Board of Directors
Rodney Rodriguez is a father, grandfather, truck driver, and lifelong skateboarder who founded Fresno Skateboard Salvage in 2016. Growing up in Calwa with limited resources and little parental guidance, skateboarding became Rodney’s escape and identity. While many of his peers turned to gangs, he found belonging through skating — a culture built on friendship, creativity, and freedom. After stepping away to raise a family, Rodney returned to the sport at 40, joining a community of older skaters rediscovering their passion in a new era of skateparks and accessibility.
Seeing kids without boards or using poor-quality equipment, Rodney was inspired to bridge that gap. He began collecting, repairing, and redistributing skateboards to local youth, knowing firsthand the positive impact skating could have. Nearly a decade and more than 4,400 boards later, Fresno Skateboard Salvage continues to thrive — giving new generations the same sense of belonging and purpose that skateboarding once gave him.
Cory Costanzo grew up skating the streets, curbs, and launch ramps of San Jose, CA. He relocated to Fresno in 2004 and still skates regularly, frequents skateparks throughout the Central Valley, and has had the good fortune to visit skateparks throughout the US and as far away as Sydney, Australia and London, England. He began volunteering for Fresno Skateboard Salvage in 2018, and joined the board of directors in 2022. As Chairman of the Board/Secretary he organizes meetings, runs online auctions, and does a variety of other organizational activities. In his “spare time” he is a private practice orthodontist in Fresno.
Guy Comer is a local semi-retired business owner. Prior to his current gig of cleaning carpet and upholstery, he worked in telecommunications for 30 years before retiring from there in 2019. He still skates occasionally but not like he did as a kid in the 80’s! In his spare time he enjoys off road racing in Baja, creating artwork, riding motorcycles, snowboarding, and going to live music shows. He has been volunteering for the organization for a few years and was elected to the board in 2025.
Eric Gross is a dedicated professional with over 21 years of experience in the window manufacturing industry. In addition to his career, he has a passion for giving back, volunteering with Fresno Skateboard Salvage for over 3 years, where he sands old skateboards for art and builds new boards and attends giveaway events. Outside of work and volunteering, he enjoys reading, tackling home improvement projects in his and his wife’s nearly 100-year-old home, attending local live music events, and taking road trips with his wife. Eric skated as a kid in the late 70’s early 80’s, no tricks just rolled aimlessly.
Rhiannon Oakes is a CPA at a local accounting firm and long time friend of Fresno Skateboard Salvage founder Rodney Rodriguez. She is married to Kyle Oakes, an even longer time friend, who used to spend his youth skating with Rodney all over Fresno and the surrounding areas. Rhiannon will never be found on a skateboard, only because she is far too clumsy, but is passionate about helping the organization even without skating. As Chief Financial Officer, Rhiannon spends her time in an office, filing the appropriate forms and tax returns to keep Fresno Skateboard Salvage in the IRS’s good graces and keeping all the generous donations tax deductible.
Eric Burgess is a marketing professional and consultant at Burgess+ Marketing. As the nonprofit’s webmaster and marketing guy, Eric combines his creative and technical expertise to strengthen community outreach and digital engagement at Fresno Skateboard Salvage. He grew up skateboarding in San Jose, CA in the 80s and 90s where he had semi-frequent skateboard run-ins with the likes of Steve Caballero, Salmon Agah, Tim Brauch, Marc Johnson and many other San Jose legends. Outside of his professional work, he’s a skateboarder (when he’s not hurt), snowboarder, motorcyclist, wanna-be fly fisherman, and Dad. Oh, and he doesn’t talk about it much, but he scored a photo in Thrasher Magazine’s July 1995 issue – page 52 if you have a copy.
Adam Mena is a lifelong skateboarder, artist, educator, husband, and father of two, deeply rooted in Fresno’s art community. A cofounder of the Fresno Art House Gallery (2013–2018), he collaborated with artists, musicians, nonprofits, and city leaders to foster creativity and connection. During that time, he earned his master’s degree in Sculpture from California State University, Fresno, and worked as an art installer at Arte Américas, later serving on its board of directors for three years.
In 2015, Adam earned his teaching credential from Fresno Pacific University and began teaching at Madera South High School, where he currently leads courses in ceramics, sculpture, and advanced art. As advisor of the MSHS Skate Club, he teaches students to skate, build ramps, and engage with their campus and community. Through both art and skateboarding, Adam continues to inspire creativity, confidence, and collaboration in the next generation.