John Abdelnour

Hi, I’m John Abdelnour, and I am excited and grateful to co-lead the NLC 2029P class with my wife, Allison.

Growing up in western Oregon and spending many summers at the A/U Ranches – mostly in the rafting program – gave me a great appreciation for outdoor activities. After working at the A/U Ranches full-time as a camp director and starting the 100 Elk Outdoor Center program, Allison and I traveled around the world filming a land management promotional video for the Savory Institute. We visited many amazing places and decided that Buena Vista was where we wanted to settle. We started a multimedia company and planted ourselves in town for the next 20 years.

In 2018, Allison and I moved to Santa Monica, California, where I became the director of advancement at Berkeley Hall School, the oldest co-ed independent school in Los Angeles. When I’m not working, I like to ride my mountain bike in the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains.

Allison and I have been involved with NLC since we created a video for the program back in 2005. We chaperoned the adventure trip for the NLC class of 2011, and subsequently, we have both been teen mentors. I have also chaperoned the service and adventure trips for the 2024S class. Additionally, Allison and I were the leaders of the very first Compass program in 2015.