Our Staff
God has blessed us with work! We operate on the principle of being ministry minded AND business minded. We strive to be good stewards of the blessing God has given us. Each of us are passionate about the life-changing opportunities the camping ministry has to be to all who walk through our gates. Our full time staff is lean and we all wear big hats. We have camp directors, splish-splash directors, marketing & IT gurus, registrars, store ladies, number guys and operations guys. We're all here serving on the front line and would love to meet you. Here's a little about us!
Dave Thiel
President and CEO
Dave and Colleen are returning to T Bar M Camps. In 1981 they had the privilege to help start and pioneer T Bar M Camps. Today they are looking forward to re-joining the team. Both Dave and Colleen share a love and passion to influence and impact youth and families.
Dave has had a 25-year career in the marketplace working with different corporations having served in various leadership capacities, gaining a wealth of experience and perspective in building into and leading organizations. Being able to return to T Bar M and serve alongside our staff and coaches is an honor and source of great pleasure.
After 15 years in Georgia the Thiel's are looking forward to their Texas move and enjoying Texas BBQ, Tex-Mex, kicker dancin' and running in a few local fun-runs as well as getting reacquainted with old friends.
Dave and Colleen are starting their 30th year of marriage. They have two adult children: Jonathan is a recent graduate of University of Georgia and is working with Kimberly-Clark (Atlanta). Emily is a junior at the University of Georgia. Both Jonathan and Emily have been life-long campers, All-Stars and Coaches at T Bar M.
dave@tbarmcamps.org
Johnny Polk
Director of Camps
He's the biggest kid at camp who, if you meet him, introduces himself with JAW (points to jaw) KNEE (points to Knee) and then gives you a big poke! Johnny's college days were spent on the TCU track where he ran the anchor leg of the 400 relay. Maybe that's why the rest of us feel like we are running just to keep up with him as he has led Christ-centered Adventure since 1987. Johnny's first summer at T Bar M he led a staff of 30 loving on 1400 campers. Today he's directing four camps and year-long programs serving over 10,000 people a year and he hasn't slowed down a bit. His heart is big on sharing Christ's love pointing kids to Jesus, and his ability to fire-up a crowd is unparalleled.
Johnny is married to wife-for-life Cheri. They have two sons. Daniel is a graduate of Pepperdine and working with Teach Across America in downtown Dallas and Kyle is a junior at Texas A&M (whoop! ... or as Johnny says whoops!). His sons have both been campers and served at camp and they each have big hearts to serve the Lord ... Amen to that!
johnny@tbarmcamps.org ext.236
Keith Myer
Operations/Missions/Timothy Team
Plumbing to payroll...Keith keeps an eye on it all! He’s also the father to ten Timothy Teamers each year and the father to our missions’ program. It’s a busy life, but it’s his passion and he loves camp!
Keith’s love for the camping ministry began in college where he dedicated all four summers working at Christian summer camps. Although he taught science and coached in the public school system for 7 years after graduating from the University of North Texas, he jumped at the chance to join T Bar Camps in 1996 as the Timothy Team Director. But Camp back then (like today) was growing fast and needed someone to look after all the details. Keith’s plethora of skills (that’s a big word for many) fit the challenge and he began to oversee the property and finances of camp.
In 1997, while Keith was taking the Timothy Team on a winter ski trip meant to bond the group, he felt an unsatisfying void in his discipleship program. That dissatisfaction led him to take his next team to the mission field...an outback trip to the mountains of Panama to work with the Guymai Indians. Keith’s life was forever changed and missions became his deepest passion. Using sports as a vehicle to sharing Christ’s love with others has given Keith the opportunity to lead over 50 outback mission trips through the mission’s program at T Bar M. He feels blessed to not only be able to oversee the operations of camp, but also invest in the Timothy Team and Mission’s program at camp.
Keith is married to his high-school sweetheart, Alice (who also works for camp), and is father to three beautiful girls. The oldest daughter, Becca, is studying Elementary Education at Texas Lutheran University and loves to sing and perform. Jennifer attends Belmont University in Nashville studying Biology and playing volleyball for the Bruins on scholarship. Ashley, the youngest, is a mighty Unicorn at New Braunfels High School and also loves to play volleyball. It’s not uncommon to see the whole family competing against each other on the pickleball court or playing a mean game of gnip gnop!
