire but have lived all over (NH,VT,OH,NY,CA) and I have lived in CO for 4 years now. This season I will be mainly working in the office to help book trips. When I get to sneak out of the office I mainly guide backpacking trips but also do some rock climbing, leisure tours, peak ascents, and teambuilding. I love getting out whenever I can. Personally, I love climbing and it is my main adventure sport. I have climbed since 2009 and am currently getting my prerequisites in order so that I can pursue my SPI (Single Pitch Instructor).

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I started guiding while in college for our outdoor programs in Vermont and did a lot of trips in VT and in the nearby Adirondack Park in NY. Since school, I have guided some shorter trips for Summer Camps and Education Centers in ME and NY and have amassed 8 years of experience facilitating groups in wilderness settings and education centers. Last year was my first year with CWRAG and I loved every minute of it. For the last 3 years, I have worked at Cal-Wood Education center guiding and facilitating groups of school-aged kids around its 1200 acre property teaching subjects from Fire Ecology to survival skills and beyond. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Adventure Education and Psychology and will be pursuing a master's in Wilderness Therapy through Naropa University starting fall of 2021.

I have a Mental Health First Aid Certification and hold my Wilderness First Responder through Wilderness Medical Associates. I have done a lot of training in regard to group dynamics and processing. I really believe that great things can come from diving deep with a group and using what they bring to show them how rad they really are. I would say my guiding philosophy focuses on identifying the challenges we face during backcountry pursuits can help to give us confidence in the front country. Once you climb a “real” mountain you realize the mountains life puts in front of you are less scary and not there to make you feel weak but to show your true inner strength. I believe that “roughing it” is not what adventures are for. The front country world is rough enough, I believe that we go on adventures to smooth things out. Team building is a huge passion of mine. I incorporate team-building principles into every trip I lead or group that I work with.

Craig Dobkin- Colorado Wilderness rides and Guides (corporate) staff

Craig Dobkin
Facilitator / Guide

Craig is one of the most gifted and experienced facilitators in the state. Since 1985, Craig has trained and coached corporate teams using an experiential methodology. In 1994 he received the Association for Experiential Education’s (AAE) Michael Stratton Practitioner’s Award for his outstanding performance and in 2003 he was selected as an “exceptional experiential educator” to give AAE’s Kurt Hahn address.

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Craig’s journey has taken him on several paths, but always with an emphasis on team building and leadership development. Craig founded four non-profits focused on experiential learning: Genesee Outdoor Learning, a K-5 outdoor education program; West Pines Training Center, which uses challenge courses to develop curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, and tenacity; YouthBiz, which teaches middle and high school students entrepreneurial skills and habits through actual business ownership; and Play for Peace, which brings together people divided by conflict through laughter, inclusion, cultural awareness, and compassion. Play for Peace now operates in communities across the world through Play for Peace Clubs and Practice Peace Sessions where mentors and trainers teach and role-model trust, communication, respect, and cooperation.

Craig holds a BS in Outdoor Education and a MA in Special Education. He is a trained facilitator of the DiSC and Myers-Briggs personality profiles and uses these tools in his experiential work with teams. In conducting programs, Craig uses humor and introspective questioning, bringing both laughter and significance to the experience. Few leave an event with Craig without a profound appreciation for his wisdom.

Jessica Bailey
Facilitator / Guide

I grew up in Northern Michigan where my passion for the outdoors grew through recreating outdoors with my family.

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I grew up in Northern Michigan where my passion for the outdoors grew through recreating outdoors with my family. This is where I learned to camp, backpack, hunt, fish, kayak, and ski. After finishing a summer sea kayak guiding with Paddling Michigan at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in 2016, I moved to the city of Milwaukee to work in the mental health field. After two years I craved the outdoors and knew I needed to follow my dreams to incorporate the wilderness with my passion for helping improve people’s lives. I moved to Colorado in August 2018 to pursue a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology/Wilderness Therapy at Naropa University. Since then I have been exploring all of what the beautiful state of Colorado has to offer and learning as much as I can along the way. I am currently honing in skills in rock climbing, backcountry skiing, whitewater rafting, and backpacking. I am certified in CPR/AED & First Aid as well as Wilderness First Responder Certified. I am passionate about Leave No Trace principles and am an advocate for conservation and responsible outdoor ethics.

