Joe Austin Receives AEE Servant Leader Award
Photo courtesy of the Association of Experiential Education.
On Thursday, November 8, NOLS Health Review Manager Joe Austin received the 2018 Servant Leader Award from the Association of Experiential Education (AEE). Presented at the annual AEE conference, this award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellent active leadership in the field of experiential education. Criteria for nomination include commitment to the highest level of ethical practices, dedication to furthering experiential education, and embodiment of the principle that “how and why” is just as important as “what will be done.”
Sherry Bagley, Co-Executive Director of Pathfinder Outdoor Education and outgoing secretary for AEE’s Board of Directors, presented Austin with the award at the opening session of this year’s conference in Orlando, Florida. In a nomination letter written by the AEE Accreditation Council, Austin was recognized for being “perhaps the most prepared and thoughtful member of the current council membership. You can always be assured that Joe has spent the extra time to be fully prepared and to ask the hard questions demanded of council participation. He is modest, professional, and humble in his interactions with others.”
Furthermore, he is wholly “committed to the growth and development of people, stewardship of the environment, and has the foresight to empathize, listen, and conceptualize our work.” Austin served for nine years on the Accreditation Council, concluding his term in November 2018. He also served on the council’s Standards Committee, making significant contributions as co-editor of the Manuals of Accreditation Standards for Adventure Programs and Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare. NOLS has been accredited with AEE since 1995 and was recently granted continuing accreditation through 2028.
About NOLS
NOLS is the world’s most comprehensive wilderness school. Students learn communication, good judgment, and grit through developing outdoor skills, risk management, and wilderness medicine expertise in a hands-on environment. Students of all ages graduate from their courses prepared to step forward and lead their communities in a changing world. To learn more about the NOLS experience or to bring a course to your business or organization, call (800) 710-NOLS (6657) or visit www.nols.edu.
