Our Staff

PROGRAM STAFF

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Tiara (prefers Tia). I’m a paddlesport coach with a very bright personality. I started off as a participant with Chicago Adventure Therapy in 2014. When I first got introduced to kayaking, it was a 7-day symposium trip in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people I didn’t know. On the first day of this trip, I got stuck on a garden of rocks with very strong wind. I was a beginner paddler with zero experience in water sports, I can’t even swim. It’s safe to say that after that experience I hated kayaking at first. It was not familiar to me or my culture not to mention that it was hard. With the help of CAT staff, I became comfortable, gained better knowledge and grew to love the sport. They also met me where I was at to help me become a better paddler and person. I was also intrigued by the way CAT was patient with me, they acknowledged my feelings, and made me feel seen and heard. The summer of 2016 was my first year on staff as a youth summer inter. In 2022, I became full time staff. My mission is to help make the outdoor/ adventure therapy space more inclusive, diverse, and equitable.

FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Andrea Knepper, LCSW, founded Chicago Adventure Therapy in 2006 and has been the director since then. She has a broad range of clinical expertise, as well as sea kayaking and wilderness guiding experience. Andrea earned her BA from Oberlin College in 1995 and has been in social services since then. She earned her M.S.W. from Loyola University in 2002. During her career, she has worked closely with teens and their families at Turning Point Community Mental Health Center as both a case manager and therapist, at Volunteers of America as a therapist, and at Open Door Shelter, where she helped coordinate daily operations.

From 1998 until 2008 Andrea also provided sea kayak instruction and lead numerous adventure travel trips for Northwest Passage Adventure Travel Company. In October of 2015 she eared her 5 Star Sea Leader Award, becoming one of 7 women in the country to hold the award. In August of 2016 she became the second American to earn the UKCC Level 3 Coach Award. She also holds a 3 Star in Open Canoe and in Whitewater Kayak, and her ACA L3 Instructor Certification. In 2019, Andrea paddled the length of the US Pacific Coast! Read about her adventure!

ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Zorbari started her involvement with CAT as a former participant in 2009. Since then she completed an internship with CAT, became a part of our Program Staff, and then moved up to our Senior Staff Team.

In 2012, Zorbari became the youngest Level 1 UKCC Paddlesports Coach in North America. Now, she is a British Canoeing SUP SW Coach, Coach Level 3, and holds a Three Star Award in Sea Kayak. Zorbari graduated from Howard University in May 2017.

PROGRAM STAFF

Hi, I’m Jayden. I’ve been with Chicago Adventure Therapy since September 2018. I’ve obtained a 1 Star Award from British Canoeing, and I’m looking forward to obtaining a 3 Star Award soon. I have experience working on a boat and working at a swimming pool. Those jobs made me realize that I enjoy being by water, because of that one of my goals is to move out of state to keep working in the water sports field.

*After serving as a Project Coordinator in 2020-2021, Jayden became a member of our year-round program team.

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS

Laura is a seasoned outdoor program manager and instructor. She is driven by a desire to create lasting connections between people, the outdoors, and their communities.

Laura earned a BS in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences with an Outdoor Education Specialist certificate. Since then she has logged twenty years of guiding adventure activities in six countries. As an instructor for the DYS Wilderness Challenge Program, she led youth involved with the court system on 31-day wilderness expeditions. She then worked as the Program Director for Exposure Adventure Program in the Dominican Republic for five years. She also spent two years as the Program Director for Costa Rica Outward Bound. Recently Laura was a part of the REI Chicago Outdoor School team.

Laura is a certified Wilderness First Responder and SCUBA Diver. She is a British Canoeing SUP SW Coach, Paddlesport Leader, Sea Kayak Leader (tidal), Level 3 Coach, Paddlesport Instructor Tutor, SUP Instructor Tutor, and SUP Safer / Paddle Safer Provider. She holds Three Star Awards in Sea Kayak, Canoe, and Whitewater Kayak. She is also an American Red Cross Instructor and certified Climbing Wall Instructor. Outside of CAT, you can find Laura running, playing soccer, and trying to find ways to make the Chicago weather warmer.

PROGRAM STAFF

Noah Viner is a 2022 Northland College graduate where he received his BS in Outdoor Education with an emphasis on Equity and Inclusion. Noah is a passionate advocate for underrepresented communities and has volunteered at Olahaska Native American reservation, Appalachia Kentucky, Camp Ondessonk, sustainable agriculture farming communities and, of course, CAT. In 2021 Noah got his feet wet with CAT as he came to us as a summer intern. He demonstrated compassion combined with his outdoor skills and ability to work with youth, so we invited him back to be permanent staff in 2022 upon college graduation. Noah wears a variety of hats at CAT including program developer, repair person, and a general do everything hat.

In addition to his compassion for people, Noah has a love for the outdoors. Noah has completed a canoe trip of over 100 miles in Wisconsin and Maine, sea kayaked in the apostle islands, competed in slalom racing, learned to sail in the apostle islands, grew with Wilderness Instructor Training, rock climbed with adaptive gear to understand how to adapt rock climbing for others, took part in a winter travel ski trip to the boundary waters and so much more. In 2023 Noah gave presentations at both Quiet Adventure Symposium and Canoecopia on “The African American Heritage Water Trail” and “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Outdoors.” When Noah is not impacting lives or immersing himself in the outdoors, he is an avid Phillies, Colts, and Wild fan, and he enjoys tinkering with car repair and woodworking

PROGRAM STAFF

Fredrick Williams was one of the first participants in the CAT Paddling Community and is now a part of our Program Staff. He joined us June of 2022 and has since then acquired through British Canoeing his Paddlesport Instructor Award and is preparing for his sea kayak and sea leader assessment. Fred wants to see the outdoor sporting community be more diverse and is working to eventually change what the outdoor world looks like in the future. By being proactive within the outdoor community, advocating for underrepresented communities, and using his own experiences, Fred hopes to make a lasting impact on participants from a similar background.