Meet Our Leadership Team:

Max & Alli King

Owners / Directors

Max and Alli King are the proud owners and directors of Camp Arrowhead for Boys. Together, they bring a lifelong love of summer camp, years of leadership experience, and a shared passion for helping boys grow through adventure, creativity, and community.

Summer camp has shaped Max’s life since childhood. After attending Falling Creek Camp for nine summers, he went on to serve on staff for five more—where he also met Alli in 2010. Their shared dedication to youth development and outdoor education led them both into camp leadership roles in 2012, and even to a mountaintop marriage proposal at camp.

A graduate of Appalachian State University, Max later established a successful career in real estate investment and property management in historic downtown Charleston, SC, before returning to the mountains to relaunch Camp Arrowhead. Alli, a graduate of the University of Virginia, is an educator at Carolina Day School in Asheville and brings years of classroom experience and curriculum design to the Camp Arrowhead program.

The Kings live in Flat Rock, North Carolina with their daughters, where they continue the proud tradition of Camp Arrowhead—creating a space where boys can grow in confidence, character, and craftsmanship.

John Bates

Owner / Staffing Director

John Bates brings nearly two decades of experience in youth development and outdoor education to his role as Owner and Staffing Director at Camp Arrowhead for Boys.

Originally from Florida, John spent his childhood summers at Falling Creek Camp, where he discovered a lifelong love for the outdoors and the power of the camp experience. He went on to graduate from the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee, and later continued his education in Clemson University’s Youth Development Leadership program.

Throughout his career, John has worked in a wide range of youth-focused roles — from outdoor educator and teacher’s assistant for students with intellectual disabilities, to direct care personnel supporting children on the autism spectrum. He has also served in leadership and directorial positions at several respected camps across Western North Carolina.

Now, as part of the Camp Arrowhead leadership team, John is excited to combine his professional experience, educational background, and passion for mentoring staff to help create a camp environment where every counselor and camper can thrive.

John lives in Hendersonville, NC with his wife, Alexandria, and their three kids. When he’s not at camp, you’ll find him spending time outdoors with his family, working in the garden, or exploring the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Justin Ausburn

Associate Director of Alumni Relations

Justin has been roaming the woods of Camp Arrowhead since 2008, serving in nearly every role along the way — from counselor to director. Now as Associate Director, he leads campers in all things woodsy, sharing his deep knowledge of the outdoors, primitive skills, and wilderness adventure. Justin is passionate about welcoming new campers into the Arrowhead family while honoring the generations who came before them.

A Transylvania County native, Justin grew up just down the road and spent his summers at Boy Scout camp, where his love for the outdoors truly began. He attended Appalachian State University as an NC Teaching Fellow and now teaches middle school engineering and design.

When he’s not teaching students to build robots in the classroom or handcrafting tools by the fire at camp, Justin can usually be found at home doing a little bit of both — blending innovation with tradition, just like Camp Arrowhead itself.