Silas Binkley serves on the Board of Directors of the Combat Recovery Foundation, bringing two decades of leadership in outdoor education, program design, and organizational stewardship. He is the Interim Executive Director of the Heart-J Center for Experiential Learning, where he also serves as Director of Programs & Operations. The Heart-J Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Loveland, Colorado, dedicated to conservation, stewardship, and nature-based programming for veterans, first responders, and youth.

Previously, Silas served as Manager of Operations for the Presidents Leadership Class (PLC) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he wrote the handbook and designed and launched the first wilderness-based leadership curriculum for the University through the Applied Leadership Wilderness Course. This work anchored PLC’s immersive wilderness model and deepened his expertise in experiential leadership education.

Silas has managed multi-stakeholder projects across thousands of acres, built veteran-centered service programs that combine skill-building with peer support, and overseen budgets, risk management, and impact tracking. His governance and leadership experience emphasize vision, organizational clarity, managing risks, fiduciary responsibility, and measurable outcomes, qualities that align with CRF’s mission to reduce suicide and strengthen well-being in military and first-responder communities.

He holds a B.A. from Colorado State University and an M.A. in Environmental Management & Sustainable Development from the University of Queensland, and pursued doctoral research (ABD) in Sustainability Education at Prescott College. A certified Wilderness First Responder and seasoned backcountry leader, Silas is devoted to connecting people with working landscapes where healing, purpose, and service come together.