Association of Adventist Camp Professionals : Seminars Bios & Descriptions

Location: Conference Room (Welcome Center)

Session 1

Seminar Title: Navigating Claims: From Loss to Resolution
Presenter: Hunter Pettit

Bio: Hunter Pettis is the Manager of Risk Control at Adventist Risk Management, Inc., where he leads a team dedicated to helping organizations identify and mitigate potential liabilities. With a background in psychology and an MBA from Washington Adventist University, Hunter brings a unique blend of insight and strategic thinking to the field of risk management.

Description: This session breaks down what to do immediately after a loss, how to file a claim, and what details the claims team needs to move quickly. Participants will leave understanding how to communicate effectively with adjusters and take proactive steps to minimize damage.

Session 2

Seminar Title: Safety Trends in Adventist Camps
Presenter: Hunter Pettit

Description: Explore emerging risks and repetitive loss patterns in camp operations. Learn how to identify practical strategies to reduce injuries and strengthen the culture of safety across our organizations.

Session 3

Seminar Title: Annual Renewal Simplified
Presenter: Rocio Roberts

Bio: Rocio Robert's is an Account Executive for Adventist Risk Management, Inc., serving various organizations in the South Pacific Division and the Southwestern Union. She has worked for the Adventist Church since 2006, with previous experience in various departments within conferences in the Southern Union. She holds several insurance and risk management designations.

Description: Gain a step-by-step understanding of the yearly insurance renewal process, including how to gather accurate information and interpret each section of the form. This session will highlight common pitfalls, how to report scheduled activities correctly, and which exposures require separate coverage.

Session 4

Seminar Title: Coverage Clarity: Property Insurance Conversations
Presenter: Brian Schwab & Rocio Roberts

Bio: Brian Schwab is the Manager of Risk Control at Adventist Risk Maangement, Inc., and has served the Adventist Church for over 25 years. He has served at schools, youth camps, and conferences in roles including education, physical plant maintenance, facilities management, and as the insurance and risk management director at the Southeastern California Conference.

Rocio Robert's is an Account Executive for Adventist Risk Management, Inc., serving various organizations in the South Pacific Division and the Southwestern Union. She has worked for the Adventist Church since 2006, with previous experience in various departments within conferences in the Southern Union. She holds several insurance and risk management designations.

Description: Join this session as we dissect portions of your property insurance policy. This session explores different coverage types and will equip you with confident talking points to guide discussions when full replacement coverage isn’t feasible. Participants will learn how to explain the difference between replacement cost, agreed max, and actual cash value in ways that make sense. We’ll explore the statement of values, business income and extra expense, and equipment breakdown coverages.

Location: Chapel Right

Session 1

Seminar Title: Camp Done Right: The Essential Playbook for a Winning Summer
Presenter: Greg & Kim Taylor

Bio: Greg & Kim Taylor have a passion for sharing Jesus with young people and inspiring youth and young adults for mission and service. Pastor Greg and Kim have two amazing children named Matthew and Joshua. Kim and Greg have been a ministry team from the very beginning of their relationship. While in college, they worked at Camp Cedar Falls and then Camp Au Sable. It was at AU Sable, that Greg felt the call to ministry and continued to study Theology and secondary education at Andrews University as Kim finished her education degree for both elementary and secondary schools. Both Kim and Greg taught at Grand Rapids Adventist Academy in Michigan and later accepted the call to Spencerville Adventist Academy in Maryland. After seven years in the classroom, the couple accepted the call for Greg to be the youth Pastor at the Glendale Seventh-day Adventist Church in Indianapolis. Greg and Kim soon received a call to Wisconsin to serve as the youth director team. After six amazing years, another call came to serve as youth director for the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference of SDA. Greg currently is serving as the Southern Union Youth and Young Adult Director along with his wife Kim who serves as the Southern Union Youth and Young Adult Coordinator. Along with the adventures of being a youth director, Greg enjoys running, playing basketball, playing guitar and spending time with his beautiful family! Kim can often be found exercising, reading, playing piano or just catching up with friends. Together they are still passionate about sharing Jesus and making disciples of Jesus Christ.

Description: From hiring and firing to creating a culture of evangelism, join us to discus the essentials to a successful summer camp. Come ready to share, listen, inspire and be inspired as we journey through this amazing ministry together.

