If you’ve labored in the trenches as a volunteer for your local climbing organization (LCO), getting paid to work for an LCO may seem like a dream job, or a way to take your LCO’s work to the next level. Although the majority of LCOs are volunteer-run, a growing number are making the leap to paid staff to support larger operations and make their organizations more effective and sustainable. It’s not easy, but the move is paying off for these groups, their climbing areas, and the communities they serve.

In this new LCO Pro series, we’ll be interviewing LCO professionals from all over the U.S. to give you an honest look at the reality of their day-to-day jobs, provide insight into the transition from volunteers to paid staff, and learn what drives them to keep coming back every day to care for their local crags.

Meet the LCO Pros

In this first installment, we’ll introduce you to these leaders as they share how they got started in their roles and what their goals are for their positions.