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.
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.
Lizzy has worked in the outdoor industry for more than 20 years, primarily in communications and marketing. She has served as a marketing manager, editor, and writer, publishing hundreds of articles across outdoor, cycling, and lifestyle publications. She is passionate about community and nonprofit work. When she’s not working, she can be found bikepacking, mountain biking, and packrafting.
Born and raised in Arizona, Marisol has always felt a deep connection to the outdoors that naturally led to a love for conservation. Over the past few years, she has had the opportunity to work on a variety of conservation-based projects throughout Arizona, California, and New York. Whether leading community workshops, restoring native habitats, or building awareness through hands-on learning, she is passionate about connecting people to nature. For Marisol, packrafting quickly became a natural extension of her love for wild, remote places, complementing her belief that the more we engage with the natural world, the more motivated we become to protect it.
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.
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.
Will grew up along the Snake River in southern Idaho, where hunting, fishing, and time spent outdoors shaped his early years. His paddling journey began in 2007 with a single inflatable kayak trip down the Main Payette — and he was hooked. By 2009, he was guiding commercially and soon found his passion in whitewater kayak instruction.In 2022, Will discovered packrafting and quickly embraced the freedom and adventure it offers. From desert rivers in the U.S. to remote canyons in Chile, he’s been chasing whitewater with a packraft ever since. In 2023, he joined the board of the American Packrafting Association, dedicating himself to supporting paddler education, safety, and stewardship within the growing packrafting community.
Originally from the Midwest, Eugene developed a love for the outdoors hiking the North Country Trail in Michigan. After years of exploring the region’s trails and paddling many of its rivers, he was invited to join a Grand Canyon rafting trip, where he rowed around 100 miles and navigated numerous rapids on the Colorado River — and quickly became hooked on river adventures. On his third Grand Canyon trip, Eugene was introduced to packrafts. Although they looked small compared to his 18-foot raft, once he tried a packraft, he was sold. As soon as he returned home, he ordered two packrafts. Shortly after, Eugene attended his first Packraft Roundup, where he learned more about the American Packrafting Association and the important work it does. Since then, he has been a proud supporting member.
Simon grew up paddling the flatwater creeks and rivers of southeastern Pennsylvania, sparking a lifelong passion for rivers and the outdoors. As he got older, he explored wild, remote places primarily through backpacking, until he discovered packrafting. He began packrafting in 2020, biking and floating flatwater rivers around the greater Boston area. Now based in western Massachusetts, he spends his time paddling local whitewater, creating road-based bikerafting loops across New England, and planning his next backcountry adventure. When he’s not on the water, Simon works as an energy-efficiency engineer or is busy restoring his 1968 wooden sailboat.
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.
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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