Session 2

Seminar Title: The Leadership Compass: A Staff Training Tool to Boost Buy-in & Performance
Presenter: Donnie Keele III

Bio: N/A

Description: If you can pick what your team will be known for as leaders, what would you choose? If you could build a machine that could turn complex camp situations into clear decisions, what components would it have? What if core values were more than a corporate branding exercise? This session will delve into the world of values and explore how, when thoughtfully chosen, personally defined, and intentionally expressed, they are the key to clear, confident, and authentic leadership. Incorporate this experience into your staff training to help your staff generate an intentional list of their own values - ranked and defined - and then help them leverage those values to make better decisions and lead within your organization.

Session 3

Seminar Title: Mission Multipliers: Partnering with Pastors for Maximum Impact
Presenter: Dan Whitlow

Bio: With a lifelong passion for youth and camp ministry, Dan has dedicated over three decades to serving young people through outdoor and spiritual leadership. His journey began at just five years old as a “staff brat,” and he has since devoted 27 years to Camp Cherokee in the New York Conference and six years at Timber Ridge Camp as a staff in the Indiana Conference.

Married to his wife Lisa for 43 years, they have raised three children together while sharing a deep commitment to ministry and family life. Outside of his role as Youth Director, he enjoys backpacking, camping, and Pathfinders—though his calling keeps him so engaged that many of his other interests have to wait for another season.

Description: This seminar will equip leaders with practical strategies for collaborating effectively with their administrations, executive committees, and pastors to ensure that the spiritual and relational decisions made at summer camp are nurtured and sustained. Participants will learn proven methods for building communication bridges and creating systems of accountability that help young people continue their faith journey long after camp ends.

Session 4

Seminar Title: Inside & Out: Marketing to our Denomination and our Communities
Presenter: Julie Minnick

Bio: Julie Minnick is the Associate Director for Camp Ministries at Camp Blue Ridge in the Potomac Conference. With a 25-year career in Christian camping, she has served in various roles, from guest services to administration. In her current position, Julie oversees the business administration of the camp, including marketing, public relations, reservations, accounting, and guest services. In her free time, she and her husband Randy enjoy spending time with their coonhounds and good friends, as well as traveling and experiencing new and exciting places.

Description: This seminar will explore untapped resources and opportunities camps can utilize to reach target markets within their denomination and local communities. It will also identify tools and technologies that will assist camps in reaching target markets more effectively and efficiently.

Seminars in Chapel Left

Session 1

Seminar Title: Prepared, Not Paralyzed: Responding to Threats at Campgrounds
Presenter: Ken Scott

Bio: Ken Scott, Sr. is the Founder & CEO of Scott Security Solutions, LLC, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development School graduate, and certified SWAT operator with over 36 years in law enforcement leadership. He has led security for major institutions including Oakwood University, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and Smoothie King Center home to the NFL’s Saints and NBA’s Pelicans and the Federal Reserve Bank of New Orleans. In addition to having served as a Security Consultant to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Ken is currently Security Director for the Southwest Region Conference, 2024 International Camporee, and 2025 BAYDA. His mission: Protect. Prepare. Lead.

Description: When danger strikes, hesitation can cost lives, being prepared ensures decisive action. In this seminar, staff will learn practical, easy-to-apply strategies to stay calm, respond quickly, and keep their campground community safe.

Session 2

Seminar Title: Cool Heads, Safe Camps: Mastering De-Escalation Skills
Presenter: Ken Scott

Description: Conflicts can spark quickly in camp settings, but the right words and calm presence can turn tension into teamwork. This seminar equips camp staff with proven de-escalation techniques to keep situations safe, positive, and under control.

Session 3

Seminar Title: Eyes Open, Camp Safe: Spotting Early Warning Signs
Presenter: Ken Scott

Description: Staying safe starts with seeing the small signs before they become big problems. This presentation empowers camp staff to sharpen their awareness, recognize early warning signals, and take proactive steps to keep the camp community secure.

