Daniel earned his bachelor's degree in criminology and sociology from Benedictine College in 2012. He embarked on his professional journey as a police officer in Aberdeen, South Dakota. In 2017, he transitioned to a role at the Aberdeen YMCA, where he excelled as the Director of Personal Training and CrossFit. Demonstrating his commitment to growth, Daniel achieved a Master of Business Administration from Benedictine in 2020. Today, in 2023, he proudly serves as the Branch Director at the El Dorado YMCA, continuing his impactful contributions to the community. Daniel is blessed with a marriage to the love of his life and is a proud parent to five wonderful children. His passion for serving the community is evident in his role at the El Dorado YMCA, where he finds fulfillment and purpose.

Grew up in southeastern Washington State in the heart of wine country in a small rural town called Prosser. Graduated from Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, ID with a B.A. In Kinesiology: Recreation & Sports Management. Since graduating in 2010 I have filled positions of leadership in recreation, youth, families, sports, aquatics, events, programs, and activities. I met my wife Katie during the summer of 2010 as we were interning at a summer Christian camp called Golden Bell in Divide, Co. We have been married for 11 years and are excited for what God has in store for the next 50+ years. My In-laws live in Andover, KS therefore I have made it a priority to find work closer to my wife’s family. Working for the Greater Wichita YMCA is my first exposure to the YMCA experience. Extremely thankful for our members and staff in El Dorado and the YMCA Association staff as a whole. The Lord has blessed me with an incredible childhood, wife, family, and career. Because of this, it is my prayer each day that through my heart for the Lord and my day-to-day efforts in life; that I can then bless those around me.

Dana has been on the membership team since August 2018. She lives in Augusta with her husband, two kids and two huskies. Dana and her family love to travel especially if it involves a beach! Dana enjoys being part of the community and always willing to help everyone!  One of Dana’s favorite things about being at the Y is connecting with members and loves seeing people succeed in achieving their goals.

Cassie is a graduate of Washburn University. She started her career at the YMCA in 2021 and started working on her personal training certification at the end of 2022. In January of 2023 she moved into the role of Wellness Director overseeing both Fitness and Group Exercise. Growing up playing competitive sports at a young age instilled a passion for wellness and fitness early on. She received her degree in Sport Management and a minor in Business. Previously, as the Director for Kansas' own Sunflower State Games and Kansas Senior Games competitions, she saw the benefits of staying active doing something you love regardless of age or skill level. This is the exact thing she wants to help clients achieve. She believes the best exercise is the one you ENJOY doing. On top of being a personal trainer, Cassie also has her certifications in Group Exercise and LIVESTRONG at the YMCA.

Matt joined the El Dorado team in 2009. Matt takes pride in making sure El Dorado branch members have a pleasant experience.

April started her YMCA career in the East Kid Zone in 2005. After spending time raising kids she came back in 2011 as a group exercise instructor and personal trainer. Since then she has been a Group Exercise Coordinator, Wellness Director and now Youth and Family Coordinator. Her passion is helping others achieve their fitness goals in a family friendly atmosphere. She loves spending time with her husband and four kids.

Ann grew up in Wichita and El Dorado, Kansas and graduated from University of Kansas with a degree in ecology. She taught for multiple outdoor education and recreation camps including YMCA of Rockies at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, CO and Frost Valley YMCA in Claryville, NY as a program instructor and adventure trips leader. Her most recent job included ski patrol in Colorado for almost a decade. She has experience with teaching whitewater sports, as well as ocean kayaking and snorkeling off Catilina Island in California. She has received certifications as an EMT, SCUBA diving, wildland fire chainsaw, and now Lifeguarding. She and her husband spent 2022 traveling the world before moving back to Kansas to be near her parents. She is excited to be joining our team as the aquatics programs coordinator and lifeguard and loves working in the caring community that the YMCA provides.

Brooke joined the El Dorado team in 2008. A lifelong resident of El Dorado, she thrives on engaging with the local community. Having recently completed Kansas University’s Coding Bootcamp, Brooke is passionate about everything related to technology and design. Outside of her tech pursuits, she cherishes quality time with her family and enjoys staying active through workouts and keeping up with her beautiful children.

