John E. Williamson

Biographical Information
"John E. (Jed) Williamson is the Immediate Past President of Sterling College in Vermont. For many years, he has been a practitioner and consultant in education and outdoor pursuits, including over 100 safety and quality reviews and accident investigations. He co-authored the Association for Experiential Education's Accreditation Standards for Adventure Programs, has had several articles published, and produced three educational videos on experiential and adventure topics.From 1987 through 1992, he was Executive Director of the United States Biathlon Association. He was a faculty member at the University of New Hampshire from 1973 to 1982 - where he designed and directed an experiential teacher education graduate program called "Live, Learn, and Teach."He has also worked as an instructor, program director, and school director for several U.S. Outward Bound schools. Jed has served on the Boards of the American Alpine Club, National Outdoor Leadership School, Association for Experiential Education, and the Student Conservation Association. He has been the Chair of the Safety Committee and the editor of the American Alpine Club’s annual report Accidents in North American Mountaineering since 1974. In addition to his B.A. and M.Ed. from the University of New Hampshire, Jed has done graduate work in anthropology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. His wife Perry served as the Director of Development during Jed’s tenure at Sterling College. They have two married daughters, Heather and Willow, and two grandsons and two granddaughters. “Heartbeet goes to the core of my educational beliefs.It is a caring community that draws upon the philosophies of the great educators John Dewey (immersion in direct, personal experience), Alexander Meiklejohn (education is about how we treat each other), Kurt Hahn (above all, compassion), and Rudolf Steiner (educating the whole person)."