Next up on our Staff Spotlight Series, the one, the only, Alex Bernstein!

1) Give us the basics!As one of the three founders, I've worked on and at ASCEND since 2010. I'm the Director of Finance and Business Development, which means that I do a lot of very boring things in Excel, but that I also get to interface with many people external to ASCEND. I was born and raised in Squirrel Hill, but I currently live in Morningside with my wife, Teagen.

2) So what do you do when you're not at ASCEND?Outside of ASCEND, spending time with family and friends is the top passion, but cycling and skiing are two close seconds. Teagen and I enjoy as much outdoor time as possible, so anytime we can hike or go for a walk, we take full advantage.

3) Where have you been and where do you want to go?Getting to visit Thailand (among a handful of other countries) with my sister in 2008 takes the cake for sure, and it even included my first-ever outdoor sport climb. I'd go back in a heartbeat.4) Let's get personal, what are you grateful for, right now?I'm grateful for the community that ASCEND has created - this means everyone from staff to members, and day pass users to vendors. Especially during a time where the world is completely shut down, it has been awesome to continue to telework with my co-workers and see how the community has taken to online programming and other initiatives. Definitely keeps me going!

*Fun Fact: Alex also heads up our BikeMS Team: the Big EL at ASCEND