Member Spotlight: Margaret

As the Risk Management Director at Cornerstone I have the incredible opportunity to support our member organizations in so many ways. Cornerstone offers training, policy/procedure review, and on call support. I spend a lot of time strategizing with members on where they're at currently with their risk practices and moving to the place they want to be. I also help in the moment when big issues come up from any area of major incident response, parent communication, employment issues, etc. Our members keep us on our toes and it's always a fun challenge to support them.

While the world feels dark I love the glimmers of hope that this community provides. The ways in which we each impact our communities creates ripples that I deeply believe are going to create the leaders of the future. We're planting the seeds and I can't wait to watch the fruit grow.

My children. They're such creative and kind people. I love watching them figure the world out, learning new things, making mistakes, and growing into fantastic contributors to their communities.

I have a senior pup, Chaco Canyon :), whom I'm really savoring time with right now. I've been enjoying taking him on walks and playing and giving him to many treats. I work from home so he's my office mate, my emotional support animal, my partner in crime, all of it.

I attended my first conference in 2010 after working with Alaska Crossings. I have served on the Accreditation Council (Education Committee), been an Accreditation Site Visitor, Conference Workshop Reviewer, ActivatEE Speaker, ActivatEE Coach, and now Member at Large on the Board of Directors (Development Committee).

Pretty much every interaction I have with AEE and it's members, I walk away having learned something, been inspired, or felt excited about the incredible work we get to do. It's my professional home and I am proud to be associated with such a force for positive in this world and also to be able to learn from so many pillars of the industry through AEE.

Getting to attend TAPG (Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group) at my first conference back in 2010 was such an eye opener to the broader industry and the ways in which collaboration, transparency, and a little bit of fun can lead to a great deal of learning and progress.

Being an ActivatEE speaker was a pinnacle AEE moment for me and I highly encourage anyone who's ever even had a momentary thought of being a speaker to submit their story! The coaching and speaking process is absolutely beautiful.

Having been on the Council and watched the Standards Committee comb through each standard and work to ensure it's creating impact and increasing safety for clients and staff of accredited programs gave me a deep respect to the integrity of the process and to the ways in which the industry as a whole is growing through AEE's accreditation program.