AEE Northeast Region
The 2026 Northeast Regional Conference
Contact Us
To contact us, email AEENortheast@aee.org or send us a Facebook message!
The Northeast Region covers the following states and provinces:
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Quebec, Atlantic Provinces
The Northeast Regional Volunteers Seek To:
- Represent AEE's values in the Northeast, and support its growth and impact as an organization.
- Recognize and address current needs for attention and change within the Northeast by:
- Initiating strategies and actions to affect change in these areas
- Advising and supporting the Host Committee in reaching these objectives at Annual NE Regional Conference.
- Fuel the expansion and diversification of groups and perspectives within AEE.
- Foster connections within our region.
- Create opportunities for members to develop within this field.
Roles and participation in the council rotate to support allow for the capacity and perspectives needed to responsibly serve AEE in this way.
NE AEE Regional Conference Host Committee 2027
Join the Team: Northeast AEE 2027 Regional Conference Host Committee
Proposed Date: TBD (aiming for the third weekend in April)
Convener: Devin Farkas
The Northeast region is excited for another opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together—it’s time to begin planning the 2027 Northeast Regional Conference!
We invite you to join the small but mighty team behind the event: the Host Committee.
Serving on the Host Committee is a meaningful way to collaborate with professionals from across the region while helping create an experience that supports and inspires experiential educators. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to build skills in large-scale event planning.
Whether you’re a student, emerging professional, or seasoned practitioner, there’s a place for you. We welcome a range of availability, interests, and experience levels—join in whatever way works best for you.
Committee Roles
Below are the key areas of work that make the conference possible. Most committee members focus on one area, depending on their skills, availability, and interests.
WorkshopsHelp curate a dynamic and engaging lineup of sessions that reflect the breadth of work happening across the region. This includes shaping and promoting the call for proposals, reviewing and selecting workshops to ensure a diverse range of offerings, and supporting presenters leading up to and during the conference.
RegistrationSupport a smooth and welcoming registration experience. This role can range from big-picture thinking—exploring what encourages or prevents people from registering and identifying strategies to make the conference more accessible and inclusive—to more concrete tasks like designing and facilitating an efficient check-in process on-site.
SponsorshipSolicit and build relationships with sponsors, coordinate contributions, and help organize the conference silent auction.
Events & AwardsSupport the awards selection process and coordinate logistics for conference events, including spaces, materials, and overall flow.
Venue CoordinationWork closely with the venue to ensure a seamless experience for attendees across several areas:
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Food: Coordinate with caterers and attendees to provide healthy, inclusive meals that meet dietary needs and allergies.
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Transportation: Share clear, accessible information to help attendees travel to and navigate the conference site.
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Housing: Organize lodging assignments and communicate with attendees and the venue about needs and availability.
Develop and share content that supports key conference elements, including the Call for Proposals, registration, sponsorship, and awards.
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Graphic Design: Create visual assets for the conference, including logos, promotional materials, and digital graphics.
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Social Media & Outreach: Build a strategic communications plan, draft and publish posts, and coordinate outreach efforts.
Recruit and coordinate a small team (4–6 people) to support on-the-ground conference needs during the event.
KidferenceCoordinate engaging programming for children attending with their caregivers.
Time Commitment & Participation
We recognize that volunteers have varying levels of availability, and roles can be adapted to fit different capacities.
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Pre-conference time commitment typically ranges from approximately 2 hours per month (January–April) to up to 4 hours per week (September–April), depending on the role and level of involvement.
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All Host Committee members are expected to attend the conference, with the benefit of fully comped conference registration and housing.
Planning takes place over several months, with increased activity closer to the conference. The Host Committee collaborates through periodic meetings and asynchronous work between meetings.
Get Involved
If you’re interested in joining the Host Committee, please submit the form below to let us know a little about yourself, what roles you’re interested in and your availability! This is a collaborative, supportive team and a meaningful way to contribute to the Northeast AEE community.
We’ll be reviewing submissions on a rolling basis. If you submit after August 1st, please email us at AEENortheast@aee.org to let us know, we don’t want to miss you!
Let’s make it happen together!
-Devin Farkas
AEE Northeast Regional Conference Convener
Northeast Region Awards
THE JOSH MINER DIALOGUE
In 2001, the Northeast Regional Conference hosted Josh Miner as one of the keynote speakers. As a founding trustee of Outward Bound, Josh was instrumental in bringing the experiential philosophy of Kurt Hahn to the United States. Conference attendees were fortunate to hear Josh's vision and passion firsthand, as he shared stories, metaphors, and lessons of children, curiosity, and character. Josh passed away nine months later.
In an effort to capture the essence of the wisdom he shared, in 2003 the Northeast Region Advisory Council established the Josh Miner dialogue series. The series consists of a public undefined dialogue or conversation between the years' honoree and another professional in the field. The "interview" traditionally takes place during the Northeast Regional Conference. This format gives conference attendees a chance to get to know the honoree in an informal setting that often reveals best practice advice and nuggets of wisdom, as well as personal stories and mistakes to avoid.
