Boy Scouts of America

Meet Your Advisors

National Venturing Advisor and Associate Advisor for Territory Support

Julie Dalton Headshot

Julie Dalton

Julie began her Scouting journey as a Girl Scout, earning her First Class Award, and as the sister to four brothers in Boy Scouts. As a Scouting mother, she has two sons who earned their Eagle award and a daughter who earned her Outdoor Bronze Award. She has been active in her son’s pack and troop as a Den Leader and Troop Committee Chairman. When her daughter was finally able to join Venturing, she served as an Associate Advisor for her crew.

She has also been active at the district and council level, serving on the Training Team, as Activity Chair and as District Chair. She has also served as the Advisor to Quivira Council’s VOA, the Council Vice President of Program, as Council President, and now continues to serve on the council Executive Board. She has served for many years as the Central Region Area 5 Venturing Advisor. She has also served on several Wood Badge and Powder Horn courses and has been Course Director for both courses. She has attended five National Scout Jamborees and the most recent World Scout Jamboree.

Julie has received the council, area, region, and national Venturing Leadership Awards, Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and is a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow.

Professionally Julie manages a Trust Department for a community bank in Wichita, Kansas, where she also serves on the Board of Directors.

Contact Julie

Associate Advisor for Administration

Kris Zahrobsky

Kristopher J. Zahrobsky is from the Pathway to Adventure Council and is currently serving as the National Venturing Officers’ Association Associate Advisor of Administration, as well as the National Venturing Alumni Chair.

Prior to his current appointment, Kris served in area, regional, and national roles since 2001. He has previously served as National Venturing Advisor, National Venturing Committee Vice Chair, National Venturing Committee Vice Chair of Relationships, Central Region Venturing Chair and Advisor, Central Region Area 7 Venturing Chair and Advisor, and the Chair of the National Venturing Program Development Task Force. Outside of Venturing, Kris serves as his Council’s Advancement and Recognition Chair, and just completed serving as the Central Region Vice President of Program and as well as a member of the Central Region Executive Board.

Kris is a life-long member of the BSA. He started as a youth Tiger Cub and completed his youth tenure serving as the Central Region Venturing President from 2000-2001. Kris is an Arrow of Life Recipient, Eagle Scout, Exploring Gold Award Recipient, Venturing Silver Award Recipient, James E. West Fellow, Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, and has received his Wood Badge beads. He has also received the council, region, and national Venturing Leadership Awards, the Training and Advisor’s Key Awards, the Philmont Training Center Master Track Knot, the Silver Beaver Award, the Silver Antelope Award, and the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award.

Outside of Scouting, Kris works in the fire and life safety industry, and enjoys spending time with his dog, Franklin, traveling, culinary exploration, bowling, softball, and haunted houses.

Contact Kris

Associate Advisor for Communication

Elizabeth  Kwock

Scouting was always a big part of Lizzy’s life.  Lizzy was a Girl Scout where she earned the First Class award, and was an Explorer Scout in the Engineering Post.   While living in Florida, her sons came home from school one day wanting to do archery and go camping, so she couldn’t say no.   All three of her sons attained the Eagle rank, were active Arrowmen, and her youngest eventually became President of his Area VOA.

Lizzy’s goal is to help all strive to be the best versions of themselves.  She founded a STEM-focused Venturing Crew, started the VOA in Aloha Council, and did two years as Roundtable Commissioner.  Lizzy was also a Scoutmaster for one of the first girl Troops and is currently starting a Sea Scout Ship where she is the Skipper.  She was recognized with the Silver Beaver, Council and Area Venturing Leadership Awards, but her most prized recognition is her Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow.   Lizzy was a Course Director and very involved in several Powder Horns, and Kodiak Challenges at her Council and at Philmont, and most recently a Course Director for the largest virtual Seabadge.

Professionally she did research in Material Science at the old AT&T Bell Laboratories, then took on the most important job of being a full-time parent. Her love for science and being a forever student keeps her nerdy and in love with the world.  Lizzy loves teaching the citizenship Merit Badges along with Chemistry, and claims to bleed WOSM purple.

Dream big, plan well, work hard, smile always and good things will happen.- Sally Huss

The meaning of Life is to find your gift.   The purpose of Life is to give it away.

Be the person you needed when you were younger.

Creativity is Intelligence having FUN — Albert Einstein

Whatever makes you weird is probably your greatest asset.  –Joss Whedon

You got me.  I got you.  Shine, Dream, Smile.  — BTS, Mikrokosmos

Contact Elizabeth

Associate Advisor for Program

Elizabeth Finley

Elizabeth lives in the Northeast community of Elko, Nevada actively serving Scouting in that community and the Nevada Area Council since 1992. She has served as a Crew Advisor, Troop Committee Chairman and Unit Commissioner. Some of her district assignments have included University of Scouting Dean of Students, Eagle Board of Review Co-Chair for the Overland District, Asst. District Commissioner, and District Committee-At-Large. She has also served as the Western Region Associate Advisor for Program and the Western Region VOA Advisor.

International Scouting events has been one of Elizabeth’s favorite Venturing activities she has done with her children. She attended the World Scout Jamboree 2007 in England with her two oldest, her daughter and her son, as a Staff member at Gilwell. She attended the World Scout Jamboree 2015 in Japan as an Assoc. Advisor with the Western Region co-ed crew with her youngest. She had the great fortune to attend the 2017 World Scout Moot in Iceland with her youngest daughter.

Elizabeth has received the region and national Venturing Leadership Awards, District Award of Merit, Silver Beaver, Advisor’s Key, International Scouters Award, Order of the Arrow Brotherhood, and her Duty to God Religious Award. As a youth she participated in what was Camp Fire Girls (now Campfire USA) and earned the WoHeLo medallion. She was also a competitive swimmer at both the age group and University level.

Elizabeth earned her BS in Biology at Pacific Lutheran University and holds a MS degree in Biology from Washington State University. She and her husband own a small animal Veterinary Clinic in Elko, Nevada. She describes herself as an Anglophile and visits her daughters often in the United Kingdom where they are University Students. Elizabeth also loves to read, hike, watercolor, and talk Venturing.

Contact Elizabeth

Associate Advisor for Territory Support

Gordon Leary

Gordon Leary joined the Venturing program as an Associate Advisor in 2010. He joined the Boy Scouts of America as a Cub Scout in 1971, attained the rank of Eagle in 1981, and became Scoutmaster of his troop at age 21 in 1984. Gordon has served as a Crew Advisor, Council Venturing Officers’ Association Advisor, and Northeast Region Area 6 VOA advisor. Gordon has been a member of the Baltimore Area Council for his entire Scouting career.

Gordon is a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow. He has received the council, area, region, and national Venturing Leadership Awards as well as the Unit Award of Merit, District Award of Merit and the Baltimore Area Council Silver Beaver Award. Gordon has staffed Powderhorn, VenturingFest and multiple Wood Badge training courses. He has also staffed the last two National Jamborees and the 2019 World Jamboree.

Gordon is the IT Manager of AMPORTS, Inc., an automotive imports and exports processing company. His team manages 13 locations in the United States and Mexico. Responsible for the Company’s information technology needs, he oversees a staff of 10 programmers and technical personnel. Gordon is also on the Board of Directors for the IBM user group COMMON, an IBM-affiliated training and educational group which provides services to over 20,000 IT professionals in the United States.

Gordon is passionate about the Venturing program and assisting the youth of the program to achieve their full leadership potential. Above all, he believes that communication to and from the entire organization is key to building good program.

Contact Gordon

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.