Leadership Team
Josiah went in open and excited but apprehensive. He knew nobody on his trip or anybody who had ever been on an Adventure Treks trip. When I picked Josiah up from his trip, he was proud, calm, and inspired. He is a blessed kid who has been given wonderful opportunities, and Adventure Treks was one of his most favorite of all his life experiences. He made incredible friends, loved his instructors, had exciting experiences, and is negotiating daily regarding how to visit his friends in other cities. He said, “I loved it. One of the best communities I’ve ever been in.” Thank you, AT. – Sarah Weinberg, parent from San Francisco, CA
Dave “Dmac” McGlashan, executive director
Dave, or “Dmac,” has been with Adventure Treks since 2006. Originally from western North Carolina, he grew up going to summer camps in the area. He attended the University of Tennessee and earned a bachelor’s degree in human ecology, and then a master’s degree in recreation and leisure studies. After graduate school, Dmac came back to the Blue Ridge Mountains to be the associate director of Camp Arrowhead; he also spent time working for the Multnomah Education Service District Outdoor School in Oregon. He went on to work for a non-profit in Maine providing after-school programming for middle and high schoolers, focusing on outdoor adventure, community service, and life skills.
Dmac is the president of the board for the America Outdoors Association, a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School, and a wilderness first responder. He has explored the outdoors of Italy, Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, France, Germany, Australia, and many more. In his free time, Dmac can often be found mountain biking in western North Carolina’s forests.
Amanda Fox-McGlashan, director
Amanda is a North Carolina native and attended Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in communication and journalism. After graduating, she moved to Boulder, CO, to be an editor for Climbing and SNEWS magazines; she also reported for the Outdoor Retailer Daily at the outdoor industry’s namesake twice-yearly trade show.
Later, she moved on to work for a digital marketing agency and gained a certificate teaching Bikram yoga. Her passion for teaching, communications, and being in the outdoors collided when she joined Adventure Treks in 2014. Amanda is a wilderness first responder and in her free time can be found trail running, mountain biking, and cycling in the beautiful western NC mountains. She also serves on the non-profit volunteer board for the Friends of DuPont Forest.
Rachel O’Neil, associate director
Rachel hails from Green Bay, WI, where she attended the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and earned a bachelor’s degree in social work. She spent her summers leading backpacking, canoeing, and kayaking trips in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, and after college completed a thru-hike of the 2,200-mile-long Appalachian Trail. She jumped into the Adventure Treks world in 2018 and led trips for several seasons before joining the office full-time.
Rachel is a first responder, and she and her husband, Brett, love to hike and mountain bike in western North Carolina and spend time with their cats Butterbean and Ahsoka. In summer 2022, they completed a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail!
Kyle D’Ambrosio, staffing director
A California native, Kyle first joined Adventure Treks in summer 2021. He has spent the many spring and fall seasons as a gap semester instructor for ARCC, and he’s also led backpacking trips for the Dunn School in his home state. During and after his time at Cal Poly, Kyle spent four years as a trip leader for his university’s outdoor program, Poly Escapes. There, he led backpacking, rock climbing, and camping trips throughout California’s national parks, including Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yosemite, and Joshua Tree. He was also a board member, helping run the leadership and training program for new instructors. He spent some time volunteering for Camp Kesem in San Luis Obispo and at an eco-lodge in Costa Rica, and he was a chemist for Promega Biosciences, working in the manufacturing department with the materials that go into making PCR test for kids.
Lauren Richert, logistics director
Originally from Olympia, WA, Lauren spent the last school year teaching an outdoor recreation course at her alma mater, Union College, in Lincoln, NE; she also led an expedition to Malawi for pre-med students where they worked in clinics and refugee camps and backpacked around Mt. Mulanje (the same expedition she took as a student!). This spring, she also taught swiftwater, technical rope, and search and rescue courses in Colorado. She’s done rescue and relief work in Florida and Louisiana as well. Previously, she was a camp counselor in Washington, where she worked with kids ages 7–17. Lauren has worked with Adventure Treks since summer 2022.
