AEE Awards
About The AEE Awards
The Association for Experiential Education honors members each year at the International Conference. We continue this tradition to celebrate the outstanding professional accomplishments of individuals and organizations whose passion for experiential education is exemplified through their efforts and their ability to inspire others.
We hope that recipients of awards feel embraced by a community with shared values and a belief in the power of experiential education. May these awards launch recipients to new, higher levels of purposeful engagement with community organizations and inspire others to dream and to act.
JUMP TO:
Dr. Betty van der Smissen Distinguished Researcher Award
Organizational Member of the Year Award
Michael Stratton Practitioner Award
Dr. Nina S. Roberts Social Justice Award
How to Nominate Your Peers
During the nomination period, each award will have a link that will bring you to a form in which we collect information about you, the nominator, as well as information about the nominee. Please fill in as much as you are able. PLEASE review the award criteria and address it with examples in your nominations. If you would like to submit a nomination via video you can do that with the form also. If you would prefer a Zoom conversation or phone call please contact awards@aee.org to set up a time with a representative from the Awards Committee.
The form also asks for a Support File(s) demonstrating the criteria you indicated. This could be a letter, video, story or article from a different person or source other than yourself.
Award Nomination Reviews: After submission of the form, the Awards Committee may reach out to you for further information. We hope to contact the nominee also, so they can provide additional information in support of the criteria. This could include a resume, CV, artifacts, sample of work, marketing materials, curriculum, etc. The nominee will not be told who nominated them for this award.
Once the Awards Committee has collected any supporting materials and confirmed eligibility, the nomination is reviewed by a group of impartial AEE member Reviewers. Reviewers are not part of the AEE staff or Board of Directors. Reviewers compare the information provided against the criteria for the award and complete a rubric for each nominee. The Reviewers will make their selections and send their selection back to the committee.
Award Recipients: When the selection is received by the Committee it will tally up the selections and identify the recipients. Recipients are notified by the Awards Committee. Awards are given out during the Annual International Conference. Recipients do not have to be in-person to receive an award.
Award FAQs
How can I submit the best nomination possible for the person/organization I believe is worthy of recognition? There are a few things you can do to submit a high-quality nomination. First, make sure you are nominating someone or an organization for an award they are well qualified for. Second, make sure to make it clear why this person or organization is a great fit for an AEE award - how long have they been involved with AEE? What has their involvement looked like? Try to draw a clear connection between work the person or organization has done, and the Association. Third, draw connections between this nominee and the AEE values and mission.
What if I nominate someone who does not qualify? If you are not certain if someone qualifies for an award, consider reaching out to the potential nominee, a colleague of the potential nominee, or the awards committee chair at awards@aee.org for further clarification. If you gain clarification and feel like they could qualify, you may nominate them despite uncertainty. However, If a support file or the nominee are unable to establish they meet the criteria, they will be removed from consideration for the award.
Awards Committee Email awards@aee.org to learn more or ask a question!
Does the Awards Committee tell nominees who nominated them? No. We encourage you to talk with your nominee and let them know.
Can I submit a nomination if I don't have all the information? Yes. Do the best you can. All things being equal, a narrative that clearly addresses all the criteria is stronger than one that does not. The solution? Talk to the nominee directly and/or get another person (who has the missing information) to submit a nomination with you.
How long will my nomination remain in consideration? Two years, provided that, in the second year, the criteria are still being met. The Awards Committee urges you to submit new or additional information or supporting nominations in the second year as a way of keeping the nomination fresh.
Can I nominate someone for more than one award? Yes. However, as each award is different, you need to submit a nomination or group of nominations that address each award's criteria.
Can I nominate myself? No.
Can I get help with my nomination? Yes. We can answer questions and help you with your submission. Contact the Awards Committee at awards@aee.org
Research in experiential education holds a significant and growing level of importance in both the academic and applied contexts. This award provides a declaration of the value of that enterprise and recognizes the role that long-term and productive research efforts provide the multiple fields in which experiential education principles are utilized. Additionally, it recognizes the person or people producing this exemplary research and their efforts to make it visible to a wide audience.
The award was established in 2010 originating within AEE's volunteer committee, the Council on Research and Evaluation (CORE).
In August of 2022, AEE's Board of Directors voted to add Dr. Betty van der Smissen's name to the Distinguished Researcher Award. For over 50 years Dr. van der Smissen conducted research in the outdoor fields of camping, adventure, environmental and conservation education, and recreation. She was one of the earliest and most prolific researchers in the professional outdoor fields.
