Who We Are

High 5's resident authority on design, construction and inspection of challenge course facilities, Todd has built many hundreds of challenge courses and is experienced on a wide variety of building styles including indoor, outdoor, poles and trees, dynamic and static courses.

Todd spent 11 years with Project Adventure before joining High 5 as a founding member in 2000. He has been involved with ACCT since its inception and was present during the drafting of the original installation standards. He holds a BS in Outdoor Recreation from Unity College.

Jim is the director and one of the founders of High 5 Adventure Learning Center and a veteran of more than 30 years in the adventure education field. Jim's extensive knowledge and avid commitment to the power of adventure education are evident throughout High 5's programs. He began his adventure career in 1979 and since then has trained thousands of people in the art of adventure.

Jim presents regularly at AEE, ACCT and AAHPERD conferences, regionally and nationally. He currently serves on the Certification Standards Committee of the Association for Challenge Course Technology. He has co-authored two books on adventure education, The High 5 Guide: Challenge Course Operating Procedures for the Thinking Practitioner with Nicki Hall and Back Pocket Adventure with Karl Rohnke. He has also written numerous articles for various publications in the field. He holds a Masters in Education from Salem State College in Salem, MA.

Melissa is our Office Coordinator and it's her voice you usually hear when we answer the phone. A true multi-tasker, Melissa is responsible for workshop registration and logistics, catalog orders, office information systems and keeping track of the comings and goings of the rest of us. She is also currently planning her wedding of September, 2010 to her fiancée, Nate.

Nicki is a veteran of adventure education. She is one of the founders of High 5 Adventure Learning Center and continues to facilitate training workshops for both beginner and advanced level practitioners on a part time basis. During her years at High 5 and Project Adventure, her keen eye and thorough approach have been instrumental in developing techniques for assessing the technical skills of practitioners. Her skills as a facilitator and her knowledge of adventure education have helped countless programs develop and thrive.

Whether she is leading a workshop, designing adventure curricula for schools and community groups, or facilitating team-building workshops, her passion is in helping adventure practitioners develop programs that are rich in spirit, practical in application and technically up to quality standards. She holds a Masters in Education from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. Nicki currently serves on the High 5 Board of Directors.

Jen is our Business Manager, overseeing business, financial and marketing efforts. She has 22 years of experience in business management and marketing, having developed her skills at agencies and design firms in New York, New Jersey and Colorado before joining High 5 in 2002. She holds a BA in Marketing from Farleigh Dickinson University.

Chris is High 5's training and program design coordinator with over 15 years of experience in adventure education. While he has developed and directed adventure programs in a variety of settings, his passion continues to be in training and sharing ideas with other practitioners. He has worked with a variety of clientele, including schools, summer camps, universities, corporations and social service organizations.

Chris regularly presents at regional, national and international conferences where he shares innovative programming and activity ideas. He is the driving force behind High 5's Adventure by the Handful blog. He has a degree in Recreation and Park Management from the Pennsylvania State University.

Gary is a lead builder and has been building challenge courses since 2002, stemming from a background in the building trades focusing on custom, organic structures. His building skills combine with his passion for climbing, resulting in creative challenge course elements and designs for High 5 and its customers.

His leisure time is spent outdoors, primarily hiking and climbing both rock and ice. He is a longtime AMC member, and recent member of the four thousand foot club. Gary also 
oversees the indoor rock climbing program at St. Paul's School in Concord NH, and spent ten years involved with the Boy Scouts of America, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. He also has what has been described as abnormal obsession for power tools.

Lucas is a builder's assistant and is currently using his construction skills to develop and grow into a lead builder and inspector in the challenge course industry. He grew up in Gettysburg, PA, is an outdoor enthusiast, and spends his leisure time kayaking on the rivers of Southern Vermont.

Daryl is the newest member of our training team and has recently returned to the Northeast from Georgia College and State University where she was an interim Professor of Physical Education and Outdoor Education. Before her time in Georgia, she spent 3 years as a trainer for Project Adventure.

Daryl's adventure history runs deep as she was a student and later a faculty member at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, where Project Adventure began in 1971. For 17 years Daryl taught physical education in both public and private schools in Massachusetts and received a Masters of Education degree from Salem State College. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at University of Massachusetts.

Dave is our Freeport, Maine-based builder/inspector and has 20 years in the challenge course business, beginning his career with Project Adventure in 1989. Prior to joining the team at High 5 in 2002, Dave ran his own successful business, Maine Ropes Inc., for three years.

An avid outdoor enthusiast, he spends his time on home improvement projects and adventure travel. His bike travels with him on work trips and he looks for riding opportunities wherever he happens to be. Dave holds degrees from Lyndon State College and Georgia College and State University.

Ian is our Challenge Course Development Coordinator, and also a talented lead builder and trainer for High 5. He is responsible for all of our building department's logistics and development - proposals, scheduling and customer liaison. He is a certified NOLS instructor and holds a bachelors degree in Adventure Based Management from Lyndon State College.