Board of Directors
Updated May 8, 2011
Jacque Stauffer, Board Chairperson, has been involved with RISE Adventures since its inception. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Special Education and Master’s degree in Kinesiology from Texas Woman’s University. While in college, Jacque worked in Denton ISD in the Autism program and taught Adapted PE for preschool. Adapted PE is a program designed to meet the needs of students with disabilities who need support in order to participate in general physical education. Jacque is currently teaching Adapted PE in Lewisville ISD. In addition, she also serves as a Logistics Officer in the Air Force Reserve.
John Mabrey, Board Treasurer, earned his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy Degree from Northern Illinois University and his CPA Certificate from the University of Illinois. An auto accident in 1985 led to his paraplegia and he has been in a wheelchair since 1991. After a very rewarding career developing income tax software for accounting and tax preparation firms, John retired in 2004. He is currently Club Secretary of the North Texas Cricket Association’s Colonials Cricket Club, supporting the growth of the sport of cricket in the DFW area.
Andy Burton, Board Secretary, graduated from CPTPD (Computer Programmer Training for People with Disabilities) program at El Centro College in 1999. After graduating from the CPTPD program, he worked a full time job and volunteered for CPTPD until the program ended in 2002. In 2000, he received a Dallas Mayor’s Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities Star award for excellence in the work place. Andy is now a software developer for JPMorgan Chase. He has been involved with RISE since 2008, starting as a volunteer program manager and helping RISE launch the wheelchair Rugby program. Andy now also manages the fishing program and provides planning assistance for major RISE events. Andy’s goal is to ensure that RISE continues to serve our community at the highest level possible.
Lea Stewart earned her Bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation and a minor in Psychology from Brigham Young University in 2003. While in college, Lea served as an intern in the Recreation Department at Craig Hospital where she had once been a patient. At the age of 17, Lea was involved in a motor vehicle accident which left her with a C-7 spinal cord injury as a quadriplegic. While in rehabilitation she was introduced to Therapeutic Recreation as a treatment modality and decided to pursue a career as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). After graduating, she moved to Dallas to begin her career as a CTRS on a spinal cord injury team at Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation. Lea enjoys a variety of leisure activities herself, such as water skiing, handcycling, jet skiing, camping, and more! It is her hope to be involved in the community as a therapist to help improve the quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injuries and those with a variety of disabilities through adapted recreational activities.
Rick Brauer attended the University of Texas at Austin where he participated in many wheelchair sports. He left college to pursue a career with Xerox that spanned 20 years. Currently, Rick is employed full time with Pepsi Business Solutions Group based in Plano, TX. There he is a member of EnAble, a group within PepsiCo that is dedicated to creating a more inclusive environment for people with different abilities. Rick was born in Orange, TX in 1961. In 1977 he was in an auto accident which caused a complete paralysis at T12. He refers to this as the beginning of his second life. He took up SCUBA diving, fishing, martial arts, and even historical recreation for fun. By assisting RISE Adventures, he feels he can share his life experience with others, hoping to show that anyone can achieve their dreams when they try. “Life is for living, so experience it.”
Rick Frame graduated with a degree in Engineering Design in 1988. He worked in the aerospace and defense industry as a manufacturing engineer specializing in CAD/CAM and FEA as well as CNC and CMM programming. In 1999 Rick was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which he suffered a spinal cord injury at the C3/C4 level leaving him a quadriplegic paralyzed from the neck down. Rick decided this was not going to keep him down and in 2003 attended the Texas Accessibility Academy in Austin where he earned his certification as a Registered Accessibility Specialist. When he returned home he started a consulting company where he has worked diligently with companies as well as municipalities, state and federal government agencies to not only ensure compliance with state and federal handicap accessibility laws but also to improve handicap accessibility in both architectural barriers and policies and procedures. Rick brings this same diligence to RISE Adventures to ensure everyone can participate and enjoy the programs provided.
Scott Golem received his degree in Multimedia/Graphic Design from the University of North Texas. It was during this time he met his wife Lisa, who has a spinal cord injury. Lisa was an advocate, volunteer, and licensed professional counselor who worked in the healthcare profession. During their 15 years of marriage, Scott gained a wealth of knowledge in the use of adaptive technologies; not only those used for work and activities of daily living, but also those used to have fun (photography, for example). Scott and Lisa worked with an engineering friend who built a wheelchair monopod so they could share their passion for taking photos. Scott is currently a full-time graphic design instructor at the Art Institute of Fort Worth. For the past three years he has shared digital photography techniques with RISE Adventures at the Dallas Arboretum.
Alli Jordan has her Associate’s Degree in Psychology and has served in the United States Army for the past 20 years. She is currently considering re-enlistment and does not want her wheelchair to slow her down! Alli’s injury occurred while serving her 2nd tour of duty in Afghanistan, leaving her as an incomplete quadriplegic. She also has Lupus, which attacks the central nervous system and has caused a tumor to develop on her spinal cord. Alli was very discouraged after becoming a wheelchair user, but a friend introduced her to RISE Adventures. Since that time, she says she has done things she would never have tried as an able-bodied person; sports such as quad rugby, kayaking and handcycling. Alli wants others to know that “RISE shows us that just because we have a disability, we can still do the same things an able-bodied person can do.”
Bill Wyland received his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Alabama. Bill has lived in Texas since 1982. He worked for an oil company for four years and a major bank in the trust operations area for 16 years. Bill lost his left leg in 2005 due to an infection and complications from diabetes. He discovered RISE Adventures in early 2009 and enjoys participating in handcycling and water sports. Bill wants to continue to be an advocate for the disability community and will continue to help RISE develop, promote, and implement programs that will have a direct impact on participants getting to share in the same opportunities of which he benefited.
