I’m an Azimuth Quest Foundation board member and I participated in the Challenge Club at Central High School in Phoenix from 1972 to 1976. I’ve carried the gift of experiential education that I received through the Challenge Club into my adult life. I work as a facilitator and consultant with a focus on helping people collaborate and solve organizational problems; I still want to be around people getting educated as they face challenges.

My wife Katherine and I live in Dallas, Texas. We have three grown daughters. I like a strong cup of black coffee in the morning and I eat popcorn with chopsticks because you can pace yourself and your fingers don’t get oily.

Matt Dean holds a B.S. in Political Science from Northern Arizona University, a Master’s of Education in Secondary Education and Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Matt has been a teacher, program director and administrator with Prescott High School for the past 15 years. He is currently Prescott High School's Assistant Principal.

Matt Dean has served as a camp counselor leading teenagers on outdoor wilderness adventures. He also began his career at an expeditionary learning school where he also led students on outdoor adventures. He also spends as much time as he can hiking and exploring the Prescott area and the Colorado Plateau.

Jacob Furgatch started as a registered nurse in emergency services and is now a retired healthcare executive having spent much of his career in C-suite roles at several health care companies involved in the direct delivery of care including large physician groups, health plans, and hospital systems.

Like the other Azimuth Quest Foundation founders he attended Central High School in Phoenix Arizona and was a participant in the original Challenge Club in the 1970’s. He has never lost his passion for the outdoors and enjoys hiking, biking, rafting, and his latest pursuit, outrigger canoe paddling.

After 50 years in California, Craig lives in Santa Fe, NM,

As a young Boy Scout he was introduced to skills he would later build upon to safely manage the risks of outdoor adventuring in the Arizona desert, such as basic first aid, map orienteering, campsite skills, and avoiding cholla. 

He was a member of Challenge Club at Phx Central HS for its first two years. Scared to death of heights, he still managed to learn the fundamentals of rock climbing – but it was the trip planning, team building, and shared experiences with fellow participants that grew his confidence and cemented many of his cherished lifelong friendships.

Challenge developed in Craig a commitment to experiential education leading him to the innovative program at Johnston College at the University of Redlands, earning a BA studying an eclectic mix of psychology, religion and anthropology.

Craig’s passion for photography and the beauty of the natural world, has taken him from Kashmir and Ladakh in the North Indian Himalayas, through the deserts of the American South West. He crafted a career as a digital imaging specialist and is still pursuing photo projects in New Mexico, and the 4 Corners Area.

Todd Gordon was member of the inaugural Challenge program at Phoenix Central High School and later became the student leader of the third Challenge program at the Downtown Phoenix YMCA. During summers while attending Northern Arizona University Todd embarked upon what would become a thirteen year whitewater guiding career on the Arkansas River, the rivers of the Colorado Plateau, and rivers in Idaho. After graduation Todd became the Operations Manager at Hatch River Expeditions.

Todd credits his Challenge experience, and all his time spent in the out-of-doors as foundational in his later successful career shift to entrepreneurial endeavors owning and operating his own businesses in Salt Lake City, Utah and Boise, Idaho. After selling his businesses to a large national company Todd remains an executive in sales and marketing within the foodservice supply chain.

From his home in Park City, Utah Todd along with his wife, children and grandchildren is still an active participant in outdoor adventure sports. Especially mountain biking, river running and skiing.

Deke was involved in the early days of the Challenge program at Central High School.  Many of the experiences lived, fun had, and knowledge gained are still applicable to his life today.  He’s excited to see such an opportunity for youth being operational once again in the hope that many others will be able to benefit by participating in experiential education.

Most of Deke’s career involved working for Department of Defense laboratories investigating and creating advanced aircrew readiness training.  He started his career in television broadcasting and transitioned to the applied research and development of educational multimedia technologies and managing multidisciplinary teams of scientists.  Deke currently manages the natural resources field station for the US Navy on San Clemente Island off the coast of California fostering collaboration between multiple cooperators, agencies and academia to preserve and protect the training environment.

