Born and raised in Eastern Iowa, Adam spent much of his time outdoors exploring the woodlands and prairies of the Midwest. He grew up heavily involved in the local Covenant church. After working at summer camps in the northeast Iowa for 3 consecutive years Adam decided to go into camp ministry full-time with a growing passion of providing safe spaces for youth, adults, and families to step out of their routines & reset spiritually, physically, emotionally, and relationally with others. After graduating from Iowa State University with a Communication Studies B.A., Adam came to California excited to join the Mission Springs team.

I grew up in Illinois and attended North Park University, which introduced me to Mission Springs. I came to work on summer staff after graduating, and fell in love with the Santa Cruz area. Since that time, I have lived in Michigan and Arizona, but returned to Mission Springs because of the redwoods, ocean, and community. I have worked in the kitchen, adventure department, maintenance, and now Outdoor Education. I love the outdoors and have a passion for teaching others about the environment. I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, gardening, listening to podcasts, and identifying plants on our trails. I love being near the ocean, exploring tide pools, and SCUBA diving. I am constantly in awe of the underwater world that is so close to us. I am grateful to work with a great Outdoor Education team, and to promote stewardship of our environment to students, teachers, chaperones, and fellow staff!

I first fell in love with Mission Springs the summer of 2003 while working at one of our summer kids’ camps. I spent two more summers at Mission Springs while completing my Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees at Trinity Western University in British Columbia, Canada. Excited to teach outside the classroom, I became a Naturalist at Mission Springs for the 2005/6 & 2006/7 seasons. I then moved to New Zealand for 2.5 years where I coordinated school groups as the Education and Activities Manager at a camp.  I then returned to Mission Springs as the Assistant Director of Frontier Ranch and Adventure Programs Coordinator, serving in that role for three year. I’ve had the honor of being the Director of Outdoor Education since February 2013. I love combining my passions for education and camp as I guide our amazing Naturalists in providing a vibrant outdoor education experience for students. I personally come alive when in nature, as I am often found trail running, surfing, hiking, and traveling.