Cindy Gagnon
Facilitator / Guide

Cindy was born and raised in NH, and moved to Boulder in 1990. Her professional career began as a telecommunications engineer and her outdoor career as an Elite Ironman Triathlete. After racing triathlons for 18 years, Cindy expanded her horizons to the Colorado mountains. She joined the Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) to learn mountaineering and rock climbing skills. In 2005, Cindy left the corporate world to spend a year traveling in the mountains of Nepal and North America. She found her passion here, and shifted her professional focus to outdoor skills education, leadership, and risk management. Cindy also became involved in a community-based cycling group, leading bike tours throughout North America.

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In 2006, Cindy became the director of the CMC Boulder Mountaineering School, where she managed outdoor education courses and instructed in all disciplines (rock, ice and snow). At the same time, she started to expand her professional outdoor skills by becoming a Ski Patroller, Ski Instructor and Avalanche Instructor.

Cindy joined CWRAG in 2008 as a hike, ski, rock and cycling guide. Her professional certifications include NSP and AIARE Avalanche Instructor, PSIA Level 2, WFR, and CPR. Cindy’s passion for the outdoors and energetic spirit drive every trip she guides — she connects with clients, which enables her to customize each trip to be fun yet challenging. Her adventurous spirit drives her own life, and has helped her summit 23,000-ft Himalayan peaks, backpack New Zealand, ski-tour the Canadian Rockies, and cycle Tour de France routes.

Joe O'Leary
Facilitator / Guide

Joe started guiding professionally in 1993 after graduating from Purdue University with a BA in Kinesiology. In addition to guiding, Joe is also a writer, photographer, and professional concierge.

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Joe started guiding professionally in 1993 after graduating from Purdue University with a BA in Kinesiology. In addition to guiding, Joe is also a writer, photographer, and professional concierge.

He began his guide career on the rivers and trails of Southern West Virginia, then to the waters of the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, and then ultimately made Boulder, Colorado home in 2000. His many travels and expeditions include kayaking Grand Canyon, thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, exploring 27 countries and all 50 U.S. states, maintaining lively relationships, and raising two sons.

Diana Sabreen
Facilitator / Guide

Diana Sabreen has facilitated team building and outdoor education for youth and adults for over a decade. After traveling to 22 countries (at last count), she still loves showing clients the beauty of Colorado. Diana is a professional photographer (www.DianaSabreen.com) and the founder of Shoot Cameras Not Guns (www.ShootCamerasNotGuns.org), a non-profit that teaches photography internationally as a tool for social change and empowerment.

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Originally an east coaster, Diana was drawn to Colorado for the snowboarding, sunshine, music, and culture. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder. After earning her degree, she ran several indoor rock climbing facilities and created their Corporate Team-building programs.

Diana believes that experiences and challenges in the wilderness can provide life-changing moments and is happy to share her outdoor knowledge with all experience levels. Her approach to team-building focuses on positive and healthy communication, trust-building, and helping clients break past perceived barriers to realizing their own potential. She holds a Wilderness First Responder certification and prioritizes safety on every outing. Diana is a strong believer that playtime for adults is as important as it is for kids. In her own playtime, Diana practices acro yoga (partner acrobatics), dance, and circus arts, and is a Circus Yoga certified teacher. She thrives when helping adults use their bodies in challenging, creative, and rewarding ways, and believes that there is a great opportunity for learning as well as fun in every event and activity.

