Welcome to the Bay Area Council

About Us

Bay Area Council, BSA Council Shoulder Patch One of the most important documents in the history of Brazoria and Galveston Counties is preserved not in a museum or a library but in the Galveston Island headquarters of the Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. Dated March 28, 1919, the document is a report from the Galveston Rotary Club to its officers and members with a recommendation to form a Boy Scout movement in Galveston. The three-page document still survives to this day and is now commonly referred to as the Bay Area Council Charter. As early as 1920, the Daily News, the oldest newspaper in Texas, carried a regular column called "The Scout Roundup."

On August 14, 1962, Mrs. Mary Moody Northen donated a check for $100,000 to the council to build a new headquarters (where we are still housed today.) She made the donation in honor of her late husband, Edwin C. Northen, a longtime Scouter who was active in the council. Today, the council serves more than 8,000 youth through the leadership of more than 2,000 adult volunteers.

Contact Us

Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America - Council #574
3020 53rd Street, Galveston, TX 77551
Phone: 409-744-5206
Free: 877-659-3879
Fax: 409-744-7850

Council Service Center & Scout Shop hours: Monday thru Friday ~ 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

National BSA: 972-580-2000

Professional Staff

Charlie Tinsley - Scout Executive

Scouting debut: October 17, 1985
BAC debut: February 16, 2017
Hometown:Hermanville, MS
Coolest Desk Item: Big green potted plant.
Favorite Movie: Tears of the Sun.
Favorite TV Show: Scorpion.
Favorite Band: Earth, Wind & Fire.
Favorite Scouting Moment: Wood Badge beading.
About Me: Enjoy working to build successful staff and volunteer teams.
Email: charlie.tinsley@scouting.org
Phone: 409-744-5206 ext. 2802

Kelly Meacham - Field Director

Scouting debut: August 15, 2006
BAC debut: 2018
Hometown: Marietta, GA
Coolest Desk Item: Actual desktop that you can see.
Favorite Movie: The Natural
Favorite TV Show: Sense 8
Favorite Band: The Stone Roses (currently)
Favorite Scouting Moment: My son’s Eagle Court of Honor.
About Me: Eagle Scout. Work hard, play hard.
Email: kelly.meacham@scouting.org
Phone: 706 766-4755

Aaron Christopher - Program Director

BAC debut: 2014
Hometown: Multiple places in Southern CA
Coolest Desk Item: 7” Fallout 4 bobble-head.
Favorite Movie: Caddy Shack, Stripes, Deadpool, The Fifth Element, Idiocracy, Children of Men, Lawrence of Arabia.
Favorite TV Show: Empire, Office Space, Frisky Dingo, Venture Bros., American Dad, Walking Dead, Inbetweeners, Squidbillies, Futurama.
Favorite Band: Sugar Cult, Tennis, Thelonious Monk, Merle Haggard, Best Coast, Camera Obscura, Sophie Ellis Baxter, Hot Rod Circuit, Louis Armstrong, Metric, Prince Buster, Skatalites, Madness.
Favorite Scouting Moment: Canoeing the Colorado River and camping at Vasquez Rocks.
About Me: California was no place for a Libertarian that likes to shoot guns.
Email: aaron.christopher@scouting.org
Phone: 409-750-3657

Monica Jones - Coastal District Executive

BAC debut: April 1, 2019
Hometown: Houston
College: LeTourneau University
Coolest Desk Item: Texas City Citizen's Police Academy Certificate of Completion 10-9-2017
Favorite Movie: Equalizer I and II
Favorite TV Show: This Is Us
Favorite Band: Mint Condition
Favorite Scouting Moment: Becoming an Explorer Advisor.
About Me: Retail therapy is my favorite hobby.
Email: monica.jones2@scouting.org
Phone: 281-836-3754

Triston Giesie - Cradle of Texas District Executive

Scouting debut: 2004
Hometown: Brazoria
College: Texas State
Coolest Desk Item: I'll probably bring a Rubix Cube and pretend I can solve it.
Favorite Movie: Red Dawn
Favorite TV Show: Community
Favorite Band: The Front Bottoms
Favorite Scouting Moment:Sitting on a cliff after my first hike at Philmont.
About Me: Chutzpah, but in sort of a charming way?
Email: triston.giesie@scouting.org
Phone: 979-319-6115