Kera is a graduate from Wichita State University. She became an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM-PT) Certified Personal Trainer in 2015 and started her career with the YMCA in 2011. A lifelong athlete and fitness enthusiast, Kera believes wholeheartedly that activity is a necessary component of physical and mental wellness. She wants to show anyone willing that fitness can be fun and not restricted to indoor activity. Her passion for fitness developed early in her life as a tennis player in college at Butler County Community College. Kera's goal is to educate and show clients and members that any activity is beneficial with intention. Her core programming revolves around core strength, flexibility, balance, and range of motion. Kera's favorite thing to tell all clients is that EVERYTHING is modifiable, therefore you can do anything with just a small adjustment to the movement for your level of fitness. With Kera you never know what you are going to get but she always promises a Smile, Great music, and always Dancing.

Cassie is a graduate of Washburn University. She started her career at the YMCA in 2021 and started working on her personal training certification at the end of 2022. In January of 2023 she moved into the role of Wellness Director overseeing both Fitness and Group Exercise. Growing up playing competitive sports at a young age instilled a passion for wellness and fitness early on. She received her degree in Sport Management and a minor in Business. Previously, as the Director for Kansas' own Sunflower State Games and Kansas Senior Games competitions, she saw the benefits of staying active doing something you love regardless of age or skill level. This is the exact thing she wants to help clients achieve. She believes the best exercise is the one you ENJOY doing. On top of being a personal trainer, Cassie also has her certifications in Group Exercise and LIVESTRONG at the YMCA.

Chad is a recent Graduate from Kansas State University. He became a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer in 2023, and is currently working toward a specialization in Physical Therapy. A lifelong sports fan, Chad believes that movement is a necessary component of physical and mental wellness and personal expression. His passion for fitness emerged after going to school and learning about all the different ways the body can move and how to improve body functionality with the use of exercise. Chad's goal is to help others transform their lives by making health and wellness accessible to all. He approaches fitness with the same philosophy as he does with his love for sports, teaching clients basic steps which can be progressed and combined to produce a routine which safely and systematically advances the client toward their individual goals.

April started her YMCA career in the East Kid Zone in 2005. After spending time raising kids she came back in 2011 as a group exercise instructor and personal trainer. Since then she has been a Group Exercise Coordinator, Wellness Director and now Youth and Family Coordinator. Her passion is helping others achieve their fitness goals in a family friendly atmosphere. She loves spending time with her husband and four kids.

After a back injury in her teens, her world had to change. She had been a competitive gymnast for many years, and now would no longer be able to. Julie needed to change how she got her exercise. She found that she loved doing group exercise with her friends! It wasn't even like exercise-it was fun! That has turned into a 20+ year job at the El Dorado YMCA. We all have obstacles that we must find our way around. Let Julie help you find your way! She is a personal trainer that wants to show you how strong you really are!

Dakota was born and raised in El Dorado and is excited to have moved back to town again, and even more excited to be working at the El Dorado YMCA! Dakota graduated from Butler CC and was a Headliner while attending. He then went on and pursued a degree in Elementary Education at WSU. Following graduation Dakota worked for Haverhill Alternative Day School as their K-12 P.E. teacher and paraeducator for 3 years. He then moved on to teach at Tri-City Day School in Haysville, KS for 2.5 years. Dakota's amazing wife Hannah accepted a teaching position in El Dorado in 2022, which created an opportunity for him to work in a new environment in which he gets to continue teaching people of all ages and backgrounds, while continuing his passion for helping people improve their physical and mental health. Dakota has been involved in powerlifting since his freshman year of high school, and discovered his passion for helping others achieve their goals while teaching PE at Haverhill. Instead of continuing to work in a school setting, he made the choice to pursue personal training, and group exercise to direct his passion towards an institution in which people are excited and willing to learn about their physical health. Dakota spends a majority of his free time in the weight room, or watching movies and playing video games with his wife. He will often say that his motto is: "I'm either working, or working out!"