OUR TEAM

Responder ALliance Operations Team

a portrait image of Laura McGladrey

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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. Her experience sparked curiosity to learn more about the psychology and neuroscience of stress and help others through similar experiences. She currently provides mental training to climbers and serves on the Lander Search & Rescue resilience team. As Member Success Coordinator, she is excited to offer support to responders by connecting them to resources and community.

  • Griffin has worked in several sectors of emergency response, in many of the communities Responder Alliance serves. Now, as RA's Community Director, he brings our materials to each group in ways that fit their needs. He is a WEMT, instructor for NOLS Wilderness Medicine, and a member of Lander Search and Rescue’s Resilience Team. His background includes safety work for various climbing festivals, guiding, outdoor education, and work in public health. Griffin is an avid climber, baker, and splitboarder, who loves adventuring in the wilderness areas of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and good conversations over coffee.

Responder ALliance Trainers

  • 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. 

  • 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.

REsponder ALliance FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Kurt Eifling grew up in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas. While attending medical school at Northwestern University, he joined the US Navy. After an Internal Medicine internship, he was assigned to serve with the US Marine Corps infantry as the Battalion Surgeon for 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines Regiment. He deployed twice with the Marines supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It was there that he worked with psychologists and Chaplains to manage combat stress and the complex moral impact of war. Between deployments, he found camaraderie with the Wilderness Medical Society. He now lives in his hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas with his two dogs, eleven chickens, two sons, and wife Carla. His academic work is now affiliated with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where he trains medical students and residents. To continue serving those affected by war and political instability, he volunteers with Canopy NWA, a refugee resettlement agency, and at Welcome Health, a free clinic in Fayetteville, where he leads a team of students, nurses, and physicians to provide free immigration medical screenings for refugees, low-income migrants, and unaccompanied minors who are pursuing permanent immigration status.

  • Melis Coady is a seasoned high-altitude and mountain guide with decades of experience in outdoor leadership, wilderness safety, and public service. Based in Talkeetna, Alaska, Melis has built a career centered on community safety and the well-being of first responders and outdoor enthusiasts alike. A former Director of the Alaska Avalanche School for eight years, Melis has been instrumental in developing and delivering training that emphasizes not only technical skills but also mental health, stress injuries, and resilience within high-risk environments. Her work as a wilderness first aid instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and as a rescue team member with the National Park Service in Denali National Park further reflects her commitment to safety, education, and emergency response in remote and challenging settings. Passionate about mountain safety and community resilience, Melis is dedicated to ensuring that those who protect and serve—whether on the slopes or in the field—are supported with the tools, knowledge, and networks to thrive in their roles.

  • Mark is a nationally recognized expert in the field of risk management and safety with 20 years of experience as a senior-level administrator in educational non-profits. As the former Vice President of Safety for Outward Bound USA, Mark drove the safety management systems for Outward Bound’s national network of eleven regional schools serving over 42,000 students and 145,000 participant days, annually. Mark has implemented strategies that have enhanced a culture and climate of safety at two of the nation’s largest outdoor organizations: OBUSA and the Student Conservation Association. As the Director of the Wilderness Skills Program at the White Mountain School, Mark developed a ground up, nationally recognized outdoor education program that integrated experiential education and wilderness skills instruction with a rigorous academic program. When working as a Wilderness EMT, Mark managed emergent situations, and with a Master’s degree in education, he has been a wilderness medicine instructor and a classroom teacher in anatomy and physiology. He is a certified American Mountain Guides Association Rock Instructor and Single Pitch Instructor Provider with rock, ice, and alpine guiding experience, both abroad and domestically. In addition to the Responder Alliance Board, currently he serves on the Outward Bound International Risk Management Committee, Outward Bound Canada Board Risk Oversight Committee, the American Alpine Club Education and Standards Committee Task Force, and the Steering Committee for the Wilderness Risk Management Conference.

  • Kari is the Ski Patrol Director and Safety Coordinator at Diamond Peak Ski Resort on the Nevada side of North Lake Tahoe. Kari started her career in the ski industry at 2-months-old sleeping in a cardboard box under the ticket window of her Godmother’s ski hill, Ski Green Valley. With both her parents serving as the Volunteer Ski Patrollers at the hill, Kari naturally started skiing around with a 101 Dalmatians fanny pack filled with bandages trying to help fallen skiers. While it took many years of different jobs to find her way into a paid patroller position, once she started in the ski industry, she knew it was her career path. Kari started as a ski patroller in the 2012-2013 season and was a patrol director by the 2014-2015 season. Kari is also the President of two different non-profit organizations, Women of Patrol and the Sierra Nevada Resiliency Team. Her motivation in serving on the board of the Responder Alliance Foundation is seeing many great people leaving the ski industry through burnout and stress injuries. She wants to help those who work in the industry to have the tools to have a healthier relationship with work and maintain the qualified and passionate individuals who choose this career path.

  • Seth is the associate director of the wilderness medicine fellowship at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and has published widely in the wilderness medicine literature, including as coauthor of several Wilderness Medical Society clinical practice guidelines. He is an anthropologist, writer and physician, double-boarded in both emergency medicine and EMS (field medicine). Additionally, Dr. Hawkins serves as a medical advisor and director for the North Carolina (N.C.) Outward Bound School, N.C. State Parks, the Student Conservation Association, Recreational Equipment, Inc. and the National Association for Search and Rescue. He is also the local emergency medical advisor for all U.S. Forests in N.C. and the National Park Service Outer Banks (Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras National Seashores).

  • Jenn began her wilderness medicine career as a member of National Ski Patrol at age 15. Growing up in California, summers were spent in the Eastern Sierra – hiking, backpacking, and climbing. She attended the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed her Emergency Medicine residency at York Hospital - York, Pennsylvania. Moving to Alaska in 1997, she has never looked back. Joining the WMS in 1990 – she completed her FAWM in 2007 and DiMM in 2014. She was a founding faculty member for the WMS-DiMM and continues to serve as core faculty. Jenn co-chaired and chaired the 2019 and 2020 summer conferences, respectively, and joined the board of directors in 2018. For her “real job”, Jenn practices Emergency Medicine at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage. She also serves as the Medical Director for the National Park Service – Alaska Region; Guardian Flight Alaska, Alyeska Ski Patrol, and The Alyeska Pipeline. She works closely with multiple guide and rescue services, ensuring their field teams have the knowledge and tools needed to manage remote emergencies. If she’s not out running her dogs, she can usually be found skiing, climbing, or mountain biking – satellite phone in hand.