Effective Leadership in Adventure Programming

Both Simon Priest and Mike Gass are subject matter experts in outdoor leadership, adventure programming, and the facilitation of learning and change. They have separately authored hundreds of publications, presented thousands of experiential workshops, and delivered dozens of keynote addresses for conferences. They have taught in more than 60 nations around the world, and they enjoy collaborating on scholarly endeavors and climbing mountains together.

Dr. Simon Priest is a Canadian from Burnaby, British Columbia (near Vancouver). His areas of expertise include corporate training and development, wilderness resource management, and adventure travel and ecotourism. In addition to being a dean, provost, vice chancellor, senior vice president, president, and commissioner, he has held full professorships in business management, online education, and recreation and leisure. He has received more than 15 awards for his teaching and research, including the Willi Unsoeld Award from the Association for Experiential Education, and he has been invited as a visiting scholar at about 30 international institutions.

Dr. Michael Gass is an American from Durham, New Hampshire (near Boston). His areas of expertise include adventure therapy, wilderness orientation programs, and program accreditation. He is the director of the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Research Center (OBHRC) as well as the National Association for Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) research database. He is a full professor at the University of New Hampshire as well as a licensed?marriage?and family therapist. He currently leads and directs several critical research initiatives in the field of behavioral health care. He has received more than 20 awards, including the Kurt Hahn Award, Distinguished Researcher Award, and Outstanding Teacher Award from the Association for Experiential Education. He has been invited as a visiting scholar at about 20 international institutions.