2009 Employee Awards
At the annual State of the School celebration in Lander, Wyoming, NOLS Executive Director John Gans presented employee awards to John Hovey, John Stoddard, Jen Sall, Katie Baum, Clemente Diaz, Cindy Carey and Claudia Pearson. Copied below is John’s presentation:
Faculty Awards
John Hovey – WMI Instructor / Field Instructor
Our first instructor award recipient came to NOLS as a Wilderness EMT student in 2004. In 2005, he took his WMI instructor course and field instructor course. Since then he has accumulated 79 weeks working for WMI in addition to 42 weeks as a field instructor.
While in 2009, the majority of his teaching was focused on WMI classroom based courses, he also taught one course for NOLS Professional Training (Medicine in the Wild) and one field course for NOLS Rocky Mountain (Outdoor Educator course).
As a WMI instructor, he has mentored a large number of instructors. Whether someone was teaching their first WFA, or getting ready to lead their first WFR he consistently strikes the right balance of creating both challenge and a comfortable learning environment for the instructor. He will continue to play this important mentorship role by being an instructor on the upcoming WMI WFR Instructor Training Course.
Beyond instructor mentorship, students love him. One student wrote from his Med in the Wild Course: “He is one of the best and most engaging teachers I’ve had in medical school.” For his exemplary work as a WMI instructor for NOLS, we are pleased to recognize John Hovey!
John Stoddard – Field Instructor
Our second recipient started his career in 1998 as a student on a summer Instructors Course. He has worked at NOLS Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Alaska, Patagonia, and courses for NOLS Professional Training and Alumni courses.
He is not one to grab the spotlight or to monopolize the attention of others; he is humble, reserved, and introspective. Those qualities combined with his technical expertise and thorough knowledge of all aspects of the NOLS curriculum make him one of the finest field instructors that NOLS is privileged to employ.
He instructs as a course leader in the hiking, climbing, mountaineering, and winter programs, and he has accumulated over 175 weeks in the field since his Rocky Mountain Instructor Course in 1998. He has received Merit Recognition multiple times from multiple NOLS locations. His students have described him as a “hero,” and his coworkers cannot “thank him enough” for all of his support, guidance, and energy. Please join me in congratulating one of our Instructor Award winners for 2009, John Stoddard!
Combo Award
Jen Sall – NOLS Three Peaks Ranch Manager / Field Instructor
This instructor and in-town employee was a student on a fall semester in Kenya in 1999 and took her instructors course in 2002. She has accrued 97 weeks in the field, primarily out of NOLS Rocky Mountain.
She wrote on her instructor course application “the easiest part of the course will be forming relationships with others. My general curiosity, in the motivations and interest of others, combined with my fairly easy going personality, enables me to get along with most individuals.”
Consistent themes on her student evaluations are that she is very approachable, an excellent mentor, energetic, respectful, professional, and has a great ability to teach at all levels. Instructors and in-town staff note that she strikes a great balance between providing structure and ideas about what has worked for her in the past while enabling them to create and run with their own vision.
She is also commended by staff and students for her concern and care for our 4-legged employees. She is a great role model for those interested in entering into the horse program. It is not unusual to find her out cold-hosing a horse at 10:00pm or coaching ranch staff on how to give a vaccination.
For her excellent performance as both an instructor and in-town employee, we are pleased to recognize Three Peaks Ranch Manager, Jen Sall.
Katie Baum – Alaska Program Supervisor / Field Instructor
This instructor took her instructor course in 2003 and has 105 field weeks. She has worked courses in the Southwest, Teton Valley, Rocky Mountain, Alaska and Patagonia.
As a program supervisor she receives praise from instructors for providing some of the most well-focused briefings that they have received. Instructors appreciate her creativity in team building and her practical suggestions in route planning and managing field risks. She is valued in the program office for her organizational skills and willingness to take on projects that help all of the program supervisors. She is an excellent model in “office” expedition behavior, problem solving and in demonstrating vision and action in the program office.