Learn more about: Missions, Timothy Team
keith@tbarmcamps.org ext.256
Drew Eubank
Missions
Drew came to T Bar M in 2007 and we quickly deported him to the Amazon... really. Between us shipping him as far away as we could afford and him graduating from Texas A&M University, Drew worked for a mission organization in Guam, built cabins at Camp Travis and served in the US Air Force for six years. God was preparing him to work internationally so he joined us to continue the development of Camp Amazon and its staff in Iquitos, Peru. After a year and a half in Peru, Camp Amazon is running by God’s power and Peruvian hands (Wahoo!) and Drew now serves as missions coordinator for T Bar M Mission Adventures, leading trips both locally and internationally to share Christ with others through sport.
Learn more about: Missions
drew@tbarmcamps.org ext.221
Andy Krawiec
Assistant Director of Operations
Andy is a Baylor University alum with a degree in Information Systems, and made his way to New Braunfels right after graduation in 2001. Andy started with T Bar M as a summer coach, where he became passionate about the ministry and mission of camp. At the end of that summer he was selected to become a member of the Timothy Team. Once his year with the Tim Team came to a close, God showed Andy that his time at camp was not over. Andy was given the opportunity to jump on board with the full time staff, putting his degree to work as "the computer guy."
In 2006, the Lord answered the desire of Andy’s heart, and sent him to start T Bar M’s Camp Amazon in the jungle city of Iquitos, Peru. After a year and a half in Peru, he made a quick trip back to the states to marry fellow "T Bar M-er," L’erin. A few months later, Andy and L’erin moved back to New Braunfels where Andy joined Keith in the operations department.
L’erin and Andy welcomed their first child, Brenley Grace, in September of 2011, and consider themselves blessed to be able to raise her in this T Bar M family.
andy@tbarmcamps.org ext.253
Gaye, Stacy, & Lisa
Registrars
registrar@tbarmcamps.org ext.218 & 219
Cole & Jen Adams
Sports Camp Director (Cole) & Alumni Director (Jen)
Cole has enjoyed directing Sports Camp since 2003, but his days at camp started long before then. Cole and Jen both worked at Sports Camp the summer of 1996 (Total Commitment!), but that was long before Cole gave Jen her ring. They both attended McMurry University where Cole was an All-American football player and Jen played basketball. Some would say they were "big stuff" at McMurry earning the distinguished honor of Chief & Princess McMurry (Cole paid us big dollars not to publish that picture) ... an honor that was voted on by their peers. Guess Jen looked hot in her Princess attire because Cole proposed soon after and they were wed in 1998.
After graduating, Cole stayed at McMurry for two years as a football coach before being called to the Hill Country to teach and coach at Westwood High School. But Cole and Jen's passion for the camping ministry kept them coming back to camp working summers at Camp Travis while teaching full-time during the school year. Cole finally joined the ranks of full-time staff as Sports Camp Director in July of 2003. Jen also works at camp part time building and keeping relationships with alumni (she's a natural at enjoying a good conversation) and publishing Family Matters - a bi-weekly devotional for families.
Cole is an avid cyclist and actively competes in road races between helping Jen raise their four children. Kate, fluent in Spanish thanks to school, and Leighton, a gamer at heart, are both in elementary school while Lance (give you a nickel if he can't make you smile) and Layne (sheer joy) need a few more years before entering the ranks of public school. Cole and Jen love family life and if you're ever in the neighborhood, you'll probably see the entire Adams family out on a bike ride (and I'm not talking about the average bike ride).
p.s. Be sure to ask Cole or Jen about Layne's story ... they love to share God's faithfulness in his little, precious life!
Learn more about: Sports Camp
cole@tbarmcamps.org ext.215 @coleadams8
Trish White
Sports Camp Women's Director
Trish first came to T Bar M in 1999 as a Camp Travis Coach. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with an Early Childhood Education degree. While attending UCA, Trish played volleyball for the Sugar Bears. If the name is not bad enough, a purple bear as a mascot is not too intimidating. Each summer, Trish returned to camp to serve in different areas. She spent three years heading up the girl's work crew program at Camp Travis. While cooking, serving, and cleaning alongside the T.C. girls, God began to draw her heart to camp ministries.
