OUR TEAM
ANDY WEISS- Executive Director
Andy Weiss is the founder and Executive Director of Launch. His passion for skateboarding led him to open his own skateboard retail store in Fort Collins at the age of 20 years old. After helping to grow and support the local skateboard scene as owner of The Market Skateshop for fifteen years, Andy took his commitment to the northern Colorado skateboard community one step further by envisioning a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering individuals to better themselves and their community through skateboarding.
JOHN BAISE- Board Member
John Baise has been skateboarding for over 35 years and maintained involvement in the Colorado skate community for over 20 years. In 1999, John was hired by the City of Fort Collins to help the city design, fundraise and build its first concrete skatepark in Edora Park. John has been employed with Odell Brewing Company for the past 16 years. Currently, he manages the packaging department and supports the business’s vision for the future with the Odell leadership team. John is committed to the creativity and diversity that is skateboarding. A father of three, John daydreams about building a backyard bowl and prefers short walks on the beach to find shade.
CHRIS JONES- Board Member
Chris Jones is a visual artist and skateboarder native to Fort Collins, CO. He received a BFA in Photography and Printmaking from the Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2014. His passion for art and skateboarding started at an early age and continues to grow with his commitment to the Fort Collins skate community. In addition to working with LAUNCH as a volunteer, designer, and exhibit curator, he also serves on the board for the Fort Collins Mural Project, works as the Exhibits Technician at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, and is a very engaged fixture in the local visual arts community. Chris' ambition to connect with a broader community through creative means has largely contributed to his position as a LAUNCH board member, and his lifelong enthusiasm as a visual artist and skateboarder continues to inspire his involvement with the Fort Collins community.
MEAGAN GRIESEL- Board Member
Meagan Griesel started skateboarding when she lived in San Francisco in the 1990s. Early on she learned you could go anywhere and find a community within the skateboarding family. She currently lives in Loveland, Colorado, is a local Realtor, does leathercraft and has an adult daughter who also skates. Meagan strongly believes in the inclusivity & non-intimidating atmosphere woven into Launch’s mission, programs, and indoor skatepark.
JOE JOHNSON- Board Member
Joe Johnson executed his first kick turn in 1973 on a friend’s board in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa. He later honed his skills at Colorado skateparks before building one of the area’s first major halfpipe ramps at the family farm outside of Timnath. Sponsorship by Bomberg’s Bicycles - and later the Wright Life - led to early contest success, eventually earning the 1982 California Amateur Skateboard League’s top overall position. After turning professional, Joe released five signature boards of his own design with Vision Skateboards and spent several years demonstrating around the globe for his sponsors, leading to a thirty-year career in action sports apparel design and marketing. Now working at Skate Ratz in Loveland, Joe’s passion for skateboarding has been reignited by the local skate scene and the many area skateparks.
NOAH GALLAGHER SHANNON- Board Member
Noah Gallagher Shannon grew up skating in Fort Collins. He is an award-winning journalist and author of a forthcoming book for Random House. His work has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, Paris Review, Washington Post, and elsewhere. He wrote a profile of skater Grant Taylor for the Oxford American, about Gilbert Crockett for Vice, and was a guest on pro skater Ryan Lay’s podcast Vent City. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado- Boulder and holds an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. A longtime New Yorker, he recently relocated back to Fort Collins, where he is excited to reengage with and support the community that fostered his love for skateboarding.
ALLISON ALTER- Grant Writer + Research & Development Consultant
Allison Alter has worked as the primary grant writer for the Launch organization for eleven years. In addition to her seventeen-year career in public education, Allison's work for Launch includes developing and submitting funding requests, research & development, and program analysis.