Our team

Austin | Founder | River guide | Wanderlust | austin@standupmn.org | 612.399.6081

Austin was born and raised in Minneapolis and spent most summers on a lake, swimming or canoeing in the boundary waters. He spent 12 years on a swim team and received a financial economics degree in 2006 from Gustavus Adolphus College, which he carried abroad to London, Singapore and China working with different financial institutions. Living abroad, Austin learned to appreciate what he had back home, which helped him hear his calling to learn about and share the beauties of outdoor experiences.  He returned to MN in 2010 and has enjoyed getting more involved with local businesses, food entrepreneurs, and Stand Up MN.  Last August, he picked up his bags and moved east to St. Paul and is currently quite happy with the charming neighborhoods, dog friendly sidewalks and fabulous food trucks!

Caitlin | Lead Guide | Police Officer | MN Native | cjcait@gmail.com

Caitlin grew up in Woodbury, Minnesota but just returned to the cities from Austin, Texas. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth and has worked for the last five years in government and community related programs. Currently, she is completing a graduate school program from Texas A&M. While she always loved the outdoors her passion for paddling was acquired on the lovely Lady Bird Lake that runs along the downtown Austin skyline. Ecstatic to find a similar, yet unique experience to Minnesota, Caitlin wanted to become a part of it and will be volunteering her time to get others involved in Stand Up MN.

Carey | Strategy Lead | Entrepreneur | Figure Skating Guru | carey@standupmn.org

Carey joins us as a transplant from the Boston area via Carleton College in Northfield, MN. Having spent childhood summers on the sailboat built by her parents, plus a college term exploring the South Pacific with Sea Semester, she feels at home on the water and is drawn to the simultaneous sense of peace and adventure that it provides. By trade, Carey is a professional figure skater, coach, entrepreneur, and business consultant. She was also a clinical researcher at the the MN Center for Twin and Family Research. Carey has been a columnist for SKATING Magazine and has trained figure skaters ages 3 – 76. As Founding Owner/Director of the Northfield Skating School and NSS Consulting, she is passionate about the growth and development of both people and mission-driven organizations. Aside from rinks and rivers, Carey loves yoga, cooking, music, traveling, and Minneapolis summers. She is thrilled to join the Stand MN Up team to help guide its business strategy and operations. Let another summer of festivals, markets, and paddleboarding begin!

Gordon | Manager | River Guide | Native American Interest | gordon@standupmn.org

Gordon grew up in Texas spending his Summers and Winters partaking in the abundant outdoor activities neighboring New Mexico had to offer. Whether it was white water rafting down the Colorado, the views from atop Truchas Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains or carving down Al’s Run at Taos Ski Valley, Gordon developed a passion for outdoor recreation. He took this passion with him as he grew to attend the University of Mississippi where he studied Park and Recreation Management while enjoying classic Ole Miss Football. After graduation, Gordon decided to share his passion of the outdoors with others, thus spawning a career based in experiential education and outdoor recreation. He’s worked as an adventure coordinator and wilderness guide for Navy’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation, U.S. Forest Service, Eckerd Youth Alternatives and Vision Quest National. Gordon just recently moved to the Twin Cities from Tucson, where he left his position as a Program Director to pursue his personal life with his girlfriend Hannah, while teaming up with Austin to make Stand Up MN’s second season even more successful!

Garrett | River Guide | River Rat | Dentist in training | garrett@standupmn.org

Garrett hails from Mankato and is a 2011 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College with a degree in Chemistry & Biochemistry. He has long believed that life is best lived out-of-doors. His passion for open-air adventure stems from his yearly canoe trips in the BWCA dating back to elementary school. Garrett’s favorite memory in the outdoors was the pure untamed wilderness he enjoyed as a member of a NOLS canoeing and backpacking expedition through 500 miles of the Yukon Territory in Canada. In the winters he spends time as an alpine ski racing coach at Hyland Hills Ski Area. This summer he joined the Twin Cities River Rats Show Ski Team and will be barefooting in their weekly shows on the Mississippi. When he isn’t skiing, cycling, mountain biking, sailing, or golfing, Garrett can be found drilling and filling teeth at the U of M School of Dentistry, where he is a second-year student.

Matt | River Guide | Outdoor Enthusiast | Environmental Activist | Matt@standupmn.org

Matt grew up on Crystal Lake in Burnsville, Minnesota. Summers spent on the lake, camping, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, and performing water quality tests with his grandfather instilled in him a profound sense of love and respect for nature. Matt is currently studying at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and has one year left of his undergraduate degree in environmental sciences, policy, and management, and his sustainability studies minor. Matt currently lives in Dinkytown and enjoys playing ultimate Frisbee, making music, traveling, and studying meditation in his free time. He looks forward to spending time on the mighty Mississippi and helping others enjoy and learn about one of Minnesota’s most precious natural resources.