Our Team
Chris Gragtmans
Chris Gragtmans is a former professional kayak and standup paddleboard athlete. In his decades of competition and international travel, he has been fortunate to compete on both the US and Canadian National Teams in several paddlesports disciplines, run multiple 70+ foot waterfall first descents, partner with Fortune 500 sponsors, speak from the TED stage, and manage the Dagger Kayaks Pro Team.
Chris’s life in the present tense is different but no less intense. He is a husband, father to three young daughters, a commercial real estate broker and investor by trade, and still loves to throw down in nearly every outdoor sport.
As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Bright Shadow, Chris brings experience in human and financial capital stewardship and growth, passion for mental health adoption and acceptance, and unfortunately a deep well of loss to Mother Nature.
Sommerville Johnston, LCMHC
Sommerville is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, wilderness guide, yoga instructor, founder of Aspen Roots Collective and co-founder of Bright Shadow. She is passionate about facilitating opportunities for individuals and groups to connect with the natural world, to explore their inner-landscapes, and to discover within themselves a strength and beauty more powerful than they previously knew, and to do all of this in the context of community is the medicine she believes the world needs.
In her role as Clinical Director of Bright Shadow, she is able to weave together the many tributaries of her life experiences, not only the professional but also her personal knowledge of loss, adventure, and soulful connection with nature. She acts as a guide into the depths of grief, equally into the accompanying expansions of heart and spirit.
She has worked in the mental health field since 2010 and in the outdoors since 2000, incorporating curiosity, humor, deep compassion, and respect into her various roles. Sommerville enjoys exploring the trail, rock, and water of her home in the Southeast, as well as continuing to learn from new places and people around the world.
Board Members
We are in the process of developing a board of leaders, team members, co-conspirators, dreamers, doers, outdoor enthusiasts, eager fundraisers, elders, mental health gurus, adventure athletes, experienced non-profit stewards, connectors, teachers, and those committed to tending their own bright shadows. If you feel inspired to join this movement in a service leadership capacity, please REACH OUT; we look forward to hearing from you.