Staff & Instructors

Trusting others with the safety of your children is not an easy thing to do, so we wanted to take a brief moment to tell you about who we are:

Ford Church, M.A., Founder and Executive Director:

Ford Church has over 20 years of experience as a participant, instructor, teacher, and administrator for a variety of nonprofit environmental education organizations, public schools, and for-profit outdoor companies in Colorado, including the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. Ford received a B.S.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Denver in 1998 and a M.A. in Adventure Education Program Management from Prescott College in 2003, where he developed the foundation for the Cottonwood Institute as a culminating project of his thesis. In addition to being the executive director of the Cottonwood Institute, Ford is a graduate advisor for the Master of Arts Program at Prescott College, is an adjunct professor at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, and offers Free 3-season and winter survival clinics for REI.

Paul Dreyer, M.A., Cottonwood Institute Vice-President and Advisory Board Member:

Paul received his M.A. in School Counseling, from the University of Northern Colorado and his B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Michigan. Paul was born in South Africa, but moved to the United States as a small child and he has continued to seek out travel, adventure, and education ever since. Paul has worked with teenagers in and around the world of experiential education for over twelve years. A self-proclaimed “jack-of-all-trades,” Paul has had the opportunity to work at a variety of organizations and to support a diverse spectrum of students.  He worked as an educator for the Shackleton School in Massachusetts, an expeditionary-based boarding school.  He was a residential student advisor at Brush Ranch School in Pecos, New Mexico, a private high school for students with learning disabilities. He was an educational consultant with Northlight Family Services. Currently, Paul works with a number of educational organizations in Boulder, CO, including The Watershed School, Avid 4 Adventure, and Vagabond Ranch Huts.  In addition, Paul teaches all levels of first aid courses with the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS.  Much of Paul’s experience comes from teaching, leading, and counseling groups of teenagers in remote, outdoor settings.  Paul has worked for numerous organizations and schools as an expeditionary leader, guiding extended mountain, river, canyon, and service trips throughout the United States.

April Pishna, B.A., Cottonwood Institute Program Director:

April is a snowboard fanatic and avid outdoors person.  She loves to hike, camp, and listen to the trees whisper.  She has extensive experience in the administrative field but her desire to work with kids and her love for the outdoors inspired her to receive a B.A. in Elementary Education from Colorado Christian University.  April volunteers as a mentor with SOS Outreach, a non-profit group that teaches life values through skiing and snowboarding.  She also has a great passion for photography and travel, and believes that life is simply beautiful! April began working with the Cottonwood Institute in 2009 as our Adventure Coordinator and was promoted to Program Director in 2011.

Paige Doughty, M.S., Earth Task Force Mentor:

Paige is a writer, an artist, and an environmental educator. She is always looking for ways to blend her creative passions with her deep commitment to education towards a sustainable culture. Paige first came to Boulder in 1998 to attend the University of Colorado. She studied English Literature and French Language, and fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. Paige earned her Master’s degree in Environmental Education with Lesley University and the Audubon Expedition Institute. During this field-based graduate program she called a tent her home for three semesters and has since worked at Living On Earth as an environmental journalist, acted as the Program Coordinator for The Green Streets Initiative, a grassroots organization, was a teacher / naturalist for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and moved from the east coast back to the Rocky Mountains.

Madeline Bachner, M.S., Community Adventure Program Instructor and Adventure Coordinator

Madeline comes to the Cottonwood Institute with over ten years of outdoor education and guiding experience along with a passion for sharing her love of nature and adventure with others.  She earned a B.A. in biology at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana in 2002 and completed an M.S. in Environmental Education through Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts with the Audubon Expedition Institute in 2007.  Born and raised in the Sugar Creek Valley of Indiana, Madeline gained her love of nature and appreciation for adventures in the woods and creeks of the Mid-west.  She started leading backcountry hiking and canoeing trips in Maine in 2003. She has since guided trips in the North Maine Woods, Indiana, Wyoming, British Columbia, Hawaii and Gautamala. She has worked with many high quality programs, including the Teton Science School, and has spent the last several years learning and teaching about the flora, fauna, snow and mountains of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Brittany Salley-Rains, Cottonwood Institute Instructor:

Brittany became involved with the Cottonwood Institute as a student at New Vista High School in Boulder, Colorado. Through her involvement with the Community Adventure Program and CAP Club she began to explore her passion for the outdoors, commitment to sustainability, and love of teaching. Brittany enjoys hiking, camping, rafting, horseback riding, yoga, Frisbee, mountain biking, rafting, cooking delicious foods, and reading. She is currently pursuing a degree in Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana.

Clark Patton, B.A., Cottonwood Institute Head Instructor:

Clark has trained and volunteered at Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School in New Jersey, The Wilderness Awareness School in Washington, and the PAST Skills Wilderness School in Montana.  During his time at these schools, he has delved into the studies of primitive skills, native philosophy, and the practical applications of these skills.  His overall commitment is to pull students deeper into the mystery of the outdoors and to connect them with the natural environment.  From a young age, Clark has considered the mountains of Colorado to be his home.  He spends his free time there running, tracking, camping, fly-fishing, and bow hunting.  Clark received his B.A. in Environmental Studies through Prescott College.

Kristin Maharg, M.S., Cottonwood Institute Instructor:

An advocate of sustainable food systems, Kristin believes that meaningful, hands-on outdoor experiences are critical for youth to become fully engaged in the learning process. That’s why she joined the Cottonwood Institute through instructing the first year of the Cesar Chavez Organic Gardening Project. During that time, she witnessed that the vital connection between outdoor play and essential work not only brings joy to students, but it also gives them a relevant understanding of their role in the natural world and how to make positive change. Kristin began her work in environmental education while she obtained degrees in Wildlife Ecology and Spanish followed by Agroecology and Water Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She enjoys learning about the natural history of the Colorado Rockies, spreading love through food and music as well as monkey-ing around on very tall rocks.