Jon Guy Owens, director of the Hollins Outdoor Program (HOP), has been elected president of Coastal Canoeists, Virginia’s largest canoeing and kayaking club, for 2017.
Coastals is a family-oriented club dedicated to the enjoyment and advancement of paddle sports. It consists of canoeists, kayakers, and others from Virginia and the southeastern United States.
Owens has directed HOP since 2001. He was born and raised in the Great Smoky Mountains near Cherokee, North Carolina, and got his start in adventure recreation as a river guide on the Nantahala River in North Carolina, while earning his undergraduate degree in therapeutic recreation. He is certified as an instructor/trainer by the Wilderness Education Association; wilderness first responder; and single pitch instructor by the American Mountain Guiding Association.