Deke and his wife Sandi spend their time living in both Coronado CA and Scottsdale AZ. They have two grown kids and Deke still spends lots of time in the outdoors interacting with the universe

Megan is a Program Director at a Camp in Prescott and specializes in organizing Outdoor Education/Science Camp trips for 5th & 6th grade students in Arizona. 

In her free time she loves adventuring & spending time outside. She spends much of her time cycling, climbing, hiking, camping and swimming.  Megan's passion for sustainability and connecting with local natural landscapes accompanies her focus on facilitating safe spaces and brave spaces for different groups of people.  Megan is new to the Azimuth Quest board and is looking forward to working with Prescott's younger generation.

As the daughter of one of the founders of the original PAK Foundation, I have the honor and privilege of continuing this incredible journey. I was raised on the outdoors and went to Challenge Discovery when I was 15. John Goodson, my father had no idea about the Super Bowl, but he did teach us land navigation and the gift of the “outdoors”. 

 I have my law degree from the University of Arizona and my MBA from Thunderbird school of Global Management. I am the owner of the same firm that my Dad and I started over 70 years ago Goodson Manley Law & Legacies, PLLC. I will be phasing out of the active law practice to focus on the environment through carbon credits and deforestation in Brazil., In addition I am working on a major motion picture on the life of my cousin Thomas King Forcade who was the founder of HighTimes.

 My education as an outdoor enthusiast was the basis of mastering much of my life, and I will be forever grateful.

Brent was involved with the Challenge program in Phoenix from the Fall of 1973 through the later 1980’s. He was a student participant first, then a student leader, and finally an adult instructor/leader helping teach programs like climbing and cross-country skiing for the PAK Foundation and Challenge. After finishing two degrees at Northern Arizona University, Brent then moved to Prescott, AZ in 1987 to teach mathematics at a community college, retiring 26 years later from the same place. After living in Arizona since he was 8, including 35 years in Prescott, Brent and his wife Denise rather impulsively pulled up and moved to Fort Collins, Colorado in 2022 to be closer to grandkids. There they remain.

Brent spends as much of his time as possible in the outdoors: hiking, backpacking, bicycling, river running, skiing, doing photography and helping to run Challenge outings. He is also building a 20-foot-long wooden boat in a room of their house. He is fairly confident it will fit through the door when it is finished.

Carol is a Challenge Club alumna from the late 70’s and still appreciates the tangible ways the experience enriched her life. Now, creating opportunities for young people to experience outdoor adventure is a joy.

After a 26-year career as an architect, Carol is currently a visual artist. When not working in her studio, she is a facilitator in The Work That Reconnects, an interactive group process for connecting and thriving in challenging times, as well as a Braver Angels moderator, bringing people with differing political views together for civil dialogue. Carol serves as a member of the Second Chance Housing Committee of the Coalition for Compassion and Justice, developing innovative housing solutions in Yavapai County.

Married with two grown kids, Carol has lived in Prescott, Arizona for over forty years and still enjoys hiking, kayaking, and exploring wild places.

Jennie Tutone is a naturalist, graphic designer, and plant enthusiast. She is the Program Director at the Natural History Institute, a non-profit organization that aims to connect people with the natural world through immersive educational experiences. Previously, she worked for the Prescott National Forest, where she monitored the threatened flora and fauna in the area.

 Jennie is passionate about inspiring community members to explore the outdoors and learn about their natural surroundings. She is also a committee member of the Prescott Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society. As a local to Prescott, Jennie enjoys spending her free time hiking and backpacking throughout the ecoregion. 

Rex Wilson lives in Carlsbad California but was born and educated in Phoenix Arizona.

He attended Central High School in Phoenix and participated in the first Challenge Program in 1973 and 1974. He maintained his interest in wilderness education and exploration while attending ASU, during military service, and post graduate work at the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

The ensuing years took him around the country and though several careers which ultimately culminated with a career advocating sustainable energy practices for corporate clients. This career choice was influence by his early exposure to environmental issues dating from time spent on mountaintops and in distant ravines with his Challenge Program friends.

Rex is committed to the reinvigoration of the Challenge Program though the Azimuth Quest Foundation, to ensure that this positive influence is shared with future high school students.