Lt. Colonel Allen B. West

Advisor, Honorary Board Member

Lt. Col. West believes it will be principled constitutional conservative policies, not politics, which secures a sound economic future for Americans – with growth, opportunity and returning the promise of the American dream for this generation and those to come.

He is the third of four generations of military servicemen in his family. During his 22- year career in the United States Army, Lieutenant Colonel West served in several combat zones and received many honors including a Bronze Star, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, one with Valor device, and a Valorous Unit Award. In 1993 he was named the US Army ROTC Instructor of the Year.

In November of 2010, Allen was elected to the United States Congress, representing Florida’s 22nd District. As a member of the 112th Congress, he sat on the Small Business and Armed Services Committees and was instrumental in passage of the 2011 and 2012 National Defense Authorization Acts.

He is a Fox News Contributor, Senior Fellow of the Media Research Center, former Director of the Booker T. Washington Initiative (BTWI) for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and author of Guardian of the Republic: An American Ronin’s Journey to Family, Faith and Freedom, Hold Texas, Hold the Nation: Victory or Death, and the forthcoming We Can Overcome: An American Black Conservative Manifesto.

He is the former Executive Director of the National Center for Policy Analysis in Dallas Texas.

West is an avid distance runner, a Master SCUBA diver, a motorcyclist, and in his spare time he enjoys cheering his beloved Tennessee Volunteers.

Lt. Col. West is a commissioned officer in the Texas State Guard. Lt. Col. West is a legacy life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, life member of the American Legion, life member of the Association of the United States Army, the Society of the First Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Division, and 101st Airborne Division. He is Patriot Life Member (Benefactor) and Board of Directors member of the National Rifle Association and Life Member (Benefactor) of the Texas State Rifle Association. Lieutenant Colonel West is an inductee into the University of Tennessee Army ROTC Hall of Fame. He is on the Board of Advisors of Amegy Bank, Dallas Region. In 2016, Lt. Col. West was appointed by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission.

He is married to Dr. Angela Graham-West, a financial adviser, and they have two daughters, Aubrey, a Board-certified Physician Assistant, and Austen, a flight attendant.

Dale Bradley

Advisor

Dale Bradley is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel with decades of experience in law enforcement and military. His range of expertise provides real world experience with site security, personal protection, and trauma medicine, while the use of risk-informed decision making allows for a prioritized approach for the usage of limited, as well as robust, resources and budgets.

Being a Christian, Dale’s approach to training balances the admonition of Luke 6:29, “To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either,” with the guidance found in Luke 22:36, “He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy
one.”

Dale earned the distinction of being the honor graduate at a local law enforcement academy and later served at an elite federal law enforcement agency as a federal agent and team medic. While working as a federal agent he became a member of the Special Operations Medic Association.

His training in the military included specialty schools and advanced education as well. His deployments include Combat Tours in Iraq, time in Germany and Korea. His awards include 2 Bronze stars, Meritorious Service medal, Combat Action Badge with star and numerous others. Dale holds a BS in Engineering as well as an MBA in Organizational Behavior.

Lucas Farmer

Advisor

Since 2003 Lucas Farmer has been working in camp ministry. Graduating from Elon University with a degree in Leisure and Sport Management he took his passions for the outdoor and youth outreach to Eugene, OR. There he worked as a missionary through Youth for Christ and the Ice Axemen, a local high school mountaineering leadership program. His soon to be wife, Carrie, relocated to Eugene as well and they continued reaching out to high school youth in the community.

Steve Hallowell

Advisor

Steve Hallowell serves as the Chief Marketing Officer for Herschend Family Entertainment, which is based in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. Herschend is the largest family-owned operator of theme parks, aquariums and other attractions in the United States. Properties include Dollywood, Silver Dollar City, Newport Aquarium, Adventure Aquarium and Stone Mountain Park and Wild Adventures. The company also owns The Harlem Globtrotters and recently acquired Pink Adventure Jeeps in Sedona, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada.

David Kelly

Advisor

David was born in Sugar Hill, Ga. and has continued to live in the surrounding area his entire life. He has been married to Donna since 1983 and has four children and one grandchild. 1983 also marked his graduation from Mercer University with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science.

Currently David is the Vice-president/CFO of Strategic Land Services Inc., an infrastructure development and construction firm that he also co-founded in 1998. Holds various certifications related to the construction industry and the energy sector.

Prior to 1998 he served in several capacities related to providing services for at-risk youth and their families.

Director of Gwinnett County Family Connection
An inter-agency collaborative, grant based program whose goal was to streamline services for at risk families by fostering agency cooperation and resource sharing.

Family Intervention Specialist Gwinnett County Juvenile Court
Supervised a caseload of status offenders as well as other probation officers to provide therapeutic, educational and other various services as necessary to promote positive outcomes in the juvenile’s life. While here was awarded Caseworker of the year by the Georgia Association of Independent Juvenile Courts and founded Child Advocacy Cooperative, an inter-agency organization established to help better serve at-risk youth. Established the Peer Achievement Leadership (PAL) program to specifically help truant youth. Taught classes and led therapeutic groups to address various problems common to at-risk children and their families.

Helping people has always been a passion. Another passion has been sports both playing and coaching. David has coached youth baseball, basketball, football and softball in the past. He also played baseball through college. So, the idea of using activities to change lives is something that naturally drew him to Camp Amplify.

Saved as an 11-year-old while attending Buford Baptist Church he recognizes the need to hear and receive the Gospel at an early age. As a passionate follower of Christ, David knows only real transformation results from a saving knowledge of and a true relationship with Jesus. Currently serves as an Elder, Stewardship Committee Member and leads an adult small group at Chestnut Mountain Church.

If he could go anywhere (other than heaven) and do anything it would be somewhere in the mountains by a lake or stream with a group of family and friends eating a wonderful meal and experiencing true fellowship.

Tera Melber

Advisor

Bringing nearly two decades of personal and professional experience to her work, Tera is a dedicated advocate and educator focused on trauma-informed care, foster care, and adoption, all approached from a Biblical perspective. She holds a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling, specializing in Parenting and Child/Adolescent Development.

In her role as the trauma care specialist at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and as the founding director of Resound Trauma Education, Tera frequently addresses audiences raising awareness about trauma and its effects while also equipping Christians with practical tools to integrate trauma-informed practices at home and in ministry.

She and David have been married for 33 years and raised six children, both biological and adopted, and have five grandchildren.

Robert Sexton

Advisor

Robert Sexton started his career in Law Enforcement at Knox County Sheriff’s Office in April 1976 as a complaint clerk in communications. While there, Robert worked his way up through the ranks as a records clerk, IF Officer, Patrolman, Patrol Sergeant, Admin Lieutenant, Captain in Admin, Assistant Chief Deputy of Operations, Chief of Detectives, Assistant Chief Deputy of Emergency Services. Out of the 35 years of services for Knox County, 15 of these years were as Assistant Chief.

Robert has also served for 6 years at Grace Christian Academy as Director of Security. For last three years, he has also served as the Assistant Chief Deputy of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

Robert is married to Lynne (LuLu) and together they have two daughters and two grand-daughters as well as four step children and two step-grand-daughters. LuLu is an English teacher at the Grace Christian Academy Upper School.