THE CASA TEAM

Executive Committee

Nicki Manzanares

CASA President & Webmaster

Ann
​Ranalli

CASA Secretary & Event Scheduler​

Maggi Dawson

CASA Treasurer 

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Board of Directors

Don
​Wilson

 Director & Social Media Coord.

Luke
​Bertelsen

Director & Anchor Team Lead

Russell
​Fette

Director & Promotions

Nick
​Henscheid

Director

Paul
​Bowron

Director

​Andy
​Bennett

Director & Stewardship

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Leadership Team

Eric
​Ruljancich

Stewardship Lead

Jill
​Andersen

Membership/Donor Coordinator

Nadia
​Moraglio

Newsletter Coordinator

Brian
​Rasmussen

Graffiti Removal Coordinator

Owen
​Brosanders

Youth Outreach &
​Deputy Director

Nicki Manzanares
Vice President
& Webmaster

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Nicki hails from Colorado, a veritable outdoor playground. In 2019, Nicki declared climbing her number one sport. To round things out, she also spends time doing watercolor and mentoring high school and college students

Nicki has been a member since 2017, Webmaster since 2019, and Director (2021). She has stepped into the Vice President role May 2022, looking forward to growing the presence of CASA in the Tucson community. 

Ann Ranalli
CASA Secretary

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Ann grew up hiking, exploring and backpacking and finds balance in the outdoors. After moving back to Tucson with her husband, she decided at age 60 that climbing was a great way to challenge herself both physically and mentally.

Ann joined CASA as a board member in 2020 to support the mission of stewardship and giving back to the community.

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Maggi Dawson
CASA Treasurer

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Originally from Southern Ontario, Canada, Maggi moved to Arizona in the 90's. After many years of lamenting the lack of trees to climb she embraced the desert, and learned to climb rocks. 

She began volunteering at Adopt a Crags in 2016; CASA Board of Directors in 2018; CASA President in 2020.  In 2022, Maggi switched roles to become the treasurer of CASA.  ​

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Don Wilson
Director
& Social Media

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Don enjoys being a part of the local climbing community.  That’s the best part of climbing.

He partakes in any and all aspects of climbing - sport, trad, long routes, short routes, big walls, or new routes.  It’s all good. Except ice climbing, that’s too cold.  And bouldering, he’s too old for that.

He and his wife Karen love to travel to climb, and still travel to different areas a few months every year.  They have been fortunate to climb and meet new people at climbing areas all over the world and across the US.

Don has been CASA’s Social Media Coordinator for several years, and is also part of the Anchor Replacement Team.

Russell Fette
Director
& Promotions

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Russ is originally from Texas, and first started climbing with his wife Carrie when they moved to Arizona in 2010.  Russell and his family (4 children) especially love scenic hikes to quiet crags with moderate sport routes, but he has been lucky enough to experience some of Southern AZ’s more epic offerings like Baboquivari. 

​After years of benefiting from the stewardship of other volunteers while they raised their kids on the trails and crags,

Russ and his family are excited to give back to the land and community that has given them so much.

Russ is on the Board of Directors for CASA and serves as the Promotions Coordinator – always on a mission to get out more sweet CASA swag.

Nick Henscheid
Director

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Originally from Seattle, Nick moved from Bellingham WA to Tucson in 2012.  After initially getting hooked on climbing in the WWU campus gym, he immediately fell in love with outdoor climbing upon first visiting Cochise Stronghold and Mt. Lemmon in 2012.  Since then, he's explored a wide range of areas and styles from bouldering to big wall, and believes strongly that climbing can be fun in any style and at any grade.   Nick has been involved with CASA informally since Adopt-a-Crag 2, and formally since 2019. 

Paul Bowron
Director

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Paul is originally from Casper, Wyoming.  He learned to climb in Law School in Laramie, Wyoming/Vedauwoo.  His favorite type of climbing is trad, as "trad is rad."

Paul is on the CASA Board of Directors and volunteers at  Adopt a Crag events, whenever possible. 

His goal is to promote safe use of climbing areas around southern Arizona.
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Andy Bennett
Deputy Director &
Stewardship Team

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Originally hailing from the pancake-flat Midwest, Andy cut his climbing teeth in the early 2000s on the wild granite cracks and slabs of Colorado's South Platte. Since then he's been lucky to visit a variety of climbing areas around the world, but his power spot will probably always remain in California's Eastern Sierra.

Andy has been an active CASA member since the group's inception, replacing old bolts around the region and leading erosion control crews during Adopt a Crags on Mt. Lemmon.

He envisions a future where CASA is a partner in building a connected, cooperative, and strongly inclusive outdoor community that can achieve positive on-the-ground impacts that equally benefit the climbing community and the native ecosystems where we're privileged to climb. 

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Eric Ruljancich
Stewardship
Team Lead

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​Eric is originally from British Columbia, Canada and has been climbing for an impressive 24 years. His first time climbing ever was City of Rocks, ID.

Eric loves most types of climbing, but primarily focuses on hard sport these days. He was one of the original founders of CASA and has been the Stewardship Coordinator for 7 years. Eric wants CASA to be a place where climbers can give back to the places and community that makes this sport what it is.

Favorite climbing areas locally: Prison Camp, Mt Lemmon. Favorite places in AZ: Lime Kiln Canyon, AZ Stip.

Luke Bertelsen
Anchor Team
Team Lead

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Luke is equal parts Iowa and Montana, but has called Tucson home for the past 20 years.

His love for limestone sport climbing means that when he isn’t helping run Rocks and Ropes you can find him in the mountain ranges south of Tucson searching for new routes.

Luke has coordinated CASA’s anchor replacement efforts and team since the beginning, and is very proud of the work the team has done for the Southern Arizona climbing community.

Jill Andersen
Membership

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Jill has been an adventurer for as long as they can remember.   Jill was hooked on sport climbing as a little gym rat, but fell in love with the discipline when their sister brought them to climb in the Colorado Rockies years ago.

Jill made a career in entertainment managing stages, performers, and light before they arrived in this desert. Nowadays they take care of their cat, admire the cactus, and scramble about on rocks, trails, and trees whenever they get the chance.

They are looking forward to giving back to CASA and the climbing community as they enjoy and protect our glorious natural environment!

Nadi Moraglio
Newsletter

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​Nadia is originally from Italy but has lived in Tucson since the mid ‘90s. She discovered her passion for climbing in 2001, on Mt. Lemmon, thanks to a good friend who thought she would enjoy climbing.
He was right, and since then, Nadia has enjoyed climbing and being part of the climbing community. 

Despite her connection to climbing, Nadia has not worn her climbing shoes for a time due to injury. In the meantime, she is happy to be able to help CASA with their newsletter and other social media events.

Robbie Mackley
Member Drive

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Robbie is originally from Tucson, and has been climbing in and around Southern Arizona since early 2010.

He has fun bouldering, sport and/or traditional climbing, but really enjoys long backcountry routes. 

Robbie's vision for CASA is to help build and maintain a safe and welcoming community, with an emphasis on stewardship, ethical standards, local history, safety and unity.

Brian Rasmussen
Graffiti Removal

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Brian has been the graffiti removal coordinator since the beginning of CASA in 2015.

Other Leadership Team Members:

Social Media Coordinator - Don Wilson
Promotions Coordinator - Russell Fette
Webmaster - Nicki Manzanares
Anchor Team - Don Wilson
Stewardship Team - Andy Bennett
Education Co-Coordinators - Don Wilson, Ann Ranalli, Maggi Dawson