Hoofer Leader
Resource Center
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Dave Elsmo
Director, david.elsmo@wisc.edu
Having come to Outdoor UW in 2011, Dave Elsmo spent seven years as the Head of Instruction before moving to an Advisor for the Hoofer Sailing Club. Now, as the Director for Outdoor UW, Dave helps manage the six full-time staff that support our student leader programs while advising the governing body of the Hoofer clubs, Hoofer Council. Originally from Southeastern Wisconsin, Dave graduated with a degree in Commercial Recreation in 2009 from the University of Minnesota. Since then he has spent the majority of his professional career in the marine industry by teaching, managing or advising sailing programs and teams. He continues to pursue his passion for competitive sailing in his free-time both in the summer and winter months.
Dan Dunne
Program Manager, ddunne@wisc.edu
Dan has been working in the outdoor industry since 2008 when shortly after he graduated from the University of Kansas with his Bachelors in Business Management. He packed up his car and moved west to a small town in central Wyoming. It was here where Dan fell in love with outdoor exploration, supporting/nurturing student leadership, and experiential education. After gaining outdoor experience in Wyoming, Dan kept moving west to Oregon and started working as an academic coach where he got a few years of professional experience advising and supporting first-generation students in their first semester in higher education. This work reaffirmed for Dan how much he enjoys working with and supporting students transitioning into college and starting a new chapter of their life. Dan loves mentoring and coaching students who are getting their first chance to navigate their own path in life and choose their own adventures.
After a few years of working as an active travel bike tour guide in various locations around the world, Dan went back to school to get his Masters in Education and Student Affairs. Shortly after completing graduate school, Dan settled in Madison where he is excited to work with UW students and community members who are eager to learn and grow their outdoor skills. When Dan is not at work, he is either at home tending his garden and chickens, taking in some live music in Madison, or teaching a wilderness medicine certification course somewhere around the country. Reach out to Dan if you are looking for leadership or skill-developing educational offerings, customized private group experiences, or if you are seeking new opportunities to bring students and the UW campus community into the outdoors.
Adam Remus
Advisor- Hoofer Mountaineering Club and Hoofer Ski and Snowboard Club, aaremus@wisc.edu
Originally from La Crosse, WI, his path to outdoor advising started early with a deep love for outdoor activities. Adam has been a passionate snowboarder and XC skier for most of his life, and rock climbing came later during high school. Adam loves to paddle, backpack, and get his family outside as much as possible.
Adam started as an advisor at Outdoor UW advising the Hoofer Outing Club and Hoofer Ski and Snowboard Club. He has since transitioned to advising the Hoofer Mountaineering Club along with Ski and Snowboard Club. He relishes working with club leaders to develop and deliver high quality and safe programs for our members and while allowing leaders to learn and grow in the out-of-class room experience. When he's not in the office, you can usually find him out on the rock at Devil's Lake State Park, snowboarding with his family or surfing on the great lakes.
Pete Buscaino
Advisor- Hoofer Riding and Hoofer Outing Club, pbuscaino@wisc.edu
Pete grew up on, in, and around the water in his hometown of Clearwater, FL. From a young age, Pete connected with being outside fostering a love for camping, paddling, hiking, biking, and diving. In 2005, he started working in the outdoor industry as a guide/instructor/shop tech/salesperson with a mom-and-pop paddle shop. After completing an interdisciplinary studies degree from the University of Central Florida, Pete moved to North Carolina to coach baseball at East Carolina University. It was there that he discovered a passion for teaching students how to grow both leadership & life skills.
Pete moved to Madison in the summer of 2019 and has been awestruck by the natural beauty of Wisconsin ever since. A huge fan of the winter months, he loves to XC ski, snowboard, and snowshoe. Pete comes to Outdoor UW after stops with both REI and UW Housing. As the advisor for the Outing and Riding clubs, Pete looks forward to encouraging, enabling, and helping the club leaders to grow and provide great programming for the UW campus and community. When not at work, you can catch Pete and his family in their garden or out exploring state parks and bike paths across Wisconsin.
Gretchen Ladd
Sailing - Head of Instruction, headofinstruction@hoofersailing.org
Gretchen is a stellar woman who strives to get everyone sailing at Hoofers. Gretchen was born in the wicked heat of Louisiana and lived life for 18 years before moving to Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin-Madison powered her through undergrad where she received her Bachelor’s for Communication Arts & Scandinavian Studies. Gretchen joined Hoofers in 2019 and began to learn to Sail. It was here that Gretchen dedicated herself to becoming an expert. She left us for the Caribbean for a short time, but the Hoofers spirit pulled her back to us to take on the Head of Instruction role.
When she’s not on the water or planning instruction on the water, Gretchen likes plants. She absurdly loves the cold and ice climbing. You can find Gretchen snacking on tangerines (or clementines, who really knows the difference) in the blessed OUW office.
Emily Paulsen
Program Administrator, ouwadmin@union.wisc.edu
As an aspiring beefy woman, Emily started at Outdoor UW as a student staff working the front desk. Emily doubled the size of her traps from carrying tandems and decided it was time to settle down. She took on the Manager role to lead a spectacular team through a successful summer while learning all the ins and outs of Outdoor UW. After graduating, she felt it was her due diligence to take her impressive knowledge of RecHub into the Program Administrator role where she expertly guides students through the rigorous software. You can find this hoot and a half at the gym in her free time or carrying her dog down the street because he gets tired.