Gary Riekes - Founder and CEO
Gary has been a professional musician since the age of 9. He was a member of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and numerous contemporary performance groups. He is a ... [ read more ]
Ali Tyson-Taufoou - Office Manager and Marketing Coordinator
Ali Taufoou was born in Lansdale Pennsylvania in the year 1985. She moved to Missouri when she was four years old and considers this her birthplace. She ... [ read more ]
Tom Cronin - Operations Director
Tom moved to the Bay Area from Minnesota after an overseas detour though New Zealand and Australia. In fact the first house he lived in was just down the street on Eighth Ave. He now lives in ... [ read more ]
Jackie Cunningham - Front Desk Administration
Jackie Cunningham was born in San Mateo, Ca In July of 1988. She grew up in Half Moon Bay California where she attended Half Moon Bay High School. ... [ read more ]
Lex Ebbink-Alemania - Student Services Manager
Lex was born in Redondo Beach, California, where she lived until her family relocated to San Mateo, California, in 1990. She attended a private school ... [ read more ]
Richard Wilkins - Front Desk Administration
Richard was born in Redwood City, Ca, in November of 1983. He spent most of his childhood years in Redwood City and in 1997 he transferred ... [ read more ]

Athletic Fitness

Ron Curcio
NSCA USAW SPARQ NASM
Athletic Fitness Director
Ron comes to the Riekes center and brings over 17 years experience in the Health and Fitness field. Ron is a nationally ... [ read more ]
Andrew Havili
Specialized Coach
Andrew considers himself a Bay Area local - he graduated from Burlingame High in 2003 and attended the College of San Mateo where he played football and graduated ... [ read more ]
Jesse Lindenstein
CSCS USAW USATF
Specialized Coach
Jesse Lindenstein joined the Riekes Center family in January 2005 and is designated with the duty of being the director of ... [ read more ]
Tim Dempsey
CSCS CPT USAW USATF
Pinnacle Coordinator
Specialized Coach
Tim was born and raised in Peoria, IL. In 1980 he graduated from Peoria Central high school ... [ read more ]
Cynequa Kozak
SMART Coordinator
Cynequa was born and partially raised in Michigan. When she was 14 she moved to Seattle where she graduated from Rainier Beach High School. ... [ read more ]
Sione Taufoou
USAW
Specialized Coach
Sione, a San Carlos native, played football in high school for Saint Francis, and then at the University of Mary... [ read more ]
Julia Gamlen
NSCA
SMART Coordinator
Julia was born and raised in Los Altos, CA where she attended St. Francis High School. After graduating, she attended the ... [ read more ]
Francisco Lara
ACE PRE & POST NATAL Certified
NSCA-CPT USAW
Specialized Coach
Francisco is currently pursuing a degree in Kinesiology with a minor in Physical ... [ read more ]
Justin Largent - Fernside Coach
Justin grew up in Redwood City and played soccer for various clubs all over the Bay Area for 13 years. Wanting to improve his skills, he came to The Riekes Center at the age of 16 ... [ read more ]
Justin Shetler - Fernside Coach / Customized Programs
Justin is the director of Fernside Mentoring Programs, as well as being a coach himself. His background is in nature awareness and survival training ... [ read more ]
Robbie Merrill - Fernside Coach
Robbie was born and raised in Menlo Park. He started working for and exercising at the Riekes Center as a student when he was in the 7th grade. He has since been with us, aside from the time... [ read more ]
Kevin Symes - Fernside Coach
Kevin ("Boogie") is currently a student at San Jose State University. He is studying Business Management with minors in Communication and Accounting. He received a couple offers for ... [ read more ]
David Nava - Fernside Coach
David Nava was born on May 19, 1985 in Redwood City, CA. At the tender age of 6, "Nava" (as he is more often called) began playing baseball and soccer.. He was a larger than average boy and ... [ read more ]