Karen Warren, PhD. has spent almost 50 years in outdoor experiential education, including teaching courses in experiential education, outdoor leadership, wilderness studies, and social justice for 36 years at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. She has also mentored master’s and doctoral students at Prescott, Lesley, and New England Colleges.
Criteria & Past Recipients
Criteria:
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Has completed a minimum of ten years of research not including graduate work.
- Has shown exemplary research productivity and visibility in the fields that use experiential education.
- Has a diversity of publication and presentation outlets particularly those that are refereed.
- Has numerous research contributions of significant importance.
- Exhibited continuity of research involvement.
- Has citations and author impact factor (e.g., H index) commensurate with their field of research and at least comparable to other researchers with 10 years of research.
- Has had creative and innovative impacts to research within the experiential education community.
- Has received awards, keynotes, grants, etc. that speak to a research presence.
- Exemplifies high ethical standards.
- Is actively involved with and committed to the values and mission of AEE.
- Is a current member of AEE.
Award Winner Receives: One year individual membership in AEE, plaque/award
Past Recipients:
2017 - Christine Norton and Jim Sibthorp
2016 - Anita Tucker
2015 - Denise Mitten
2014 - no award given
2013 - Alan Ewert
2012 - H. "Lee" Gillis
2011 - Mike Gass
2010 - Keith Russell
This award is presented to an organization that maintains innovative and outstanding programming at continuously high standards and demonstrates consistent commitment to and support for the work of AEE.
The award was established in 1997 when many of AEE's awards first originated.
2025 Recipient: Eagle Rock
Nestled in the mountains of Estes Park, Colorado, Eagle Rock is a full-scholarship, year-round, residential high school that enrolls young people ages 15-17 in an innovative learning experience with national recognition.
Additionally, we're an educational non-profit organization that connects with schools across the country to facilitate Changemaking through our Professional Development Center.
Eagle Rock's mission is to implement effective and engaging practices that foster each student’s unique potential and help young people use their minds well at Eagle Rock School, and to support schools nationally to do the same. We support students and educators to become catalysts of change in their lives and communities. Eagle Rock envisions a future where this country’s high school youth are fully engaged in their education.
Learn more at www.eaglerockschool.org.
Criteria:
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Maintained innovative and outstanding programming at continuously high standards for at least five years.
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Demonstrated consistent commitment to and support for the work of AEE.
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Exemplifies high ethical standards.
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Is actively involved with and committed to the values and mission of AEE.
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Is a current member of AEE.
Award Winner Receives: One year organizational membership in AEE, plaque/award
Past Recipients:
2017 - Enviros
2016 - Thompson Island Outward Bound
2015 - Brevard College
2014 - Camp Mary Orton
2013 - The Mosaic Project
2012 - Prescott College
2011 - High 5 Adventure Learning Center
2009 - College of DuPage
2008 - Santa Fe Mountain Center
2007 - Sterling College
2006 - Georgia College and State University,Outdoor Education Academic Program
2005 - Omni Youth Service
2004 - Project Use
2003 - The University of New Hampshire's Outdoor Education Program
2002 - The Challenge Course Advisory
2001 - Learning Unlimited Corporation
2000 - Washington State University 4-H Bonney Lake Challenge
1998 - Joseph Pfeifer Kiwanis Camp
1997 - Project Adventure
This award recognizes individuals for their active, excellent servant leadership to the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) and its members.
Servant leadership is a timeless concept and has been around for centuries. The phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said: “The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead." And “A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible."
The award originated in 1997.
Growing up in rural western Ohio, Kim developed both a love of the outdoors and a passion for helping youth. She took these with her to Columbus, Ohio where she earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Social Work at The Ohio State University. Kim worked in the mental health field supporting youth with mental health needs and trauma. In 1999, Kim was hired to build an adventure therapy program at Camp Mary Orton. She became involved with AEE’s Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group and was lucky to find her “professional home.” Over the next 20 years, Kim gained experience in direct practice with diverse population groups, program development, management of community-based adventure therapy programs, training and supervision for emerging professionals, and leadership within professional organizations. Currently, she is co-owner of Adventure Therapist, LLC and Associate Faculty in Prescott College’s Adventure and Nature based Counseling Certificate Programs. Kim has served AEE as TAPG Adventure Therapy Best Practices Committee Chair, TAPG Leadership Council Secretary and Chair, and AEE Accreditation Council Member & Chair. She has convened numerous conferences and volunteers with the Outdoor Research Collaborative. She is a firm believer in the benefits of service and contributing to communities.
Criteria:
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Has demonstrated active, excellent servant leadership to AEE at a regional or international level for at least five years.
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Focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the AEE communities to which they belong.
