Ambler holds a B.A. in Sociology from Lincoln Memorial University and served as an executive with the Boy Scouts of America for 32 years. During Ambler’s tenure as a Scout professional, he served four Boy Scout councils in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. After his retirement from the Boy Scouts of America in 2007, the Great Smoky Mountain Council, BSA headquartered in Knoxville, TN retained his services for three more years as a fundraising consultant.
At the same time Ambler started an award-winning photography business, which he still maintains. He has been published in several national magazines and serves on the Board of Directors for the local PPA affiliate Professional Photographers of East Tennessee. He has twice served as PPETN President and Board Chairman.
Since September 2012, Ambler has served as East Tennessee Prevention Specialist for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of East Tennessee. He is a Darkness to Light authorized facilitator for Stewards of Children, a two-hour training course to help adults learn to recognize, react responsibly to and prevent child sexual abuse.
In Tennessee, Stewards of Children was added to Governor Haslam’s Public Safety Plan in January 2012. It is specifically mentioned in the 2015 Tennessee Joint Task Force on Children’s Justice/Child Sexual Abuse State Plan as the best prevention tool available.
Ambler was certified by Darkness to Light in May 2016 as a Facilitator Instructor for Stewards of Children. He has personally trained 1,846 adults using the Stewards of Children program.
In his role as East Tennessee Prevention Specialist for Children’s Advocacy Centers of Tennessee, he is a member of the East Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, Knoxville’s Community Coalition to Protect Children, and has recently volunteered to serve on CCAHT’s Speakers Bureau. Ambler has also been crucial to CCAHT’s Momentum program, facilitating CCAHT Momentum trainings since the summer of 2016.