Founders
Lucky Sevan was formally named in 2007, when Evan Rogers, Paul Miller, and Todd Skinner went to work inviting young people to the program with the sole purpose of strengthening and empowering them through one-on-one mentoring. Today, the Lucky Sevan Foundation continues to thrive with over 500 adult volunteer mentors and 1,400 youth served – and counting – in their youth leadership retreat surf camps over the years.
Todd Skinner
Treasurer and Director of Logistics
Todd is a CPA and Principal of a tax and business advisory firm, Skinner Clouse Group since 1987. Todd, (A.K.A. Oz) is the-man-behind-the-curtain overseeing the thoughtful use of the foundation’s funds and manages all the camp purchasing logistics for all our youth participants and adult mentors each year. Todd’s son was one of the “7” lucky young men to attend Lucky Sevan’s very 1st Annual Surf Camp Retreat in 2007. After the rave reviews from his son, Todd knew he had to volunteer as a mentor and experience this camp for himself. He was blown away.
Nothing he had ever experienced was available for youth, compelling him to be all in to support building and expanding Lucky Sevan’s reach across other oceans to form additional chapters on the East Coast and Internationally worldwide.
Evan Rogers
President/CEO and Camp Retreat Director
Evan received his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from ASU in 2002 where he began his career in project management, sales, and ultimately consulting. In 2009 he formed his first partnership with Todd Skinner, co-founder of L7, as Principal managing the business development and operations for the tax and business advisory CPA firm up until 2020, when he found his other WHY -flipping real estate while launching a home building business focused on the “real people” that make our cities work – civil servants, teachers, and senior citizens.
As an experienced waterman ,coupled with a passion for mentoring kids, and with the help of his close friends, Evan began the venture in 2006 to share his love of surfing and “doing hard things” by developing an impactful organization and leadership retreat experience to educate and better equip young people for today. Evan’s long term vision is already taking shape as he is entertaining requests to take his L7 Program to youth across the world.
Paul Miller
Vice President and Director of Camp Retreat Operations
Paul received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from ASU in 1996 where he began his career as an entrepreneur building an onsite IT company that he operated for over 15 years. In 2015 he decided to expand his reach by joining a larger IT company, Total Networks, where he works as an IT Manager.
A result of spending his summers in San Diego surfing as a youth, Paul is one of Lucky Sevan’s Co- Founders supporting the day-to-day camp retreat operations and overseeing surf instruction training and water safety. Like Evan, he has an affinity for youth and a natural way of mentoring and connecting with them. Paul along with his wife Vandy have dedicated their lives as invaluable assets to the organization and have been instrumental in supporting and building Lucky Sevan into what it has become today.
WEST COAST CHAPTER – San Clemente, CA.
Scott Nichols
Executive Director
Scott Nichols was raised on the coast of Santa Cruz, California, by a family who loved the ocean, and by the age of 16 had surfed or explored most of the coastline from San Diego to Humboldt County. His deep knowledge of the ocean is born from a lifetime of experience and is only rivaled by his love for God and his family.
A self-taught entrepreneur, Scott built a successful career in the legal services world, both as an owner and executive for multiple companies. During his career he traveled throughout the US for work and traveled around the world to surf. At age 51, Scott retired to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with his wife, dedicating his life more fully to service, mentorship, and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Scott’s passion for guiding youth began at age 24 when he was called as a seminary teacher. Since then, he has taught or spoken at seminaries, institutes, firesides, and devotionals throughout California and parts of Utah and Arizona. Scott has a natural ability to share his experiences in the ocean and his personal life in a way that inspires young people to cling to Christ and break the limits of what they think is possible. Being a part of L7 is a dream come true for Scott because it combines all the things he loves. The ocean, the youth; and his love for Jesus Christ.