Lester Tarver - Northern Star District Executive

BAC debut: 2016
Hometown: Beaumont
College: Southern Miss. Go Eagles.
Coolest Desk Item: Picture of my children.
Favorite Movie: Twilight Series (Movies), Avatar, Star Wars, and Grease.
Favorite TV Show: Dr. Who, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead.
Favorite Band: New Edition, Boys 2 Men.
Favorite Scouting Moment: Lego themed Cub O’ Ree movie night at Camp K.
About Me: Fun going, adventure seeking guy who loves his family with all his heart.
Email: lester.tarver@scouting.org
Phone: 832-413-2578

Warren Reed - Thunderbird District Executive

BAC debut: 2016
Hometown: Texas City
Coolest Desk Item: Fan I "borrowed" from the copier room.
Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump.
Favorite TV Show: Hogan's Heroes
Favorite Band: Triumph, Rush, and April Wine.
Favorite Scouting Moment: Philmont 1981
About Me: Teacher 23 years, 15 years in a boys prison. Married 25 years with 2 teenage girls.
Email: warren.reed@scouting.org
Phone: 956-607-6295

Support Staff

Kristi Hamelmann - Registrar

BAC debut: August 2019
Hometown: Pearland
Coolest Desk Item: My big 4 inch paper clips.
Favorite Movie: Elf with Will Ferrell.
Favorite TV Show: Queen of the South, American Horror Story
Favorite Band: A Perfect Circle, Tool, and Johnny Cash!
Favorite Scouting Moment: The day I started working for the Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America.
About Me: I am a mom and I love sewing, watching movies, going on outings with my children, and going on road trips.
Email: kristi.hamelmann@scouting.org
Phone: 409-744-5206 ext. 2804

Diandra Ongso - Accountant

BAC debut: 2007
Hometown: Indonesia
College: Bina Nusantara University
Coolest Desk Item: My kid’s art work, radio and family pictures.
Favorite Movie: Star Wars, Marvel Movies, and James Bond movies.
Favorite TV Show: The Crown and Sherlock Homes.
Favorite Band: U2, Imagine Dragon & The Chainsmokers.
Favorite Scouting Moment: When I joined BAC and my son joined Scouting.
About Me: Love my family, photography, traveling, yoga and biking.
Email: diandra.ongso@scouting.org
Phone: 409-744-5206 ext. 2803

Sonya Harvey - Webmaster

BAC debut: 2013
Hometown: Redding, CA
College: UTSA
Coolest Desk Item: Sunglasses.
Favorite Movie: Cool Hand Luke.
Favorite TV Show: The Walking Dead, and anything with Bear Grylls.
Favorite Band: The Clash, Johnny Cash, and Dr. Feelgood (Not Motley Crew, the British Band.)
Favorite Scouting Moment: When my nephew joined Scouting.
About Me: I love road trips, campfires, and playing guitar around campfires.
Email: sonya.harvey@scouting.org
Phone: office 409-744-5206 ext. 2801, cell 409-771-2531

Camp Karankawa Staff

DK Hopwood - Camp Ranger

BAC debut: 2018
Hometown: Brazoria
College: Brazosport College
Coolest Desk Item: If I had a desk it would be something cool.
Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite TV Show: Chicago Fire
Favorite Band: 3 Doors Down
Favorite Scouting Moment: Philmont
About Me: I'm an Eagle Scout. I come from a Scouting family. I love making people laugh. Come out to camp to learn more.
Email: donald.hopwood@scouting.org
Phone: 979-248-4330

Press

+ Formal Ceremonies Held Opening New Scout Site, The Daily Facts-Review, June 7, 1955

+ 69 Units of Local Boy Scouts Attend Camp in First Four Weeks, The Daily Facts-Review, July 12, 1955

+ Boy Scout Camp Opens For Summer on June 10, The Daily Facts-Review, May 14, 1956

+ Full Speed Ahead: A New Sea Scout Base Welcomes You Aboard, Scouting Magazine, March/April 2014

+ Sea Base Rises from Ike's Ashes, Houston Chronicle, September 28, 2014

+ Veteran Scoutmaster of 19 Years Declares Scouting a Wonderful Enterprise With a Great Future, The Daily Facts-Review, June 29, 1939

+ Restaurant fire sparks local Scout into action, The Facts, August 27, 2013