Board of Directors

The Coalition of American Canyoneers has a seven-member board. Board members serve two-year terms, and elections are held for board positions each July. CAC held its first formal board election in July of 2012.

sonny Lawrence

Sonny Lawrence

I started canyoneering when inserted at the top of a canyon by helicopter in the early 1970’s to search for a lost hiker. As a retired psychiatrist, I am able to experience canyons around the globe. I continue to participate in volunteer mountain search and rescue as a member of the Cave and Technical Rescue Team, adding to the technical aspect of the sport via backyard gear and technique testing.

rich rudow

Rich Rudow

I live in Arizona and found my first technical canyon in 1998 while pushing a Grand Canyon route further than I probably should have. After 500 days below the rim finding slot canyons, an inevitable run in with the NPS convinced me that the Canyoneering community must be more proactive and involved if we’re to keep these places open.

Hankmoon

Hank Moon

Childhood camping with my father: Shenandoah Valley, Smoky Mountains…rock and water, snakes and turtles, Ranger Rick magazine. All strengthened my passion for the outdoors and ultimately led to working with PMI. By 1998 I was working with Petzl America and when the company decided to move to Utah from Georgia, I got on board immediately. I had heard of mysterious desert drainways called slot canyons and by chance discovered Pine Creek Canyon in Zion. Having spotted it from the canyon overlook trail, we scurried down the slot to the first rappel and saw water pooled far below. Ooops, no wetsuits in the car. Four months later I returned to do Pine Creek and became thoroughly hooked on Zion’s twisty topography.

I’m looking forward to working with the CAC board and membership to help develop the organization into a lasting entity that will continue to serve the canyoneering community.

danielle monroy

Danielle Monroy

I have been an educator for over 30 years and have sat on many boards, state and county commissions; serving as President of several. I am hoping that I can use my energy and commitment to the sport and the community to work towards implementing the CAC’s goals and projects. I like organizing events and would love to do so for this wonderful community. Whether it’s putting together a canyon clean-up event or a social gathering or fundraiser, I throw myself 100% into everything I do.

The sport of canyoneering is unique because we love exploring these wild places and need to protect their natural state. A relative newcomer, I discovered it with my family in Zion four years ago and have been gobbling up every canyon and training opportunity that comes my way. I have descended several hundred canyons in the United States and Europe. I enjoy leading and organizing canyon group trips and have been blessed to have been mentored by some amazing athletes in this sport. Sharing my knowledge with others is equally rewarding and I’m honored to continue to serve in an official capacity through the CAC.

jason bowman

Jason Bowman

I have been a climber and backpacker since a very young age which led to me joining a volunteer mountain rescue team in Arizona in 2007. I quickly became very active in the regional and national mountain rescue community and was introduced by fellow rescuers to canyoneering. Since then I have descended countless canyons all around the western U.S. and Canada and made canyoneering my primary outdoor pursuit. I frequently attend canyon rendezvous, have participated in several canyon clean-up projects, and regularly teach canyoneering awareness courses to several mountain rescue teams.

In 2016 I moved to Oregon to accept a full time career in search and rescue. I feel that my extensive background in both volunteer and paid SAR has given me a unique perspective on working with land managers and promoting safety, both key to the CAC’s mission.

Tom Seeley

I love the outdoors and have a strong passion for canyoneering. Canyoneering has enriched my life in so many ways. I would love to help the CAC and give back to the canyon community. I work for Arizona Rock & Canyon Adventures and volunteer as a Rock Instructor for the Arizona Mountaineering Club. I am certified professionally by both the American Canyoneering Association (ACA) and by the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). I am also a certified Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician.

