"Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you." - Aldous Huxley

And all it takes is you - whoever you are. You don't need to have had one million experiences, but rather made meaning of one that you are ready to share with us around the proverbial campfire.

Meet The 2023 ActivatEE Speakers!

ActivatEE 2023 will take place live at the AEE International Conference in Madison, WI on Thursday, November 2 from 11:00am-12:30pm. It will be streamed live to virtual attendees.

Kathy Chau Rohn

she/her/hers

Kathy Chau Rohn is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She received her Ph.D in Higher Education from Boston College and her Ed.M. in Higher Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She utilizes innovative qualitative approaches to explore her research interests which include postsecondary access and success for marginalized student populations, college student experience, and outdoor education. She currently serves as a Symposium on Experiential Education Research (SEER) Co-Coordinator. When not conducting research, you can find her hiking, backpacking, skiing, or practicing yoga.

Jay Zarr

he/him/his

Jay offers a unique perspective from his 45+ years in the field about the value of self-knowledge, the collaborative nature of leadership, and a leader's role as a servant. His experiences range from working in Higher Education, WEA, USFS, At-risk youth, and Aging to "Saging" Instructor, a business co-owner, and regional, local, and international board governance positions. His first AEE International Conference was in Estes Park. His work now spans generations; At Promise Youth, leading adventures for community neighbors who are 50+ Years Active and facilitating Aging to Saging Circle conversations. In the last three years, he has opened 10 Outdoor Exploration Programs for kids from k-12th grade. Jay and Cleo Zarr are the CO-Owner of Story Tellers Travels and Imagine IF.
In his "free" time, Jay plays in nature with Cleo and their Great Grandson Silas, writing, reading, running, and keeping the flame of curiosity alive.

JennieV. Sorrells

she/her/hers

JennieV. Sorrells is an experiential educator who focuses on adventure-based learning and strengths-based coaching, with a particular emphasis on the power of experience in nature. She seeks to find deep meaning in her work and aims to help others make their lives better and improve their well-being. She primarily works with first-generation college bound students from limited income backgrounds, to help them find their path and support them on their journey of self-discovery. She strives to validate and affirm the knowledge, experiences, and voices of others. She is the Director of Project Discovery, the Talent Search program at Western Carolina University.

Taylor Edington

she/her/hers

Taylor was born and raised in Western New York; however, her studies and passions have brought her to the Southwest, where she is completing her internship in Tucson, Arizona. She is in her final year at Prescott College, earning her Master's in Mental Health Counseling and Ed.S. in Experiential Counseling with a focus on adventure-based therapy. Taylor gained her love for the outdoors and nature from her family, who went camping every summer from 3 to 16 and encouraged play no matter her age. This led her to hike the Appalachian Trail 1 and ½ times, completing 3,400 miles. Upon graduation, she would like to work with adults and use her toolbelt of experiential approaches to help individuals heal through their connection with the outside world, whether big or small. Outside of school and work, Taylor enjoys hiking with her pup and friends, kickboxing, diamond paintings, and traveling.

Heidi Schreiber-Pan

she/her/hers

Heidi Schreiber-Pan, Ph.D. is the clinical director at Chesapeake Mental Health, Maryland, and founder of the newly launched Center for Nature Informed Therapy. Dr. Schreiber-Pan is a licensed professional counselor and board-approved supervisor. Her clinical specialization in the treatment of anxiety disorders, PTSD, OCD, stress reduction, and occupational burnout has made her a sought-after international speaker. As an affiliate and former Loyola University, Maryland faculty member, her past research has focused on resiliency, psychological well-being, and nature-informed therapy. Dr. Schreiber-Pan has worked with various organizations, schools, and corporations to reduce stress on a communal level and increase organizational well-being through training in positive psychology and integrating nature into mental health. She is the author of the successful self-help book: Taming the Anxious Mind. Her new book The Outside Within: Stories of Nature’s Role in Psychological Well-being was published in April of 2023.

