All CAA board members serve a 3-year term on a volunteer basis. New board member elections are held during the member meeting at our annual conference. The Board of Directors meets at least twice a year to plan events and provide direction for the organization.

Glenn Middleton
President
Glenn’s love of outdoor adventure began as a small child in northern Minnesota on his family’s farm and transferred to YMCA Camp Manito-Wish in northern Wisconsin where he began backpacking, ropes course facilitation, sea kayaking and expedition canoeing. Glenn spent his college years in Arizona hiking, biking, climbing, and working as a raft guide and ski instructor–as you can guess it was difficult for him to sit in a classroom. Glenn has served abroad 2 years for the Peace Corps in the Philippines, where he gained an appreciation for the local culture, language and people. After his return to the states, Glenn has worked for numerous Outward Bound schools and colleges as a backpacking, rock climbing, sea kayaking, and whitewater canoeing instructor. Glenn also enjoys traveling places such as South America to sea kayak in the fjords off the Chilean coast and to pursue mountaineering in Patagonia and Ecuador. Glenn is a certified Wilderness First Responder, CPR HealthCare Provider, ACA Level 4 WWC and SWR instructor, an AMGA SPI and is trained in Crevasse and Avalanche Rescue. Glenn has served on the board since 2008.

Becky McKinnon
Vice President
Becky currently lives and works in the wilds of western Montana, as a Program Coordinator at Camp Bighorn, teaching and discipling college students from Prairie Bible College. She graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in education and developed a love of wilderness ministry and experiential education through years as a student and employee of HoneyRock Camp in Wisconsin. She has also been involved in environmental education in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota and the schools of Maine, and wilderness leadership at Montreat College. She is most content when outside and/or working with her hands, and is passionate about homemade bread. Becky first attended a CWLC conference in 2004, and the quality of people at the conferences keeps drawing her back. She joined the Board in 2007.

Carol Yard
Secretary
Carol learned to play in the outdoors as a child growing up in rural Pennsylvania.  Since then, she hasn’t stopped.  She got her first taste of leading adventure ministry experiences at Camp Jumonville in Pennsylvania, and later enjoyed leading extended backpacking trips in the North Cascades of Washington. She has also led trips and trained wilderness instructors for HoneyRock Camp in Northern Wisconsin, Die Hoekie Camp in South Africa, George Fox University and Multnomah University in Oregon. Carol holds an MA degree in Educational Ministries & Outdoor Leadership from Wheaton College and a BS degree in Biology from Grove City College. She is a certified Wilderness First Responder, a Level II Challenge Course facilitator, and is a survivor of two poisonous spider bites.  She once spent an entire summer hiking around counting prairie dog poop. She currently resides in Oregon, still loves the Cascades, is often seen with a backpack or sea kayak.  She loves exploring here and abroad.  Carol has been serving on the CAA board since 2008.

Judy McPhee
Treasurer
Judy has been an RN for over 30 years and recently finished working at a small rural hospital in Plains, MT. She was on the CAA board for 5 1/2 years as the registrar and treasurer, and loved every minute of it. She and her husband Dave moved to Plains to be missionaries at Camp Bighorn Christian Adventure Camp and Conference Center 10 years ago. They started out as Program Directors and then about 4 years ago switched over and became Guest Services Directors and handle the hospitality aspects of camp. Dave is the cook and has really changed the stigma of “camp food”. They have 2 children: Luke, age 30 and Isaac, age 28. Luke lives in Seattle and Isaac in New York.

Amy Smallwood

Amy has been playing in the outdoors since she climbed her first tree at age five. Her adventure experience in the last 10 years includes leading trips and training wilderness instructors for HoneyRock camp in northern Wisconsin, leading expeditionary canoeing trips for Outward Bound, Canada, and teaching in the Outdoor Leadership department at North Greenville University in Greenville, South Carolina, and working as the Adventure Program Director for Noah’s Ark Whitewater Rafting in Buena Vista, Colorado. She is now an Assistant Professor in the Outdoor Leadership department at Simpson University. Amy holds a Master of Arts degree in Educational Ministries from Wheaton College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Education from Taylor University. She is a certified as a Wilderness EMT through SOLO, Single Pitch Instructor through the AMGA, and is a BCU 3 star paddler. She considers her greatest achievement to be training her dog to army crawl. She has been serving on the CAA board since 2006.

Paul Harbison

Wilderness camper, mountaineer, hiker, caver, backcountry skier, avalanche forecaster, canoer, rock climber, scuba diver, earth keeper, delighter in wintry landscapes, worshipper, bible study member, Sunday School teacher, small group facilitator, church elder, discipler, conflict mediator, adopted son of God, friend of Christ, enthusiast of the Psalms, son, brother, husband, father, uncle, neighbor, citizen, educator, basketball coach, photographer, Steelers fan, writer, introvert, bicyclist, occasional instigator of fun, and feeder of Toby the family dog. Paul lives in Butler, PA with his wife, five happy campers and Toby. Paul is the director of the Outdoor Leadership Team for the Coalition of Christian Outreach (the CCO). He has been an active member of CAA for several years, and served as a keynote speaker for us in the past.

DB Palmer

DB began his career as a Camp Counselor in 1996, and began leading challenge courses for kids, adults and corporate groups, received an undergraduate degree in Recreation Management, and set out to guide full-time with his wife. He discovered Wilderness Therapy, and became a Licensed Professional Counselor, and is finishing a doctoral degree, leading to licensure as a Psychologist. DB’s adventure credentials include having guided treks and directed adventure-based programs ranging from: WEMT/WFR; Whitewater Rescue Technician; Coastal, River, and Flat-water Canoeing; Sea Kayaking, Backpacking; Primitive Skills; Rafting; Cycling; and Mountaineering in OR, AR, OK, MN, MT, WY, AK/BC, Czech Republic, WA, and is now back in Alaska! DB’s professional experience in psychology and counseling has included: Wilderness Therapy, Tribal community mental health and development, Tribal Social Work, Correctional/Prison Mental Health, Low-fee Urban Psychology clinics, Children’s Services, Family Preservation Therapy, group treatment homes, and community crisis diversion and on-call assessment programs. When not working on his dissertation (parental factors within wilderness therapy), he’s active in Canine Search & Rescue work, focusing on wilderness area searches, raising 3 adventurous kids with his wife Greta (an adventure racer, marathoner, and women’s wellness/fitness coach) making award-winning wines at the family vineyards (Jacksonville Vineyards/ Fiasco Winery), singing with the Anchorage Opera Chorus, he is a member of several advisory councils for various adventure and experiential associations, and regularly presents at national and regional conferences. DB regularly consults with Wilderness Therapy organizations and Mental Health Counselors on topics of family and individual relationships. DB is the Director of the Counseling & Wellness Center at Alaska Pacific University.