Jack
As the Founder of The First Push, Jack has been a life-long fan of board sports. Jack is a Bay Area native, and has been living and skating in San Francisco since graduating from Northwestern University in 2016.
Skateboarding taught Jack valuable life skills, and gave him his passions for art, design, music, and ultimately, civic engagement. Jack aims to enrich his community by teaching young people how to skate. He hopes he can pass along the gifts that skateboarding brings with The First Push.
Ryan
Ryan’s a midwesterner at heart, originally from the western suburbs of Chicago. His skating journey started in elementary school along with his older brother and next door neighbors. They were inspired by the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater video games which prompted them to start building ramps and rails during the summer months. This love & passion for skating followed Ryan into his teenage years where he enjoyed heavily documenting his progression via his video camera and sharing it with friends. After spending 4 years studying and skating regularly at college in Madison, Wisconsin he made the jump west to head to San Francisco in 2015 where he currently resides. Ryan’s ecstatic to be able to share his love for skating through The First Push, and help kids see real progression.
Declan
Declan grew up skateboarding with his older brother in San Luis Obispo, California. He studied business and environmental studies at Brandeis University and studied abroad in Havana, Cuba. He volunteered with Cuba Skate, an organization which helps support the Cuban skateboarding community. Declan just returned from his 3rd trip to the island, bringing over 150 pounds of skateboarding equipment to the community. Declan loves sharing the excitement of skateboarding with young people, and is excited to help out with The First Push.
Vanessa
Vanessa is a Bay Area native that was introduced to skateboarding at a young age by her father and brother. Over the years she continued to skate, solidifying her love for skateboarding and its community after graduating college. Vanessa has traveled to Cuba four times to support skateboarding events for youth and is excited to continue to expand the sport and culture on the island. Vanessa currently resides in the East Bay and works for an environmental equity non-profit. Vanessa is excited to assist The First Push through her experience and love for skateboarding, community building, and non-profit work.