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Demonstrates a passionate commitment to furthering experiential education principles.
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Exemplifies high ethical standards.
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Is actively involved with and committed to the values and mission of AEE.
- Is a current member of AEE.
Award Winner Receives: One year individual membership in AEE, plaque/award
Past Recipients:
2017 - Maurie Lung
2016 - Elizabeth Speelman
2015 - John Regentin
2014 - Christine Norton
2013 - Andrew Bobilya
2012 - Anita Tucker
2011 - Terry Nail-Williams
2010 - Joel Cryer, Aleta Meyer, Deb Sugerman
2009 - Steve Pace, Scott Robertshaw
2008 - Jude Hirsch, Sandy Newes, Dennis Call
2007 - Bobbi Beale, MB Buckner
2006 - Brenda Porter, Jeanine Stocks
2005 - Scott Banderoff, Katrina Guerkink, Marianne Scippa
2004 - Al Rock, Jennifer Payne, Christian Itin
2003 - Mark Rowland, Sam Tower
2002 - Charles "Reb" Gregg
2001 - Anna Kay Vorsteg, Mark Guidry
2000 - Sylvia Dresser, Margaret Lechner, Zeke Zeliff
1999 - Rob Rubendall
1998 - Michael Terrien, Chris Lupton, Tex Texeira
1997 - Rick Curtis, Bill Proudman, Nina Roberts
This award is presented to an individual whose outstanding commitment to experiential education principles are evidenced through the design, creation and/or production of experiential education resources.
The award originated in 1997 and was named after Karl Rohnke. Karl was an innovative teacher and program developer. His creative and experiential facilitation style laid the foundations for adventure program development for individual and team growth in schools, colleges, corporations, camps, therapy, and elder education. Play, challenge, fun, and laughter were tools he used to enhance learning experiences whether in indoor and in outdoor settings.
Mark Collard is an experiential trainer, best-selling author, speaker, and founder of playmeo, a global online platform that equips educators and group facilitators with 100s of playful, practical activities that help people connect, feel safe and flourish.
At the heart of Mark’s work is a commitment to nurturing human connection – because connection is the gateway to wellbeing and deeper learning. For more than 35 years, Mark has witnessed the transformational power of belonging: when people feel connected, they engage, interact, share and grow.
Importantly, he discovered that fun and play are remarkable catalysts for building connections – a lesson Mark attributes to adventure programming pioneer, mentor, and dear friend, Karl Rohnke. And as we all know, the stronger the connections, the more you can amplify whatever you're trying to get done – greater levels of participation, stronger relationships and improved performance.
Along the way, Mark has written five books, produced 400+ video tutorials (with more than 14.3 million views), worn out three rubber chickens, formed over 5,000 circles, and spent 5 months of my life in an aeroplane, crisscrossing the globe to work with groups.Mark lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife and son. You can learn more about Mark here and here.
Criteria:
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Has designed, created, and/or produced one or more of the following experiential education resources and/or events: video, book, workshop/seminar, newsletter, artwork, article, play, electronic-media resource, program, product or educational materials.
- Utilizes play, challenge, fun, and laughter in their work.
- Demonstrates an outstanding commitment to experiential education principles.
- Lives and works with a passion for experiential education.
- Exemplifies high ethical standards.
- Is actively involved with and committed to the values and mission of AEE.
- Is a current member of AEE.
Award Winner Receives: One year individual membership in AEE, plaque/award
Past Recipients:
2017 - Michelle Cummings
2016 - Amy Climer
2015 - Gary Stauffer
2014 - Madhu Sudan
2013 - no award given
2012 - Marilyn Levin
2011 - Maurie Lung
2010 - Kim Wasserburger
2009 - Brent Bell
2008 - Chris Cavert
2007 - TA Loeffler
2006 - Clifford Knapp
2005 - Tom Smith
2004 - no award given
2003 - Thomas A. Shearer
2002 - no award given
2001 - Rufus Collinson
2000 - Sam Sikes
1999 - Jim Cain
1998 - Mobile Team Challenge
1997 - Sandy Carlson
This award honors an experiential practitioner who has exhibited consistently high levels of performance in working directly with students, participants, clients, etc. This person's work demonstrates that a practitioner can bring about significant change and impact in the lives of people in their program.
The award was established in 1986. In 1989, the name of the award was changed to the Michael Stratton Practitioner Award in honor of the first recipient. Mike Stratton was involved with Outward Bound since its initial course in the mid-sixties in Colorado. He later worked at the Carroll School in Massachusetts where he created a special program for children with dyslexia. Mike’s accomplishments, high energy and perseverance are a great model for practitioners everywhere.
