Andrea Knepper

Andrea is the founder and former Executive Director of Chicago Adventure Therapy. What began as an idea in her living room grew into an organization with a revenue of $600,000, working annually with over 1200 participants and 30 community partners. Andrea directed the organization from its founding in 2006 until 2025, when she handed the leadership to the next generation. She is pleased and proud to have transitioned the organization from a white-led organization to one with primarily BIPOC and female leadership at every level, from front-line staff to the Board of Directors. Before founding CAT, Andrea worked as a case manager with people experiencing homelessness, a therapist, and a sea kayak instructor and wilderness guide. As a coach and a clinician, Andrea believes that paddling and learning should be fun, challenging, accessible and engaging. In 2019, Andrea took a sabbatical and paddled her sea kayak along the Pacific Coast of the United States from Canada to Mexico. She wrangled myriad detailed logistics and faced fear every day, paddling 1508 miles over three months. She came away with an unshakable sense of gratitude and a renewed belief in the power of natural beauty to change us and heal us.