Margaret Kelso

she/her/hers

Margaret is the Risk Management Director at Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness and serves on the AEE Accreditation Council. She has primarily worked in wilderness therapy including programs in Alaska, Colorado, and currently North Georgia/Western North Carolina and has worked with commercial rafting, canoeing, and kayaking companies. She began her journey with experiential education at the School of Environmental Studies, a high school on the Minnesota Zoo Campus. She has been a Wilderness EMT since 2013.

Drafting your ActivatEE Talk:

• This platform invites you, the speaker, to share a story or idea through the use of voice, during a 7-9 minute mini-keynote to the global audience of the International Conference.
• Think of an instance in time where you had an experience that became a profound teaching moment for you, which truly influenced or altered your way of thinking or being. Are you able and willing to share that message with others?
• Now visualize how you would want to share that story in terms of keynote address. What did you hear, see, notice, and experience at that moment that had an immediate impact or had influence years down the road? Is there a method in your delivery that helps convey your message?

Answer these three questions:

• What? what is your story? what happened?
• So what? Why is it important or developmental to you? What meaning did you take from it?
• Now what? How have you moved forward or how do you plan to use this going forward? What is the transformation? How are you changed?

Considerations: 

Your initial submission will likely not be your exact final presentation. This is just the first step in a number of iterations that you and your presentation will go through before delivering the final presentation. 

Please note that these stories are to be an experience relevant to your perspective. You can certainly use bits of research to support your message, but this is not to be a research paper or a business promotion. We will really push all presenters to constantly evaluate their message, knowing we want to channel a lesson learned to activate the minds of those in the audience.   

The Process:

• Complete and submit your ActivatEE application by the deadline. The application creates space for you to share your experience and story, as well as submit additional documents like presentation drafts, story maps, and more.
• A team will review the submissions and send out acceptance notices.
• This process asks that you meet on a regular basis with your coaches to support the development of your story and presentation.  These sessions are designed to provide an environment to explore your story, hone in on your answers to What? So what? and Now What?, and give and receive feedback and suggestions regarding the delivery of the presentations. A virtual dress rehearsal will take place leading up to the Conference and in-person dress rehearsal will also take place the night before the ActivatEE presentation. As an ActivatEE speaker, we want you to feel supported and connected to the other  ActivatEE speakers and coaches. For this reason, you will be asked to attend an initial welcome session on Zoom for all ActivatEE speakers and coaches, followed by at least 2-3 coaching sessions with your assigned coach(es) on Zoom in September and October to refine and prepare your ActivatEE talk. The purpose of these coaching sessions is to provide feedback and suggestions regarding the content and delivery of your talk. 
  

Financial Support and Scholarships for the conference Registration will be available for ActivatEE speakers. We do not want the cost of the conference to prevent anyone from being part of ActivatEE. 

Meet The ActivatEE 2023 Coaches!

The very first ActivatEE was held in Denver, Colorado in 2013.  The original group of ActivatEE speakers were coached by professional leadership communication consultant and coach, Hilary Blair, who also gave the keynote that year. Four of the original speakers—Eric Boggs, Hutch Hutchison, Christine Norton, and John Regentin--came back the following year as coaches and have continued in that role ever since. During that time, they recruited and trained new coaches and worked with over 40 speakers. These original coaches, who have given 10 years of service to the ActivatEE storytelling event, will be transitioning out of their roles as coaches and will help recruit and train new coaches and speakers, provide storytelling workshops, and consult with the ActivatEE team. Carrying on the ActivatEE coaching team are Deidra Goodwin, Rachel Hunsell, and Michelle Pagano, who will be joined by new ActivatEE coaches Brian Croft, Chris Ortiz, and Will Marble, all former ActivatEE speakers themselves. We would also like to thank other ActivatEE coaches who have helped with the event in the past, including Chey Davis, Anthony Deringer, and Aaron Leonard.  Please join us in thanking our former coaches and welcoming our new coaching team! We look forward to hearing YOUR stories!

Rachel Hunsell

Resources for Speakers