I graduated from LaSalle Military Academy and went on to earn my BA from the University of the Pacific and my MA from New York University. I have served on numerous boards over the years including a term as the VP of the Arizona Mountaineering Club. Originally from New York, I have also lived in California, Virginia and Florida before relocating to Arizona ten years ago.

willie hunt

Willie Hunt

I’ve been an avid adventurer all my life, exploring woods, bayous, and storm sewers as a kid in Houston, TX. When I moved to Indiana, I got seriously into cycling, caving, rock climbing, and soon after mountaineering in the early 1990’s. When I moved to California around 2000, I enjoyed easy access to big mountains, world class rock climbs, and canyons which were new to me at the time. I did a few canyons here and there, but in March 2017, I got into canyoneering in a major way and found that SoCal has so many fun canyons. And some 400 canyon runs later, I’m still loving it, even more!

Over the years, I’ve helped out many cleanups, trail building & maintenance, access issues, teaching proper techniques and conservation. Being good stewards is critical to maintaining access, whether on public or private land. I’ve seen far too many awesome places closed to the public when the users could have done much better to keep them open. I’m honored to serve the CAC to help keep canyons open and well-kept for all to enjoy.

Kevin Anderson

I’m a passionate outdoor enthusiast who loves to hike, bike camp and canyoneer. I’ve lived in Colorado for most of my life and spend my free time enjoying the outdoors. I’m a Leave No Trace advocate and believe that protecting open access and preserving our public lands through education plays a fundamental role in ensuring future generations enjoy canyoneering (and all outdoor activities) as much as we do. I’m excited to be a part of the Coalition of American Canyoneers Board of Directors to continue educating, protecting access and promoting safety for current and future adventurers.

CAC Advisory Panel

The advisory board is made up of past board members who continue to contribute their expertise to the Coalition of American Canyoneers.

ram

Steve Ramras (Ram)

As a devoted parent of two skilled canyoneers, I am committed to conserving and protecting access to canyon country for future generations. My particular interest is in mainstreaming new “leave-no-trace” tools and techniques. I am very grateful for a life rich with friends and adventures and sees my efforts with CAC as a way to repay this good fortune via community service.

alane urban

Alane Urban

I began in the sport of canyoneering in 2009. While I always loved adventure, keeping active and enjoying outdoor sports such as biking (mountain and road biked around the US and the world), running and hiking, I never had much technical experience. While the idea always intrigued me and I read all the great books and articles on mountaineering, I never tried anything like it until meeting this great group of people who called themselves canyoneers. After the first trip, I was hooked. Hooked on the community of people, the beauty of the environment, the teamwork and problem solving that goes into the sport and the self-discovery that ensues as part of this activity.

I want to help keep our sport of Canyoneering open to us forever. The mission of the CAC of Conservation, Access, Education and Safety is necessary for this goal.

mike zampino

Mike Zampino

Growing up in Arizona, I fell in love with the outdoors early on and immediately learned the importance of promoting LNT ethics. I took up climbing in 1990. A few years later I discovered slot canyons and was immediately hooked. However, it took me two decades to discover technical canyoneering and that I could combine my rope skills with my love for slot canyons. This opened up a whole new world to explore, which I have done extensively in Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

I have 3 daughters, one of which has also taken up the sport under my watchful eye. With the tremendous growth canyoneering has seen in the last five years, I realize the importance of the CAC and its ability to help protect this fragile environment and at the same time make sure we retain access to these unique and special places.

rick demarest

Rick Demarest

I’ve been wandering in the Utah and Arizona deserts since 1985. First, on Colorado River trips through the Grand Canyon and then exploring the canyonlands southern Utah. Fascinated by “what’s up there?”, I eventually found my way to technical canyoneering.

As the owner of a rafting company, I’ve been involved with land managers and rangers for the NPS, BLM, and USFS. Having seen river regulations imposed in a few areas without any public input, it’s clear that as canyoneering continues to grow access regulations will follow. It has happened in Zion and is in progress in the Grand Canyon, Arches and southern California. Most of my work with CAC is on the tech side – the website, editing, and creating graphics for presentations.

Documents

The Coalition of American Canyoneers is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in the State of Arizona.
Organizational Documents