Deb Sweeney Whitmore,, Executive Director of Wellspring Wisconsin, was born and raised in the United Kingdom and has been living in the U.S. for the last fifteen years. Deb is an avid outdoor enthusiast, earning her B.Sc. in Sports and Exercise Science from Manchester Metropolitan University. Her experience with the outdoors and camp life began at an early age with involvement in the British Scouting Association and five seasons as a camp counselor. Prior to becoming Executive Director of Wellspring Camps, Deb served as the Program Director at the original Wellspring Adventure Camp. Before joining Wellspring Camps, Deb was a program administrator, course director, whitewater/canoeing specialist, and instructor specialist with the North Carolina Outward Bound School. Her dedication to outdoor education has also given her the opportunity to work with the National Outdoor Leadership School teaching outdoor skills and Leave No Trace curriculum.
Jeremy Whitworth is Program Director for Wellspring Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to Wellspring Academy of the Carolinas, he served as Program Director of Wellspring Academy of the Carolinas and Supervisor at Wellspring California. Jeremy has worked with a variety of populations in outdoor programs over the past decade. He believes in the power of simplicity and the value of challenges through adventure. Jeremy attained his Bachelor’s degree in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education from Brevard College in North Carolina. He was captain of Brevard's Cross Country and Track teams and was named to the NAIA All Conference Academic Team. Jeremy also received the Outstanding Senior award for his major and later served as an adjunct professor for his alma mater. Jeremy has developed and implemented a variety of climbing, backpacking, and outdoor programs around the country.
Daniel S. Kirschenbaum, Ph.D., is Clinical Director and Chief Program Officer of Healthy Living Academies. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in Illinois and California, was Director of the Eating Disorders Program at Northwestern University Medical School, where he is Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Kirschenbaum is a Fellow and Diplomate in Clinical Health Psychology of the American Psychological Association and former president of its Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology. He has served as a consultant to the United States Olympic Committee, the National Basketball Association, the Ladies Professional Golf Association, the Chicago Bears, numerous professional journals, and several major corporations. Dr. Kirschenbaum has provided invited addresses at many professional conferences world-wide, received numerous grants for research, and published 9 books and 125 journal articles on weight loss, sport psychology, and related topics. His books include:Treatment of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity (1987); Weight Loss Through Persistence (1994); The 9 Truths About Weight Loss (2000); and, The Healthy Obsession Program: Smart Weight Loss Instead of Low-Carb Lunacy (2006). In 2000, the American Council on Exercise and its Board of Directors unanimously endorsed The 9 Truths About Weight Loss as “the best book ever written for the public on how to lose weight and keep it off.”
