Who we are
Gage Hull - Founder and director
Gage joined the Army at 17, serving six years as a combat photographer and executing two deployments to combat environments. After being honorably discharged, Gage battled with PTSD, anxiety and depression while transitioning to civilian life and earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Southern Utah. After years of working on himself through the exact methods Stoke practices, Gage firmly feels he has found the path to positive mental health.
Gage currently serves as a firefighter/EMT in Southern Massachusetts and is working on earning his Master’s Degree in Military Clinical Psychology. Gage plans on one day serving the community as a fully licensed counselor, but until then, he aims to do everything he can through Stoke, leading trips and working as a life coach.
Gage is a PADI certified Open Water Dive Instructor, rock climbing and surfing coach, and Wilderness EMT, putting these skills to good use helping everyone he interacts with find the same stoke he does every day.
Kurt Cook - Board Member and Advisor
From a young age, Kurt felt compelled to serve his country in the United States Army. As an officer, Kurt served in Command, Leadership, Group, and General Staff positions within the 10th Mountain (LI), 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).
As a Special Forces Green Beret Commander, Kurt has over three years of combat in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraq Freedom (OIF), and Operation Enduring Freedom-Central and Caribbean Area (OEF-CCA). Kurt was involved with direct/indirect rocket and IED explosions resulting in physical and non-visual wounds during these combat operations.
Subsequently, Kurt was honorably retired due to medical conditions in 2012. Upon retirement, he was diagnosed with Systemic Scleroderma, a rare connective tissue disease, which has rapidly destroyed his physique and internal organs. However, nothing can destroy his will to succeed.
Kurt now spends his days working to make a difference in the community amongst a wide range of non-profits and other selfless endeavors. Stoke is extremely proud to rely his wise counsel and stalwart support as one of our directors and highly valued team members.
Jacob Nuss - Board Member
Jacob joined the Army in 2003 and deployed multiple times over his career, serving as an infantryman and later an Apache pilot in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jacob went on to successfully transition into the civilian aviation world, working first as a tour flight helicopter pilot, and is now switching over to fixed-winged charter flights.
In his free time, Jacob is an avid scuba diver, hiker, and rock climber, which has led him to fully believe in the power these sports can provide to the men and women of our community. Jacob is a solid friend, coworker, and teammate, and Stoke is proud to have him on our board.