Meet the Crew: Brewster Rhoads, board member emeritus

Brewster Rhoads has spent a lifetime working to “make the world a little more just, peaceful, healthy, equitable and sustainable.”

During his teens and early 20s, Brewster got involved in the anti-war and environmental movements. In 1970, he attended the first-ever Earth Day in his hometown of Philadelphia, where he’d grown up as a “free range kid” in the suburbs. 

“Playing ‘army’ in the woods, building forts and making dams in my local creek were my definition of fun,” he said.

Brew grew up, but his ‘definition of fun’ still included the outdoors. 

“As a college student in Western Massachusetts, I hiked the mountains and fished the rivers while organizing demonstrations and lobbying elected officials,” he said. “That work took me to Capitol Hill, where I continued my activism around peace and international human rights issues.”

A job with Ohio Citizen Action, a grassroots citizen lobby organization, brought Brewster and his wife, Ann, to Cincinnati in 1980. Since becoming an Ohioan, he has managed more than 150 candidate and issue campaigns and spent more than a decade working for two Ohio governors. 

Brewster has been part of the Crew since its inception, back when he was executive director of local environmental nonprofit Green Umbrella. Adventure Crew started as a small pilot program in three Cincinnati Public schools back in 2012. Denny McFadden, a retired CPS teacher, wanted to bring cost-free outdoor adventures to teens who might not otherwise experience activities such as paddling on the Little Miami or hiking at the Cincinnati Nature Center. Thanks to Brewster’s support, Green Umbrella provided some initial funding to incorporate Adventure Crew (then Outdoor Adventure Clubs of Greater Cincinnati).

"Adventure Crew connects young people to the natural world by eliminating cost and transportation barriers, making it easy to learn how to kayak, bike, climb, hike, fish, camp and even ski,” Brewster said. “With teenagers spending an average of five hours a day on social media, getting outside is more important than ever for both physical and mental health.  Experiencing the beauty and challenges of the outdoors is key to developing the next generation of environmental stewards. That's why Adventure Crew is so important."

Throughout his career, Brewster served on nonprofit boards for environmental and social justice organizations. When he retired from Green Umbrella in 2015, he had even more time to devote to that service, supporting organizations such as the Ohio River Way (which he helped launch in 2018), the Mill Creek Alliance, the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund and of course, Adventure Crew. Brew was founding chair of the Crew’s board in 2015, and it was his idea for Adventure Crew to adopt Ohio River Paddlefest from Green Umbrella in 2016. Since then, Paddlefest has raised an estimated total of $1 million in net income to support our programs.

“Adventure Crew's growth and success are largely thanks to Brewster's vision, vigor and connections,” said Miriam Wise, the Crew’s director of support and engagement. “From that small pilot program in three schools, Adventure Crew has expanded to 33 schools in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, engaging nearly 1,000 students each year.” 

Brewster remained an active member of the Adventure Crew Board until December 2025, when he became our first emeritus member. Even after a decade of board service, he continues to dedicate countless hours to Paddlefest and generate support for our mission.  

And of course, he continues to get outdoors himself. His brother-in-law, a top-rated canoe racer in the 1980s and a whitewater Olympian in the 1990s, introduced him to kayaking. He estimates that he has kayaked more than 30,000 miles – mostly on the Ohio River and its tributaries – during the last 45 years.

“For me, kayaking is the ultimate stress reliever,” he said. “It’s a great physical workout and a wonderful way to connect to the natural world. Seeing birds soar, fish jump, beavers slapping their tails and even deer swimming a quarter mile across the river are moments of joy.”

His love of the Ohio – and his desire for people to experience it for themselves – is part of what led him to start Ohio River Paddlefest in 2001.  

“Nothing connects one to the beauty and majesty of one of the largest rivers in America than paddling it,” he said. “If you want folks to care about and take action to protect a river, they need to experience it up close. Then their advocacy becomes personal. Paddlefest has provided that opportunity for more than 35,000 people.”

He and a few paddling friends came up with the idea to organize a paddle on the Ohio over a few beers. More than 250 people showed up for what became the first Paddlefest. Since then, the event has grown to become the nation’s largest paddling celebration. The Crew hopes to make this year, the 25th anniversary Ohio River Paddlefest, the biggest and best yet.  

Help make that happen – register for Ohio River Paddlefest today!

You can also honor Brewster’s legacy with a donation to the Rivers and Rhoads fund or by attending the “Rhoast” in his honor on May 7.