The Northeast Region Advisory Council in conjunction with the Regional Conference Host Committee selects the Josh Miner Dialogue Series honoree.
2026 Josh Miner Dialogue Honoree: Anita Tucker
Anita R. Tucker, PhD, LICSW, CCAT is a Professor of Social Work at the University of New Hampshire. Since starting at UNH in 2005, Dr. Tucker's research and social work practice have focused on the use of experiential practices such as outdoor and adventure therapy to promote health and wellbeing for all individuals. She is the Co-Coordinator of the Outdoor Research Collaborative (orcollab.org), a grant funded research center and coordinates UNH's dual degree master's program in social work and recreation management She has been recognized for her impact in the field and received the Heart of Adventure Therapy Award, the Distinguished Researcher Award and Servant Leader of the Year Award from the Association for Experiential Education as well as the Distinguished Career Research Award from UNH's College of Health and Human Services. Dr. Tucker has published over 55 peer reviewed articles and two textbooks on outdoor and adventure therapy focused on documenting these evidence-based practices and increasing access for those in need. Since 1996 when she attended her first regional conference, AEE has been her professional home. She has been part of the Northeast Region Advisory Council as a member at large, treasurer, chair and three-time conference convenor as well as the Chair of AEE's Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group. She has also served on AEE's Board of Directors. She is grateful to AEE for being such a core part of her professional joy and journey. When not teaching, writing or supervising folks she loves spending time outdoors skiing, fishing and/or hiking with her family and dogs, as well as any time spent in collaboration and community with her students and amazing colleagues in experiential education and outdoor/adventure therapy.
2026 Interviewer: Morgan Decker
Morgan Decker is a licensed clinical social worker whose passion for experiential learning and adventure began at summer camp and in school with amazing teachers. As a result of these impactful experiences, she chose to embrace this path in her education and career by attending the University of New Hampshire in the Outdoor Education program. She continued at UNH earning her MSW degree, focusing on adventure therapy. Morgan has an extensive background in the experiential field working in non-profit organizations, wilderness therapy, therapeutic boarding schools, various challenge courses, and public high school. She has been a member of AEE since 2007 where she has attended and presented at both regional and international conferences on trauma informed brain based facilitation, Social Emotional Learning, and variations on experiential activities. She is a member and past Chair of the Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group (TAPG) Leadership Council and is a Certified Clinical Adventure Therapist (CCAT). In 2024 she received the AEE Michael Stratton Practicioner of the Year award and in 2025 she was the keynote for the Northeast Regional AEE conference. Currently, she provides adventure based experiences with a focus on social emotional learning to youth at a public high school in southern Maine and she hopes to bring the world of adventure therapy to more places and people. Her personal adventure experiences usually include coaching track and field, stand up paddling, hammocks, and dog agility with her black labs!
Future Honorees
Do you have a suggestion for a future honoree? The Northeast Region Advisory Council is interested in hearing from regional members about who they believe would be a good candidate for recognition as the Josh Miner dialogue series speaker. If you have a suggestion, please reach out to AEENortheast@aee.org
Past Recipients
2019 Jasper S. Hunt
2018 Mike Gass
2017 Laurie Gullion
2016 Dick Prouty
2015 Jed Williamson
2014 Nicki Hall
2013 Hendricks Davis
2012 Karen Warren
2011 Rob Rubendall
2010 Lance Lee
2009 Jim Schoel
2008 Pam McPhee
2007 Craig Dobkin
2006 Keith King
2005 Phil Costello
2004 Dan Garvey
2003 Karl Rohnke
PICOUP Award
Person In Charge Of Unlocking Potential
Michael Gessford will be remembered for his playful spirit, his dedication to the field of experiential education and his kindness and generosity. Mike possessed a unique way of empowering others to achieve their best. In a world of people so quick to offer answers; Mike asked questions. His confidence in others abilities and his endless pursuit of knowledge urged those around him to dig deeper within themselves. Mike was a perceptive educator who gave the world his all and asked for nothing in return. PICOUP is a phrase Mike himself came up with to describe his "job title": Person In Charge Of Unlocking Potential.
This award is dedicated to the memory of Mike Gessford (1962-2011), the original PICOUP. Mike would have liked to remind everyone, "follow your bliss."
The PICOUP Award will be given each year to someone in the Northeast AEE community who selflessly gives of themselves for the betterment of others. This award is to honor an individual who has the ability to empower others to achieve their best regardless of personal gain.
Past Honorees
2017 - Jim Grout
2016 - Kamora Herrington
2015 - Keith King
2014 - Brent Bell
2013 - Hutch Hutchinson
2012 - Beth Sayers
2011 - Mike Gessford
