Founder and Chief Education Director
Chris built Youth Outdoor Workshops from the ground up – sparked by a simple realization while raising his daughter: kids need more time outside, learning through discovery, not worksheets.
What started as a personal mission quickly became something bigger. With a Master’s in Education from Saint Mary’s College of California, dual certifications from the American Montessori Society, and years in the classroom at schools like Richmond Montessori and Sabot at Stony Point, Chris brought serious educational chops to YOW’s founding. But ask any parent or kid who’s worked with him, and they’ll tell you it’s not the credentials that stick – it’s the way he connects. He has a rare ability to meet children exactly where they are, earning the kind of trust that turns nervous first-timers into confident explorers.
Chris stepped back from day-to-day operations to focus on his daughter – the inspiration behind it all – and, true to form, couldn’t stay away from adventure. He’s currently following the Montessori trail to its Italian roots, exploring Europe with his family.
CEO
Kristen has shaped YOW into what it is today – expanding programming, strengthening systems, and deepening its impact on Richmond families. She came up through the classroom and quickly became indispensable, seeing what needed to be done and doing it, again and again until she was running the organization.
She’s passionate about the mission because she’s seen firsthand what it does for kids – and because she was one of them. She comes from an arts background and a childhood spent in the woods, fueled by imagination and frustrated by traditional schooling. She’s building what she wished existed then.
Head of Child Relations
The inspiration behind it all! Juniper was the reason YOW came to be, and she’s been along for the ride ever since. You’ll see her namesake color, Juniper Blue, throughout our branding.