Session 4

Seminar Title: Turning Clashes into Cooperation: Building Peaceful Camps
Presenter: Ken Scott

Description: Conflict doesn’t have to divide, it can be an opportunity to strengthen trust and teamwork. In this seminar, camp staff will gain practical tools to defuse disagreements, guide campers toward resolution, and create a more peaceful, cooperative camp environment.

Location: Gym Room 1

Session 1

Seminar Title: Level Up Camp Operations Training in UltraCamp’s New LMS
Presenter: Derek Wright & Donnie Keele III

Bio: Derek serves as CEO of UltraCamp and previously led Camp Wawona, an AACP member camp. With experience on both sides of the desk (camp operations and technology) Derek brings a practical, empathetic perspective to the challenges camp leaders face. His focus is on delivering tools that streamline work, reduce friction, and free teams to serve campers and families better.

Donnie Keele leads digital media and learning engagement initiatives at UltraCamp, a camp management software company based in SW Michigan. With a background that includes camp management, higher education, certified coaching, and certified corporate training, Donnie is at his best whenever he is helping others discover and leverage their unique talents toward what gives them purpose and brings them joy.

Description: Explore how UltraCamp’s LMS streamlines onboarding for camp operations in UltraCamp with self-paced, role-based courses. We’ll walk through the “New to UltraCamp” path and show how faster software training turns into smoother operations—and more value—right away.

Session 2

Seminar Title: Work Smarter This Summer with UltraCamp V2
Presenter: Derek Wright

Description: Discover faster decisions with live dashboards, build once–reuse forever reporting, and effortless housing assignments powered by your camp’s rules. This session shows exactly how to replace manual tasks with smarter tools.

Session 3

Seminar Title: Intentional Individualized Influence: How Authentic Leaders Maximize Their Strengths
Presenter: Donnie Keele III

Bio: Donnie Keele leads digital media and learning engagement initiatives at UltraCamp, a camp management software company based in SW Michigan. With a background that includes camp management, higher education, certified coaching, and certified corporate training, Donnie is at his best whenever he is helping others discover and leverage their unique talents toward what gives them purpose and brings them joy.

Description: Camp needs strong leaders. But too often “strong leadership” is defined as a set of prized personality traits rather than the successful leveraging of individual abilities. What would it look like if we stopped chasing after the fantasy of generic, idealized leadership and instead worked to discover, celebrate, and maximize our own unique talents? Join us as we explore leadership as intentional, individualized influence and how our unique talents might shape and refine our approach to camp leadership.

Session 4

Seminar Title: From Ideals to Experiences: Keys to a Thriving Staff Culture in 2026
Presenter: Donnie Keele III

Description: What does it take to create a thriving staff culture in today's ever evolving work environment? In this session, we'll dive into the latest findings from the Ultracamp Summer Camp Employment Study to uncover what today's college students value most in a work experience. You'll walk away with a clear definition of “culture” and practical tools like the Camp Experience Wheel to measure and improve staff engagement. Learn how intentional habits, core values, and empathetic leadership can transform your campus culture from ideals into real, meaningful experiences that keep your staff returning season after season.

Location: Oak Lodge

Session 1

Seminar Title: Recognizing and Responding Helpfully to Anxiety
Presenter: Dr. Jonathan Betlinski

Bio: In keeping with his love of sweaters, golf, and sporting a beard, Jonathan Betlinski is a psychiatrist and academic from Portland, Oregon. He believes in the power of family, community, relationship, diverse perspectives, deep conversations, being outdoors, a good night's sleep, and leaving the world better for having spent time in it.

Description: What are anxiety disorders? How can we help campers and camp staff who live with anxiety? Attend this session and get answers to those questions and more!

Session 2

Seminar Title: Countering Childhood Trauma
Presenter: Dr. Jonathan Betlinski

Description: Most of us know that what happens to us as children can shape the rest of our lives--especially when what happens is traumatic. Come to learn what improves children's chances for healthy lives.

Session 3

Seminar Title: Dealing with Discouragement and Burnout
Presenter: Dr. Jonathan Betlinski

Description: Learn how to spot burnout and related conditions in yourself and your camp staff, and what you can do to be helpful for those experiencing it.

Session 4

Seminar Title: Healthy Boundaries and Other Self Care
Presenter: Dr. Jonathan Betlinski

Description: Attend this session to learn how to protect and grow your emotional and mental health.