Gabe Chez
Facilitator/ Guide

Gabriel is originally from AZ and has called Colorado home for the last 6 years. Currently completing a degree in Outdoor Education, you can find him peak-bagging year-round, as well as skiing in the winter and backpacking in the summer. After thru-hiking the Colorado Trail in 2016, he found his lifelong passion for the outdoors. Trained in everything from backcountry cooking, wilderness survival skills & plants, to the ecology of Colorado, Gabriel loves the outdoor lifestyle.

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Wilderness First Responder, AIARE Level I + Avalanche Rescue, Leave No Trace – Trainer certified, as well as SAR coursework through the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) and FEMA, Gabriel is committed to helping others experience the outdoors safely and profoundly.

Justin Studt
Facilitator / Guide

Justin was born and raised in Kansas City, MO, where he raced BMX bikes. After completing college in North Carolina, he moved to Colorado in 1999 and began his career in construction as an Operations Manager, managing 250 employees and over 20 million in sales annually. Outside of the office, Justin could be found climbing in Eldo multiple times per week.

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In 2007, Justin moved to Boone, NC to run a startup construction company. While he was building a company, he also took interest in emergency medicine, completing an EMT-Basic course and volunteering with a local rescue agency. He eventually became a paramedic, working on an ambulance part-time. During his free time, Justin took part in the Boone mountain biking community and was part of a team that built a county-owned mountain bike park. Justin returned to Colorado in 2012, working as a ski patroller and paramedic, the start of his journey into avalanche education.

Kelsey Brackley
Facilitator/ Guide

Kelsey moved to Colorado in 2012 to complete a Master’s degree in Business & Leadership. She has spent the past ten years as an outdoor educator and professional guide, managing three collegiate outdoor recreation programs, raft guide instructing in the Grand Canyon, and guiding waterways from California to Canada. Her guiding specialties are whitewater, mountain biking, and mountaineering. Committed to professional development, she has a long list of certifications including Wilderness First Responder, AIARE Level 1, ACA Swiftwater Rescue Technician, CO Whitewater Raft Instructor, Utah Whitewater Captain’s License, PMBI (Professional Mountain Bike Instructor), BBI Certified Bike Technician, LNT Master Educator.

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Kelsey has a profound passion for sharing nature and leadership development with others and spends her time working to increase diversity and inclusion in outdoor recreation.

Sarah Bury
Facilitator / Guide

Born in Southern Maryland, Sarah grew up hiking and backpacking the East Coast. Her love of all things outdoors led her to manage a local outdoor gear shop, where she facilitated outdoor education and training for backpacking, kayaking, SUP’ing, snowshoeing, fishing and climbing.

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Sarah first migrated west to Colorado in 2009 and fell in love with fly fishing the canyons and exploring the far corners of the state. She primarily spends her time fly fishing, skiing, trail running, and backpacking. Sarah loves the challenge and beauty that comes with all seasons in the outdoors and especially loves sharing that enthusiasm with others through guiding.

Joey Cararra
Facilitator / Guide

Growing up in small-town Vermont, Joey was exposed to the world of outdoor adventure at a young age. Through his ultra runner dad, he was bred to move quickly and efficiently through the mountains. Joey is a climber first but loves skiing, mt biking, hiking, backpacking, and every outdoor activity in between and is capable of guiding almost any discipline.

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Like most millennials, Joey started his climbing career in a gym but quickly progressed outside after completing a semester with NOLS in the Pacific Northwest. He now enjoys hard sport climbing and bouldering, sliding and rolling up and down mountains really fast, and moderate adventure climbing. Joey sees the outdoors as the best place to learn about yourself through finding your limits, problem-solving, and the unique communication challenges that outdoor adventure provides. Joey is currently moving through the AMGA guide track and aspires to someday get his IFMGA pin. He currently lives in his van down by the river. (But it’s like a nice van so don’t feel obligated to offer him a bed.)Certifications- AMGA Assistant Rock Guide, AMGA Assistant Alpine Guide, AMGA SPI, WFR, AIARE II, Leave No Trace Instructor.