On the courses she works, she is focused on both students and co-instructors. She relentlessly works to improve her teaching, leadership and course management. She is an inspiring role model in her efforts to expand her abilities by learning new skills.
Students and instructors note that she is a clear, concise and effective communicator, good at incorporating different learning styles, very effective coach, connects well with students and cares about building relationships. Our recipient is unable to accept her award tonight as she is working the hiking section of the Patagonia Year course, but please join me in congratulating this Alaska Program Supervisor and field instructor on her employee of the year award. Katie Baum!
In-town Staff Award
Clemente Diaz – Manager of the NOLS Mexico kayak fleet
This employee started working for us in the early 1990s but his history with the school extends back 20 years to when the school purchased a plot of land from his father.
He takes tremendous pride in his work and his excellent expedition behavior sets high standards for others. While his primary job is maintaining the kayak fleet in top notch condition, he is always willing to jump in and help in other areas – assembling fishing gear, loading and off-loading sailboats, doing water re-rations, training new issue room staff or teaching fishing classes to staff and students.
One staff member noted, that “he personally taught me something everyday I worked in Baja. It might have been something about the culture, fishing, kayak equipment, the Spanish language…Literally I learned something new every day.”
This past spring at the end of the year celebration, he organized, produced and acted in the
Story of Tap Tapley’s Life. It was a wonderfully animated production complete with a baby actor to portray Tap in his youngest years, and a cardboard sailboat replica of La Tigresa on which Tap sailed into Coyote Bay.
Our recipient is not able to be with us this evening as he is presently working at NOLS Mexico, but please join me in congratulating, the Manager of the NOLS Mexico kayak fleet on his employee of the year award, Clemente Diaz.
Cindy Carey – Research and Stewardship Coordinator
“Vision and action” is key to describing this award recipients work ethic and performance at NOLS. She started her employment in 2000 as an administrative assistant.
In her current role, it’s her job to help keep our supporters informed about how their support has helped NOLS, and to support the Development Officers while they are on the road. This past year, she teamed up with the IT folks and helped out testing several of the new software projects that are critical for the completion of the database merge. Every year, she’s an integral player in the scholarship process, ensuring that donors get connected to students they help support.
When someone in the department wants to know how or when something is supposed to be done, she’s the right person to ask. If a new employee needs to learn the ropes, you’ll see her step in to help them out. If it looks like a detail might get skipped on a department project, it’s often her that points it out or more often than not, she just steps in and does it.
Something especially noteworthy in her exemplary performance happened this year while she set a lifelong vision into action by returning to Central Wyoming College to work towards completing her degree. Please join me in congratulating our Research and Stewardship Coordinator, Cindy Carey!
Claudia Pearson – Rocky Mountain Rations Manager
This employee is a graduate of a Wind River Wilderness course (1974) and a Yellowstone Park Expedition (1979). In addition, she worked as a seasonal staff person for two summers before she started her full time employment in 1979.
Students note that her department is “fast, efficient, educational, fun, friendly and plays great music!” She and her employees are famous for their spirit and humor on issue days.
Over the years, her department has developed a reputation for selling high quality, reasonably priced, hard to find foods that are not available elsewhere in Fremont County. The number of local people who visit and buy from the Gulch has steadily grown over the years.
She is working with Jen Lamb to support our sustainability initiative by looking for more organic food sources and using more “green products” in the Gulch. Over the years, she has reduced shipping costs and our carbon footprint by changing the way products are ordered and shipped.
She has been the editor of 4 editions of the NOLS Cookery, advised on the nutritional field guide and helped edit the weekend Menu Planner. As an accomplished horsewoman, she has instructed riding classes to horse seminar students. As a supervisor, she role models great leadership and passes our curriculum on to her employees.
Please join me in congratulating our Rocky Mountain Rations Manager on her in-town employee award, Claudia Pearson!