Dr. Sandy Newes is a Psychologist in Asheville, NC. In her clinical practice, she specializes in trauma, stress/anxiety and resilience, and the integration of clinical models into experiential settings; offering psychotherapy, psychological evaluation, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy with a heavy somatic emphasis. She also offers staff and clinical training and was the co-developer of Clinical First Responder (CFR) and other staff and clinical training models. She currently focuses on education, training, and resources around psychedelic assisted psychotherapy through the Living Medicine Institute, focusing on trauma informed care frameworks and experientially grounded approaches to this emerging field.
Sandy has considered AEE/TAPG to be her professional home since 1997. She is a previous Chair of TAPG and was instrumental in shifting TAPG to a leadership council structure. She has remained involved through involvement in a number of organizational efforts through the years and continues to draw on what she learns from this beautiful community in all aspects of her life. In her personal life, she is a single mom of two boys and loves to paddle, ski, dance and connect to the natural world.
Criteria:
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Demonstrates that a practitioner can bring about significant change and impact in the lives of people in their program.
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Exemplifies consistently high levels of performance as a practitioner of experiential education.
- Possesses a solid knowledge of quality standards and exhibits this knowledge throughout their practicing career.
- Works on program delivery directly with clients, students, participants, etc. on a frequent basis.
- Is ideally a full-time experiential educator.
- Lives and works with a passion for experiential education.
- Is a practitioner more than a theorist.
- Exemplifies high ethical standards.
- Is actively involved with and committed to the values and mission of AEE.
- Is a current member of AEE.
Award Winner Receives: $250 from the Michael Stratton Practitioner Award Permanently Restricted Fund, one year individual membership in AEE, plaque/award
Past Recipients:
2017 - Jeff Wilson
2016 - Chih-Mou Hsieh
2015 - Kim Sacksteder
2014 - Tony Alvarez
2013- Ken Kalisch
2012 - Sandy Kohn
2011 - Rick Medrick
2010 - Pam McPhee
2009 - David W. Lovejoy
2008 - Gary Stauffer
2007 - Denise Mitten
2006 - Bob Henderson
2005 - Jim Schoel
2004 - no award given
2003 - Marty Knuth
2002 - Thomas Leahy
2001 - Jean Berube
2000 - H. "Lee" Gillis
1999 - Richard Rutschman
1998 - Karen Warren
1997 - Laurie Frank
1996 - Dan Creely & Angel Russek
1995 - JoAnna Woo Allen
1994 - Craig Dobkin
1993 - Betsy Caldwell Dalgliesh
1992 - Deborah Eads
1991 - Sanford Tollette
1990 - Karl Rohnke
1989 - Reno Taini
1988 - Ava Heinrichsdorff
1987 - Keith King
1986 - Michael Stratton
The Dr. Nina S. Roberts Social Justice Award recognizes people who have actively engaged in social justice and advocacy aimed at making the lives of others and/or communities better through empowerment, environmental justice, research, community organizing, civic engagement, social and/or systems change related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging initiatives.
This award was created in honor of Dr. Nina S. Roberts, who was a bold visionary, social justice leader, researcher, trainer and practitioner. Dr. Roberts was internationally recognized for her work on urban youth, women, and girls in outdoor environments, highlighting the vital connection between nature and the development of healthy lifestyles. Dr. Roberts spent over twenty years working in the field with the National Park Service. She was a Fullbright scholar, a prolific writer and always wove advocacy, social justice, inclusion, empowerment, anti-oppression, anti-racism, power dynamics, and critical analysis into her published works and training. She was a force of nature and a brilliant activist, always willing to take the lead and challenge the status quo. You can learn more about Dr. Roberts and her work at her website.
Rita is Principal of Yerkes Consulting LLC and works with board/staff and fund development, collaborative planning, and DEIB development in business, education, foundations, human services, nonprofit organizations and youth development agencies. She is a Dean Emerita at Aurora University where she mentored graduate students in experiential education and outdoor therapeutic recreation. For over 55 years Rita has been a tireless advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and social justice in girls and women’s sports, experiential education, nonprofit organizations, organized camping and parks and recreation. She has chaired the AEE Women's Professional Group, board, accreditation council and served as volunteer interim executive director always leading and mentoring others in seeking social justice and inclusivity. Rita is the 1998 Marina Ewald & Kurt Hahn presenter. She is a co-editor and an author in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging: Stories of Lived Experience. In this challenging world we share today, she invites you to continue your good work, do all that you can, wherever you can, for as many as you can to make our world a better place and to carry Dr. Nina Roberts’ s torch forward.