Our Instructors and Consultants
We are committed to bringing you the top risk management experts for our course material!
Mike Gurtler, ARM
Risk Management and Safety
Mike has been working with youth-serving organizations for over 25 years. He began his career in resident camping and held a variety of program and administrative positions before becoming a YMCA CEO in 1994. After a successful term as CEO, Mike joined the national YMCA staff as a safety & risk management consultant with YMCA Services Corporation in 2000; later becoming the Director of Risk Management providing strategic risk management direction for the organization and working closely with YMCAs throughout the country.
Mike currently serves as a manager and consultant for Safe-Wise Consulting (www.safe-wise.com) and is an associate staff member for the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. He has been instrumental in developing the Rescue Ready Program, resident camp review programs, Safe-Pool networks, staff training programs, youth protection training and many nonprofit risk management publications. Mike is regularly called upon to provide highly-rated workshops at local, regional and national conferences.
Mike resides in Bar Harbor, Maine with his wife and son. He is active in the Rotary Club, YMCA, Congregational Church, Town Government, Little League, Boy Scouts and other local efforts.
Adrienne N. Newsom, Esq.
Human Resources and Risk Management
Adrienne is our HR instructor. She has nearly twenty years of experience counseling nonprofit organizations on employment, formation and tax-exempt status, governance and personnel issues, executive compensation, charitable giving, and risk management issues.
Adrienne work as an attorney includes providing pre-litigation counseling to help nonprofits, officers and directors understand their responsibilities and avoid claims. This includes drafting/reviewing personnel policies and handbooks and providing training on sexual harassment prevention, discrimination and other topics of interest to nonprofit leaders, staff and volunteers.
Adrienne graduated from UCLA School of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1993. Adrienne graduated from Tufts University with Honors in Political Science.
In addition to her law practice, Adrienne is the President/Chief Operating Officer of The GRYD Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit that supports the City of Los Angeles in its gang reduction and youth development efforts. Adrienne and her husband serve as Chapter Directors for HOPE worldwide Southern California and are involved in the youth & family ministry of their church.
David W. Adams, Esq.
Corporate Governance, Risk Management, Youth Protection
David has been providing legal counsel to nonprofit organizations since 2002. Before working as an attorney, he began his career as a nonprofit administrator where he served for nine years working with an association of churches located throughout New England and Europe.
David’s work has focused on nonprofit governance, entity formation, youth protection, abuse reporting, counseling matters, pre-litigation, and drafting effective policies and procedures to address key risk areas.
David is a graduate of Harvard College (B.A., 1990) and Northeastern University School of Law (J.D., 2002). Active in his local congregation’s ministry, David also loves working with his wife Eva and kids, homeschooling, and learning Greek.