In 2003 Trish was a part of the Timothy Team, a year long discipleship program here at camp. She has then spent a the last year and a half at New Braunfels Christian Academy teaching third grade. Trish joined T Bar M as the Sports Camp Women's Director in the July of 2006. Camp is a place that puts God, kids, and sports together; these are three things that Trish is most passionate about.
Learn more about: Sports Camp
trish@tbarmcamps.org ext.216
Sean Hill
Sports Camp Men's Director
Sean was raised by wolves. Not really, but being born and raised in New Braunfels, he was a mighty Unicorn! (You may laugh, but he’s proud...) Sean worked several summers in high school and college as a Day Camp & Sports Camp coach, but it wasn’t until serving on the Leadership Team for Sports Camp in 2009 that God really turned his heart to full-time camp ministry.
Sean got a degree from Texas A&M in civil engineering, and after spending some time working designing roads for TxDOT, now he mostly engineers fun here at camp. Working with Cole and Trish, he helps oversee the execution of an exciting, encouraging and enthusiastic Sports Camp experience! One of his primary focuses, however, are the MAC-ly men who bless Sports Camp as our college staff. Building relationships with them and people in general is something that gets Sean fired up! And also food (it’s his love language).
Learn more about: Sports Camp
sean@tbarmcamps.org ext.278
Phil Rich
Day Camp Director
There aren't many professions that would consider it normal to have skit characters show up at your wedding, but being the Day Camp Director IS one of them!
Phil Rich began his T Bar M trek back in 2004 after graduating from Texas A&M University…WHOOP! Through multiple mission trips, being a sports camp coach and serving as part of the Timothy Team discipleship program, he finally landed at Day Camp back in 2005 and joined us full-time in November of 2006. What draws Phil into our Day Camp program is his desire to be animated and FUAGNEM (Fired Up and Going Nuts Every Minute) with our youngest kids of camp while also getting the privilege of discipling, guiding and leading our high school and college age Day Camp staff. We often say "camp is about relationships" and that's what keeps Phil here year after year.
Phil discovered T Bar M Camps when he signed up for a T Bar M Spring Break Mission Adventure for college students to Panama his senior year at Texas A&M. The kids in Panama won his heart and so did the Christ-centered adventure of T Bar M Camps. After graduating from Texas A&M (whoop!), Phil served a year on T Bar M's Timothy Team program which is where he was introduced to Day Camp. He knew the minute he helped with Day Camp that first summer that he was hooked! The combination of being FUAGNEM (camp's way of saying Fired Up And Going Nuts Every Minute) with young kids AND having the privilege of discipling, guiding and leading the high school and college aged summer staff was right up his alley. Building relationships is what camp's all about and that keeps Phil here year after year.
And who ever said camp relationships can't work? Phil met his wife, Jean Marie, at T Bar M in the summer of 2004. The two were tied by their passion for mission work and tied the knot of marriage in 2006 in spite of the fact that one was a fightin' Texas Aggie and the other a die-hard Arkansas Razorback! Two soon grew into three with the birth of their first son, Jackson, in September of 2009. We can already tell he's cut from Phil's mold ... he's got the two of them runnin' all over the place!
When you meet Phil, ask him about Day Camp and see if you can't get him to quit smiling ... he's FUAGNEM at heart about his job and it shows!
Learn more about: Day Camp
phil@tbarmcamps.org ext.212
Randi Beth Burton
Day Camp Women's Director/Marketing Event Coordinator
Randi Beth, AKA "RB", came to T Bar M as a part of our 2010-2011 Timothy Team. She quickly fell in love with T Bar M and the community it provides. She now serves as our Day Camp Women's Director in the summer and as Event Coordinator in the Marketing Department during the other 9 months of the year. She feels her position here at camp is a great fit for the gifts the Lord has blessed her with and is excited to serve the Lord at T Bar M. Originally from North East Texas, she graduated from Texas A&M University with a BBA in Marketing. She spent 2 years in Los Angeles, California and another year in Dallas, before the Lord called her to T Bar M Camps. RB's positions at T Bar M enable her to love on kids, minister to young adults, utilize her education and experience through the marketing department, and build relationships with the families that camp serves, all desires the Lord stirred in her heart long before she discovered T Bar M.