Hayley Moser
Facilitator / Guide

A Minnesota native, Hayley grew up hiking, camping, and fishing in the Northwoods where she fell in love with the outdoors. In 2011, she moved to Colorado to further pursue her passion for the natural world through degrees in Environmental Studies, Biology, and Atmospheric Sciences at CU. Hayley became hooked on the mountains (and warmer winters) and decided to plant her roots in Boulder.

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She’s since become an avid climber and snowboarder and has been further expanding her backcountry hiking and fishing skills. Hayley is a certified Wilderness First Responder and is also CPR/AED certified. When she’s not romping through the Colorado woods, Hayley can be found storm chasing on the plains or volunteering with wolves and other wildlife. She is excited to share her love and respect for the environment with others through guiding.

DANIEL DELANY
Facilitator / Guide

My name is Dan, Daniel, Daniel Son, DANIMAL, fill in the blank…I have been passionately dedicated to the world of rock climbing for over a decade. I have gained experience and formal education through Prescott College, AMGA courses, multiple climbing, and non-climbing specific training programs, and years of teaching.

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I have climbed all over the country on every type of rock and style of climbing available, with continued pursuits and goals in place to further my personal development with rock climbing. I currently teach classes, private coaching, and guide rock climbing outdoors in various settings.

When I am not spending time on rocks I am cheffing it up in the kitchen, attempting to play my guitar, and gorging varied non-fiction and science fiction books. I am feverishly zealous about sharing this devotion to climbing with others and am inspired daily by the people I am honored to work with.

Tye Baruch
Therapy dog educator

Tye is Colorado Wilderness Rides And Guide and Colorado Wilderness Corporate And Teams official outdoor and therapy dog educator. Tye is a F2 Golden Doodle; Thus he has hair instead of fur and is non-shedding, and has a hypoallergenic coat. His father was a full poodle and his mother a golden doodle. Like his roots, Tye has a gentle and calm, but appropriate energetic disposition.

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Tye is a quick learner and has mastered the “touch down shake" for Sunday football events, how to travel the bike Multi-use trails of Boulder (running 3-7 miles at a sprint), and rescue swimmers or paddlers perceived in danger.

Tye was born in the town of Herber City Utah but has spent the majority of his young life in Colorado helping in outdoor adventures, facilitating leadership and team-building events, and being a source of healing for many of our guests and participants.

Tye recently turned two and qualified for the service dog program based on his sweet disposition, good nature, and is a great healer. You will see him around our offices, guided tours (outside of the following: wilderness areas, class III or below rapids, and avalanche terrain in our mountains), or at one of our education and training events. Organizations and clients that join us or have previously joined us can give special requests to have Tye on sight to help promote healing, tranquility, and increased productivity or learning.

Tye favorite activities include dawn patrol (chasing randonee skiers up and down Arapahoe Basin Ski Area); Any day in the snow or river; Playing fetch with a ball; fly fishing (bobber chasing and teaching our guests when to set a hook as a trout strikes); or helping to bring love, compassion, and empathy to our and your day.

SATISFIED CLIENTS

Colorado Wilderness Corporate and Teams Satisfied Cilents - company logos

Joshua Baruch Owner, General Manager, Senior Educator & Senior Guide

Erica Baruch Facilitator / Guide

Shunnie Chen Group Sales Manager

Chris Mitchell (Chip) Facilitator / Guide

Craig Dobkin Facilitator / Guide

Jessica Bailey Facilitator / Guide

Cindy Gagnon Facilitator / Guide

Joe O'Leary Facilitator / Guide

Diana Sabreen Facilitator / Guide

Gabe Chez Facilitator/ Guide

Justin Studt Facilitator / Guide

Kelsey Brackley Facilitator/ Guide

Sarah Bury Facilitator / Guide

Joey Cararra Facilitator / Guide

Hayley Moser Facilitator / Guide

DANIEL DELANY Facilitator / Guide

Tye Baruch Therapy dog educator