Growing up in the small White Mountain community of Round Valley, in eastern Arizona provided me the stage to grow, and later thrive as a professional and ethical outdoorsman.
– DARREN CHOATE
I was born in a small town in northwest Colorado. My family moved several times during my early years, spending time in Colorado and Utah before eventually moving to Round Valley, a small community in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. There, I spent my formative years—from fifth grade through high school graduation—in a rural setting surrounded by thousands of square miles of forest and wilderness, an environment that shaped me profoundly.
After graduating from high school, I married my high school sweetheart. With her by my side, I served a four-year tour as an airman in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska. Exploring the vastness of Alaska’s Last Frontier deepened my love of the outdoors. After an honorable discharge, I returned home to Arizona to attend Northern Arizona University, where I earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Education. I spent most of my professional career at NAU, serving in multiple roles.
Now, my wife and I have two grown sons and several fur babies, and we happily call Arizona home.