Director of Training - Ben Samuels
Ben began his outdoor adventure work in 1992 as a
Wilderness Counselor at a YMCA camp in The Berkshires,
Massachusetts. He returned to that camp for over ten seasons
including 4 years as Program Director. In 1997 he served as
an AmeriCorps Member for Community Youth Services in Olympia
Washington where he organized community service events and
worked at Lincoln Elementary School. In Olympia Ben also
became a Challenge Course Facilitator with the Evergreen
College 4H Program and began studying group dynamics.
This experience with youth led him into the field of
Residential Treatment where he learned how outdoor adventure
activities can be designed to be therapeutic. Ben worked at
The Kolburne School for over 4 years, most recently as
Activity Coordinator where he managed a challenge course,
aquatics program, social skills, and character education
programs.
Ben’s great love of the outdoors led him to become a
Kayak Instructor for Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. He
is an avid White Water Kayaker and kayak instructor and has
worked as a rafting photographer in Costa Rica.
Ben has a B.A. in Philosophy and Cognitive Science from SUNY Albany and has begun work in a Masters in Humanistic Education at SUNY New Paltz. He is Life Guard Instructor for the Red Cross and also teaches First Aid and CPR.