Our mentors are the foundation for the success of the Explore Austin program. Our program is unique in that at least three mentors are chosen to lead each class of Explorers (15 students) for a minimum of a two-year period. Mentors are chosen through an application process designed to identify an applicant’s experience and passion for working with youth, demonstrated leadership ability, trustworthiness, resourcefulness, and accountability. Our Mentors come from varying backgrounds including military, education, business, etc. All Mentors must undergo an extensive background check, receive state mandated sexual misconduct training, and attend quarterly Explore Austin training sessions.
Mentors lead Explorers on six enriching Saturday Events during the school year and a seven to ten-day Summer Wilderness Trip where both Mentors and Explorers are mentally and physically challenged. Mentors are not expected to have technical outdoor skills, but instead are expected to reinforce Explore Austin’s ACES framework. They provide guidance by being a friend, a role model, a confidant and a nurturer. Being a Mentor in the Explore Austin program is definitely an enriching experience. To meet our Mentors, click on their name.
Interested in becoming a mentor? Click here.
A local Austinite, Jason attended Westwood High School, class of 1999. At 21 he joined the Marine Corps and served five years on active duty in San Diego, CA. Jason was raised on outdoor fun. He is an avid adventurer, …
Jeff is a native Austinite and graduated from Georgetown High School. He attended college in west Texas. He is currently a distributor for European Imports. In Jeff’s spare time, he loves to camp, hike, fish, mostly any activity that involves …
Meredith is a native New Yorker but hasn’t lived there since she graduated high school. She received a BA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was recruited to work at Dell in Nashville, TN. Meredith moved to Austin …
JJ is a transplant from a small town in North Texas, where she played club soccer and ran cross country and track. She moved to Austin to attend UT, where she earned a B.S. in Neurobiology. After working a few …
Dave is an entrepreneur, product developer, outdoorsman and personal development coach. He has a long and solid track history starting up and participating in Austin high tech companies and now works in his dream job where he helps develop and …
Chris Douglas is a consultant, coach and trainer and the founder of Quest Seminars, an organization that has helped many individual clients, teams and organizations dismantle counterproductive patterns and achieve greater professional and personal fulfillment. Chris has traveled extensively and …
As the son of an Air Force Major, Greg was fortunate to have the opportunity to live and visit many places growing up, his exposure to new and different environments have given him a broader perspective on life. Greg considers …
A native Austinite, Todd graduated from Austin High School and the University of Texas at Austin. After working several years in the commercial construction and insurance industries, he served four years on active duty as an officer in the United …
Bethany was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and attended Texas Lutheran University where she graduated with a degree in Kinesiology. After college she spent two and a half years teaching at an Outdoor Education Center (OEC) for the Houston Independent …
Ashlee grew up in New Braunfels, Texas and moved to Austin after getting her BA in Political Science at Texas State University in San Marcos. During college she worked as a nanny and currently works for St. Jude Medical as …
Joel’s family moved to Eastern Europe when he was eleven-years-old. He spent the next several years living in Lithuania, Russia, and Germany. Joel returned to the U.S. to attend Evangel University and joined the U.S. Peace Corps after graduation. He …
Mike is a native Southern Californian where he received his BA from California State University Long Beach and was recruited to Austin by Velocity Electronics in 2001 to help lead a growing sales team. Outside of work, Mike enjoys spending …
Jamie received his BA from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, his MBA from National University in San Diego, California , and is a graduate from the Acton MBA in Entrepreneurship program in Austin ,Texas, where he is currently a Master …
Originally from Chicago, Caroline graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA in English and Spanish. She moved to the great state of Texas immediately thereafter to teach fifth grade through the Teach for America program. After stints studying abroad in …
Director for the local non-profit Young Life, where he worked with students from Austin and McCallum high schools and O. Henry Middle Shcool. He currently works for Entercon, a radio station conglomerate, where he is the Public Affairs Director. His …
Clint Smith is passionate about helping kids succeed in life. He has been active in numerous mentoring programs, and he also spent a year away from the business world to teach fifth graders at an elementary school in Boulder, CO. …
I’m an Austin Native by way of Brackenridge Hospital and then Round Rock HS. I live in N. Austin with my girlfriend and 2 dogs. I love Austin and everything it has to offer, from Walnut Creek and the Greenbelt …
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