Learn more about: Day Camp
randibeth@tbarmcamps.org ext.295
Mark Kaufmann
Camp Travis Director
Mark graduated from the University of "Go-Longhorns" Texas with a major in Speech Communication and minors in Intramurals and Board Games. The camping ministry is special to Mark because he gave his life to the Lord at camp in ninth grade and continued to grow spiritually while working at Kanakuk Kamps in college. After graduating, Mark worked for two years with a college discipleship program called Doulos Ministries in Branson, Missouri where he met his wife.
He married Katie (known for loving Jesus and swimming fast at TCU) in 1993 and joined K-Life Ministries in Ozark, Arkansas. Five years later, T Bar M Camps met Mark and flew the Kaufmann family back to Texas where they belonged! Since 1999 they have poured their hearts into Camp Travis along with their four children ... Connor, Corrie, Cooper and Casey!
Learn more about: Camp Travis
mark@tbarmcamps.org
Anna Fischer
Camp Travis Women's Director
Anna first came to T Bar M in 1991 as a camper. Since the day she was dropped off at her 1st cabin she hasn't been able to leave. Every summer as a camper she dreamed of being a coach. When attending Seattle Pacific University she was able to come each summer and give back to camp what she received as a child. But to her it wasn't enough. After graduating in '02, with a Sociology and Educational Ministry degree, she applied to be on the Timothy Team, a year long discipleship program here at camp. Part of the Timothy Team program is to serve on leadership at camp during the summer. It was then, as she led her first covenant group and discipled her first group of college girls, she knew her calling to camping ministry was confirmed! There was no doubt in her mind that her heart was doing exactly what it loved doing...pouring into the coachs' lives. She knew from that moment that her dream was to be a director someday.
Anna took a short break from camp as she was hired to work at Kingwood Country Club. But it didn't take long for God to bring her back to camp. Her dream finally came true and was hired on as our new Camp Travis Women's Director.
Her passion for the Lord and for the ministry at T Bar M is evident. She would be the first to tell you that the Lord changes lives here...her life is an example of one that was! Camp has been her life and she feels so blessed to know it is now her future.
Learn more about: Camp Travis
anna@tbarmcamps.org
Robert "Chief" Parrish
Camp Travis Men's Director, Director of Splish-Splash
Robert is pretty much exclusively known as "Chief" at camp. In fourth grade he used to hang out at the "Hunt Club". The Hunt Club was a basketball court at the elementary school near his grandparent’s house that had short goals. High School guys would come and play on the court everyday and they affectionately renamed it the Hunt Club (the meaning is still unclear, but whatever). Robert would hang out and sometimes the guys would let him play. This was during the height of the Boston Celtics dominance back in the late 80’s. Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish led the team to 3 titles in the 80’s. The Hunt Club picked up on his shared name with the Celtics star center and quickly rendered Robert with his nickname. Before long the name "Chief" was more well known than his real identity.
Chief, a native of Ozark, Arkansas, graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelors degree in Biology… which he finds very useful in the day to day life of camp. You have no idea how often the circulatory system of a squid comes up while sharing the gospel. After college Chief went into full time ministry with K-Life ministries which he had volunteered for throughout college and participated in as a kid in high school. For 5 years Chief served with K-Life in Kirksville, Missouri. After his time there he began working full time for camp in 2007.
Chief started dating his now wife at camp. Although they met in college some of their greatest memories together come from camp. Chief’s wife Kristen served as a coach and leadership for 6 years before they had their first child Hallie. Kristen still helps out with covenant groups and a few other tasks while being a full time mom in the summer. Their second daughter Macey Jo was born in 2010, and their first son Benjamin was born in 2012.
The Parrish family loves camp. It is truly one of the biggest blessings God has bestowed upon them to serve the Lord and raise their family in an environment like T Bar M.
