Our Team Members

Justin Jackson

Justin Jackson

Founder, Program Director

Justin is a U.S Army veteran and the Founder and President of Vets Outdoors. He served as a Sergeant and Platoon Forward Observer/Fire Support Specialist with Anvil Troop, 173rd Airborne Brigade, deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His military career was marked by distinction, earning the Army Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign medal with two Campaign Stars, the Combat Action Badge, and several additional awards recognizing his leadership, professionalism, and service overseas.

Coming from a proud family of military service members across all branches — including a grandfather who completed six tours in Vietnam as a part of MAC-SOG (Special Forces) — Justin was deeply inspired by both the legacy of service and visible struggles that can follow it. After facing his own challenges reintegrating into civilian life, he founded Vets Outdoors to create a space where fellow veterans could reconnect—with nature, with themselves, and with each other.

Through outdoor adventures, nature therapy, and shared experiences, Vets Outdoors honors the courage and sacrifice of veterans while promoting healing and wellness. As President and event organizer, Justin remains committed to building a community grounded in resilience, camaraderie, and peace. Justin lives in Northwest Arkansas with his wife Michelle and their pets.

Micah Bell

Colonel Micah Bell

Board President

Col. Bell(R) enlisted in the Arkansas Army National Guard as a 13E in March of 1992, serving in an 8-inch howitzer battery. He was later commissioned through the University of Arkansas ROTC program as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1997 where he entered active duty. He returned to the Army National Guard in Texas in 2006 upon leaving active duty. His previous assignments and deployments include: Germany, Fort Hood, Texas Army National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, Arlington, VA, Camp Robinson, AR, Kosovo, Baghdad, Honduras, Egypt, and Basarah, Iraq

Col. Bell has earned numerous medals, some of which include: The Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, NATO medal for Kosovo, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal

COL Bell enjoys several outdoor activities within the Northwest Arkansas area and around the United States and Canada, including fishing, hunting, canoeing, trail riding, and camping.

Stephen Christenberry

Stephen Christenberry

Trip leader


Colorado-based father of three, one wild, beautiful child, and twin toddlers, Stephen moved to Denver, Colorado, with his amazing wife, Myla, in 2018 to be closer to nature and all the outdoor adventures available there. Stephen loves to just get outdoors and enjoy nature to release the tension of city life. He has a passion for snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, and Disc Golf (no, it’s not a frisbee!).

Stephen loves to read and write (though not as often as he would like). He majored in English literature and would love to publish his writing someday. Stephen recently found a love for Web Design and Development.

Served in the Army from 2008-2012, Stephen loved his time in the military and misses the men and women he served with every day. He found that the connections he made were for a lifetime and wants to ensure that all veterans can have the same feeling of altruistic love. It’s a selfless kind of connection that all veterans bear and expect nothing in return, despite the differences in lives and pasts among service members.