Creative Arts

Aaron Alvarez - Drum and Art Instructor
Aaron Alvarez was born in August of 1988, in the city of Uruapan in Michoacan, Mexico. Aaron or Bocho, as every one knows him, immigrated to the ... [ read more ]
Maddy Lough-Stevens - Front Desk / Voice Instructor
Maddy Lough-Stevens has been involved at the Riekes Center in one way or another since she was 12, through various programs, such as Nature Awareness ... [ read more ]
Mike Osborn - Drum Instructor
Mike Osborn was born in 1983 in San Jose California. In Junior High Mike became very interested in music and while a freshman at Junipero Serrah High School he took a beginning percussion ... [ read more ]
Drew Annis - Video Production and Art Instructor
Drew Annis is from Iowa, he is excited to work at the Riekes Center and he's dedicated to helping students of any pursuit towards their goals, in whatever area ... [ read more ]
Nick Machado - Front Desk / Bass and Piano Instructor
Nick Machado was born in Fremont, California in 1985. At a young age he started picking out songs by ear on a toy keyboard that his parents had bought him. ... [ read more ]
Aidan Young - Creative Arts Director
Aidan grew up on the beautiful Jersey shore and spent his childhood tracking, camping and exploring all across the United States. Growing up home-schooled ... [ read more ]
Sagesse Graham - Video Production Program Coordinator
Sagesse also known as Jessie, grew up in Olympia Washington, and is a graduate of the Evergreen State College where she studied Film, Video, and ... [ read more ]
Geoff McCann - Guitar Instructor
Geoff grew up in Menlo Park, California, and went to public school until high school when he attended St. Francis in Mountain View. There he played basketball for one year and water polo ... [ read more ]
Zen Zenith - Guitar Instructor
Zen was born in Truro, England on June 15th, 1982. His family moved to the California bay area when he was 13 where he spent most of his teenage years. Zen was raised as a homeschooler ... [ read more ]

Nature Awareness

Ken Clarkson - Nature Awareness Director
Ken grew up hiking the Appalachian Trail of the Blue Ridge Mountains and canoeing the rivers of southwest Virginia. This also explains why he often has a banjo ... [ read more ]
Michelle Sauceda - Nest To Fledge Instructor
Michelle grew up in sunny San Diego catching blue bellies and rolly-pollies with her cousins and wandering the beaches in search of sand dollars. She moved ... [ read more ]
Lauren Dietrich - Huddart Friday Teen and Tuesday Preteen Instructor
Lauren is a peacemaker, dedicated to healing within herself, others, our human cultures and throughout the natural world... [ read more ]
Andy Webster - Wilder Thursday Preteen Instructor
Andy grew up surfing the beaches from Southern California to Bonny Doon. His favorite thing to catch is, "...an overhead northwest swell, glassy, ... [ read more ]
Anole Dahlstrom - Nest to Fledgling Instructor
Anole has been immersed in the Nature Awareness Department for several years not only through the eyes of her kids that are involved in our weekly programs ... [ read more ]
Mackenzie Price - Wilder Newts Instructor
Mackenzie Price was born and raised in Southern California. She always sought out the wild places in her suburban home: building forts in the canyon ... [ read more ]
Robin Bliss-Wagner - Seahawks Instructor
Robin grew up wandering the high desert foothills in New Mexico and bathing in the late summer thunderstorms that burst over the Sandia ... [ read more ]
Devin Slavin - Wilder Thursday Newts Instructor
Devin is a California Native, born and raised in southern California. He has a huge love for life - and for this reason works on every level to create abundance and ... [ read more ]
Mark Batcheler - Huddart Preteen, Tunitas and Huddard Teen Instructor
Mark was born in a secluded section of central Wisconsin where kids still ran free around the neighborhoods and the woods ... [ read more ]
Mikko Asaki - Huddart Friday Newts Instructor
Mikko grew up in the East Bay Area and spent many summers in Finland. Much of his free time was spent swimming the lakes of the Sierras and the gulf ... [ read more ]
Jennifer Bresee - Huddart Friday Preteen Instructor
Jennifer grew up in San Francisco and received my BA from New College in Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community. She is a recent graduate of the Native ... [ read more ]
Liam Purvis - Huddart Tuesday Preteen Instructor
Liam's backdoor opened to a vast expanse of wilderness all throughout his childhood in upstate NY. From the first time he caught a garter snake, his passion ... [ read more ]