Learn more about: Camp Travis
robert@tbarmcamps.org
Kelli Boyd
Family Camp Director
Kelli Boyd leads both our Easter Family Camp and our Family Camp at the end of summer. A 1993 graduate of "Axe’em Jacks" SFA, Kelli has given more than 12 years service to the kids and families at T Bar M Camps. Upon graduating, Kelli pursued her career in teaching first graders for three years while still dedicating her summers to T Bar M Sports Camp. We finally wised up and we convinced her to join us full time in 1996 where she took on the position of our first Women’s Director ... it was the perfect season of life for her to disciple girls and give whole heartedly as a single gal. But then a camp "friend" named Robert Boyd took her as his bride in 1999 and the notion of Family Camp became reality as they now have three children ... Libby, Jase and Allison. Camp has been an integral part of their walk with Christ and they feel it continues to be the place for Kelli and her family to serve our Lord.
Learn more about: Family Camp
kelli@tbarmcamps.org
Ben Clark
Challenge Course Programs Director
Ben packed his bags in 2008 and moved to Texas, thinking he would only spend one summer at T Bar M Camps. God had other plans, though, and thankfully, Ben kept returning. He is now serving year round with T Bar M Camps and is officially a Texan. Born in California and raised in Colorado, Ben’s only previous knowledge about Texas came from his experience each winter as Texans flocked to the ski slopes clad in anything but winter-proof clothing.
After finishing his degree at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, Ben was selected to serve on our Timothy Team. This was a great time for Ben to fully understand more about the Texan lifestyle and the impact T Bar M Camps has throughout the year. He considered it an honor when he was asked to join T Bar M full-time as one of our Programs Directors. Ben is passionate about stealing others away from their normal environment, whether it is for a few days or only a few hours, to give them a glimpse of the joy that camp has brought into his own life.
When he is not on the ropes course or helping groups plan their trips to camp, you can find him cooking up a new dish in the kitchen, or enjoying the outdoors (hiking, backpacking or laying in a hammock).
Learn more about: Challenge Course Programming
ben@tbarmcamps.org ext.210
Katie Tucker
Challenge Course Programs Director
Katie first came to T Bar M in 2002 as a member of our Timothy Team, where her love for the ropes course grew. She graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a degree in Organizational Leadership. She spent a few years working in youth ministry in Arkansas, and then found her way back to T Bar M in 2006. She has a passion for helping people work better together and realizing the strength of a team. She counts it as a privilege to get to work with such a great program, in an amazing organization that allows her to use her passions and gifts!
Learn more about: Challenge Course Programming
katie@tbarmcamps.org ext.211
Jean-Marie Rich
Group Sales & Booking
Jean Marie came to T Bar M in 2004 thinking it would only be for one summer of her life, serving as a coach for Sports Camp. Upon returning back to the University of Arkansas to finish up her degree in Kinesiology, she felt God leading her back to T Bar M to join the Timothy Team Discipleship Program. During her time at T Bar M is when she met the love of her life, Phil Rich, and was married in December 2006. After working in the corporate world as a Sales Executive, it became too hard being away from her love of camp and she returned in May 2008. In September 2009, Phil and Jean Marie welcomed their first child, Jackson.
Learn more about: Challenge Course Programming
jeanmarie@tbarmcamps.org ext.276
Timothy Team
Challenge Course Programs Staff
We can’t wait for you to meet our full-time, nationally certified ropes staff. Each staff member is selected to be a part of our team because they love people and they love to challenge individuals to new heights. Each staff member has been trained and nationally certified to execute all elements of our low and high ropes course including how to facilitate each experience. Their enthusiasm is contagious ... just come and see!
Learn more about: Challenge Course Programming
timteam@tbarmcamps.org
Summer Staff
Summer Camp Staff
We call our summer staff "Coaches" because we understand the influence they have with every camper they meet. That's why we take our job serious when looking for our summer staff. Each year we receive over 1000 applications from students from over 70 different universities. Candidates must complete a four-page application, mail in references, participate in personal interviews and back ground checks. Then we prayerfully consider each candidate before hand-picking over 270 of the most amazing and caring collegiate staff around. We look for staff that is spiritually, mentally and emotionally mature to ensure your camper is not only in good hands, but in good hearts. Each of our staff attends a thorough, ten-day training session where they are taught spiritual and physical safety procedures, appropriate teaching methods for social and biblical principles, safety issues with each activities, plus the special mothering touches to ensure your camper has a life-changing experience at camp. Sure the activities are awesome, but the relationships between campers and coaches are what bring about real change in camper's lives.
Learn more about: Employment
