Steven Maynard
Associate Professor, Head of Paddlesports & Outdoor Living Skills
Steve has spent his entire working career as an outdoor educator. He has been lucky enough to learn from and work with some of the best practitioners in the field. He has worked with a wide variety of clients in multiple land, and water-based disciplines in some of the most spectacular and demanding locations Europe and the Americas offer.
Steve’s specialization is paddlesport, primarily expedition and rough water sea kayaking. However, he is also active in white water kayak, canoe, race, SUP, and pretty much anything else that can be paddled. Beyond paddlesport, his professional resume includes many activities, including skiing, backpacking, climbing, navigation, outdoor living skills, technical advising, personnel development, youth work, problem-solving, and life skills development.
Steve holds an M.Sc. in Performance Coaching, with a focus on adventure sports. Additionally, he maintains professional qualifications in many adventure sports, including kayaking certifications at the highest level from Paddles Up Training, British Canoeing, and the American Canoe Association. He is also authorized to train and certify others to similar levels of qualification.
Steve started kayaking on remote sea lochs in North West Scotland in the mid-1980s. Since then, he has paddled, guided, coached, and been coached extensively in the United Kingdom, throughout Europe, and the Americas. Alongside consistently exploring new locations, Steve continues to exceed industry standards in regard to professional development as a leader, guide, coach, educator and assessor.
After nearly 20 fun-filled years of being constantly on the move, Steve took a “Proper Job” with the expeditionary studies program at SUNY Plattsburgh. He is currently the head of paddlesports and outdoor living skills for expeditionary studies. In his spare time, he continues to teach classes for other paddling schools, lead expeditions, present at international kayak symposia, train and certify other paddlesport professionals, and is part of the internal quality assurance team for international professional qualification provider Paddles Up Training.
One of Steve’s greatest pleasures in life is helping people improve their understanding of technique, tactics, self, and environment to enable them to do more, have more fun, and be safer in the outdoors.
- Certifications
- British Canoeing Coaching Diploma
- British Canoeing Level 4 Sea Kayak Coach
- British Canoeing Provider/Assessor, coaching certification up to performance coach
- British Canoeing Advanced Leadership Provider/Assessor
- British Canoe Union Level 5 Sea Kayak Coach
- British Canoe Union Level 3 White Water Kayak Coach
- American Canoe Association, Level 4 Whitewater Kayaking Instructor
- American Canoe Association, Level 4 Whitewater Kayaking Instructor Trainer
- Level 5: Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor
- Leave no Trace Master Educator
- State of Maine Sea Kayak Guide
- Wilderness First Responder
- First Aid for Mental Health
- Mountain Leader Training Board, Summer Mountain Leader
- Mountain Leader Training Board, Single Pitch Supervisor Award
- Teaching Areas