The American Packrafting Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting community among packrafters, packrafter safety and education, and opportunities to packraft responsibly on public lands.
Sarah discovered packrafting in 2019 while guiding in Alaska and was immediately hooked. She began volunteering with APA in 2021 and became its first Executive Director in 2022. Sarah loves APA for bringing together a passionate community while promoting education, safety and environmental stewardship. Now based in Missoula, she enjoys backpacking, mountain biking and paddling Montana's rivers.
Jarrod grew up spending each summer camping and backpacking in the Sierras, which instilled a deep love for nature at a young age. He started packrafting in 2020 and enjoys everything from whitewater to backcountry river and lake exploration, to bikerafting. Jarrod spends much of the year bikepacking, backpacking, climbing and enjoying other outdoor activities. A nonprofit administrator and fundraiser by trade, he advocates for protecting wild spaces and serves on the APA's Governance and Fundraising Committees.
Based in Oakland, California, Dirk takes full advantage of his location by exploring up and down the Sierras. He leads backpacking trips with TSX Challenge, a small guiding outfit out of Orinda, and loves trail running, mountain biking and fly fishing. Packrafting caught Dirk's attention as a way to make more creative routes in the wilderness and to see the backcountry from a different (and very fun!) vantage point. In addition to his role as APA Secretary, Dirk helpings with APA's Finance & Fundraising committee and regional initiatives in and around California.
Vincent is an entrepreneur, activist and outdoor enthusiast with expertise working in areas of global strategy, operations and development for companies such as Merrill Lynch, AT&T, Comcast and Avaya. Most recently, Vincent worked in public policy, where he was instrumental in working alongside public officials, businesses and civic leaders to pass legislation under Colorado House Bill 1284, a bill that provides patients in CO with equal and fair access to alternative treatments and medicines. Vincent is equally passionate about community, its youth and country. He has previously worked as a Business and Technology teacher in Colorado and proudly served his country as a US Army Communications Officer until 2003.
Molly has been lucky to call the Colorado Plateau home for over ten years, which is where she started packrafting as a way to connect her favorite desert landscapes. She works for the Manti La Sal National Forest in trails and recreation, and is passionate about public lands conservation. She also enjoys climbing, bikepacking, trail running and spending ample outside time with her pup Sprocket.
Patrick's goal to complete all the Great Walk in New Zealand had him face the reality and risk of ourdoors sports. When on a solo multi-day trip through Whanganui Journey he capsized and had a close call on day 2. Upon returning to the United States in 2020 he spent a month with Nantahala Outdoor Center were he found his love with paddling. Over the last three years he has paddle across Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina, Tennessee, California, and Chile. His home waters are in Washington where he volunteers his free time to help build the community and advocate for safety through programs with Washington Kayak Club and Mountaineers. Today, he specializes in packrafting and enjoys all the adventures it has to offer and dreams of connecting routes across landscapes.
Shannon has always been a water baby and plays on top of the water and as well as under the water (scuba diving). She enjoys her adventures in the mountains as a trail runner, hunter, angler, paddler and skier. With a strong background in international marketing, conservation and nonprofit management, Shannon is thrilled to use her powers for good on the governance and fundraising committees for APA.
Dan grew up in New England in a family that took to heart the saying that there's absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as messing about in boats. Needless to say, Dan has spent a lot of time on the water. Following a move to Colorado, mountain and desert adventures became the focus before rediscovering his love for water through packrafting in 2019, exploring the river canyons of the southwest. Dan works as a research scientist focused on water management and examining the impacts of climate change, and finds the experience of traveling down rivers invaluable in understanding a place and the people who care for it. Outside of work and his boat, he can be found on skis in the mountains, on a rope in the desert, or likely engaging in some combination of outdoor activities.
Interested in joining an APA committee or a future role on the Board?
Don’t hesitate to contact Executive Director Sarah Kilbourne (sarah.kilbourne@packraft.org). If you are interested in a future role on APA's Board of Directors, you can review expectations for APA Directors here and the application form here.
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