Staff

Updated June 22, 2010

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• CEO – Paul Gray
• Marketing/Fundraising – Julie Saeger
• Marketing/Fundraising – Carly Gil
• Program Administrator – Annette Brauer
• Outreach Director – Mike Peters
• Technology Administrator – Spencer Larimore

CEO – Paul Gray, Full-Time Volunteer

Paul Gray is the creator and current full-time Chief Executive Officer of RISE. Paul has built many successful businesses in his corporate career. After retiring in 2006, he spent a year as the CEO of another outreach organization before creating RISE. With his vast business experience and dedication to the disability community, he formed RISE Adventures in March of 2007. Paul has been exposed to individuals with physical disabilities since 1969 when a friend became paralyzed in a car accident. He has witnessed the vast transformation of wheelchair sports and equipment available in the past into the sophisticated adaptive devices available today. Paul envisioned the need for weekly therapeutic programs providing needed outreach to a number of hospitals and industry organizations. After building RISE Adventures, he turned the organization over to the newly formed Executive Board of Directors and its elected officers in December of 2007.

Contact Paul @ 469.762.5075 or pgray@riseadventures.org.

Marketing/Fundraising – Julie Saeger, Full-Time Volunteer

Julie Saeger is currently a Senior Account Executive for Who’s Calling, A Reynolds & Reynolds Company.  Julie has over 17 years of outside sales experience and customer relationship management.  She has a proven track record of exceeding annual sales goals and is highly motivated.  She is a self-start who is organized, disciplined and goal oriented.  Julie has excellent communication skills demonstrated by her ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds.  Julie grew up in West Texas and graduated with a BBA in Finance from Angelo State University.  Her family consists of three children – Mason, Abbey and Jonathan.

Contact Julie @ jsaeger@riseadventures.org.

Marketing/Fundraising – Carly Gil, Full-Time Volunteer

Crowned the youngest Miss Texas at age 19. Carly Jarmon-Gil was also the first woman to hold both titles of Miss Teen Texas and Miss Texas. After her year of service she traveled the world entertaining fortune 500 companies and continued touring as a motivational speaker. She has been involved in a variety of philanthropic causes for over 25 years in every aspect. Carly has been married to professional baseball player Benji Gil for the past 13 years, they have two active boys Mateo (age 10) and Gehrig (age 9).

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill

Contact Carly @ cgil@riseadventures.org.

Program Administrator, Annette Brauer, Full-Time Volunteer

Annette Brauer grew up in New Mexico eventually moving to Lewisville, TX in 1994. She went to work for Xerox where she met her husband Rick Brauer, RISE’s sailing program manager and Board of Directors member. She spent 7 years at Xerox first with customer service, then in the billing department before being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37. Annette spent 5 years at home before going back to school and receiving her certification for medical billing and coding.  She spent several years participating in the SCA, an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating pre 17th century European history. She is a dedicated genealogist.  She worked for a neurologist for 3 years as a receptionist, biller, referral specialist and scheduling tests.  Annette is now dedicating most of her days as Program Administrator for RISE.

Contact Annette @ 972.978.8903 or abrauer@riseadventures.org.

Outreach Director, Mike Peters, Part-Time Volunteer

Mike Peters works for DE-STA-CO, A Dover Company, as the Internet Marketing Administrator where he is responsible for managing and developing the company’s global web site. Mike was born with Spina Bifida, a congenital abnormality which is present on the spine at birth. He was an Air Force kid who was born in Japan, lived in Hawaii, Germany and a few states across our great country. After many years of surgery and doctor visits Mike began using a wheelchair to improve his daily life. He’s been in a chair for over five years. He likes to say that his wheelchair is not who he is or what he is, rather just a pair of shoes.

Contact Mike @ 419.701.4467 or mpeters@riseadventures.org

Technology Administrator, Spencer Larimore, Part-Time Volunteer

Spencer Larimore is a graphic designer who works for Builders Software Enterprise and helps with RISE Adventure’s website. He has lived in the Fort Worth area for the last two years and was recently married to his lovely wife Christi. Spencer is a C-6 quadriplegic as the result of a mountain biking accident nine years ago. The accident did not change his love for outdoor recreation. Spencer still enjoys cycling only now he rides a hand cycle. He is also involved in quad rugby, kayaking, snow skiing, weight lifting, swimming, Texas Hold’em, POOL, and R/C car racing. Spencer enjoys helping others get involved with RISE Adventures by speaking to groups of the recently injured and organizing events in South Fort Worth. He is a team builder and often you will see 2-3 wheelchairs rolling out of his van.

Contact Spencer @ slarimore@riseadventures.org.