MEET OUR BOARD
Dean Reynolds
Board Member
With over 10 years of work with youth at risk in wilderness settings and group homes, Dean is a firm believer in the power of restoration in an individual’s life through wilderness counseling.
Dean’s experience has confirmed that when a person is away from the distractions of everyday life, he or she can move inward and begin the work of healing. This renewal process is possible when the individual allows the purpose and hope of God to replace negative coping patterns.
It was from this understanding that Dean started Seeds Wilderness Therapy, where individuals will meet with God to renew and restore their lives and become productive members of their families.
Dean has an associates degree in Outdoor Recreation and Leadership from Northern Michigan University and a bachelors degree from Toccoa Falls College with an emphasis in ministry and counseling. He holds a pastoral license from the Christian and Missionary Alliance and is pursuing ordination as a reverend.
Dean’s wilderness experience includes work as a NOLS instructor, Outward Bound instructor, and over 1,000 instructor days in the field of wilderness therapy. He’s also served with search and rescue and as a wildland and structure fire-fighter.
One of Dean’s great joys is spending time with his wife Megan, with whom he shares a growing vision for cross-cultural missions.
Mark
Treasurer
Mark has worked with a global faith-based mission organization for more than 36 years. Twelve of those years were in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The first eight years with street evangelism ministry, and then in his last four years he led the homefront team for a project that was planting churches throughout Siberia. He moved to Colorado Springs in May 1997 to work with that organization’s largest training campuses. There he served as the Homefront Director for the fieldwork amongst unreached Central Asian people from 1997 till 2009. In this time he was on the core leadership team that pioneered the development of a for-profit educational business, which expanded to a 2nd location in that nation, six locations in the Middle-East, and India. Simultaneously, in 1997 he started an online business that supplies secure communication solutions for NGOs, businesses and individual missionaries. He continues to run this profitably today. In 2010 he pioneered the Business as Mission resource team. Under his leadership the team has grown from two to 23 members, runs several missional focused businesses, pioneered and runs multiple BAM focused training program, assisted in established several businesses in the 1040 window, hosts tours for business people in the USA to visit field BAM ventures, established a BAM Impact Fund and provides support for entrepreneurs doing BAM around the globe. Mark lives in Colorado Springs with his wife Åsa and has four children and three grandchildren.
Dwight Grant
Secretary of the Board
Dwight has over 30-years experience in non-profit leadership having served Sr. Director at Focus on the Family, General Manager at Peacemaker Ministries, Director at Penn-York Camp. He was the founder of Vessels For Honor Rafting company which he ran with his family for about 10 years. He & his wife also helped to start a charter school in Colorado Springs.
Dwight graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a BA in Outdoor Leadership and later completed his MBA from APU.
He attends Front Range Alliance Church in Colorado Springs where he also serves as a small group leader.
Sam Smith
Chairman of the Board
Sam graduated cum laude with his Master of Arts in Community Counseling degree from Argosy University, while working full time for the Air Force.
Sam is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Georgia and is nationally recognized by the National Board of Certified Counselors. He is a member in good standing with the American Counseling Association, and the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Sam is a Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Suicide Prevention, Bystander training facilitator. He is also a Save Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS) facilitator for individual, couples, or small groups. Sam is highly skilled in Attachment-Based and Emotionally Focused Therapy clinician. Although he uses a “person-centered” foundation with all his clients, he includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Attachment Theory, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Logo Therapy, etc. to meet the needs of clients. Sam has served in the military for over 20 years, served throughout the world, deployed 7 times, and continues to serve locally at Dobbins ARB, GA.
Sam spent four years working in wilderness therapy where he enjoyed helping families work through struggles such as adoption, oppositional behaviors, learning disabilities, and many other issues.
Sam is passionate about improving families and marriages. He lives in Kennesaw with his wife, two children, and two dogs. Sam’s hobbies include hunting, fishing, adventure races, coaching his kids’ basketball teams, but given the choice, he spends and much time as he can hiking and biking with his family. Sam also volunteers as a small group leader for the young adults’ ministry at his church.
“It has been my dream to be a part of a Christian wilderness therapy program for over 22 years. Being part of Seeds and knowing the impact God will make on the families we serve is a true answer to prayer. I pray that God will also use us to answer the prayers of those individuals and families that are hurting and scared. It is my prayer that this ministry will be a generational blessing that reaches far beyond those that choose to bless us with the opportunity to share their yolk.”
Dr. Tod Bethea MD
Board Member - Medical Adviser
Dr. Tod Bethea is a family medicine doctor in Cleveland, Georgia and is affiliated with Northeast Georgia Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.
Tod served as the medical director in a wilderness therapy program for 15 years and has worked at a free clinic to provide medical care to underserved clients for the last 4 years.
Tod and his wife Deana run an equine ministry called Steadfast Family Farm and engage their neighbors through a missional community. Tod is also an elder in his local church.