Baylor University Faculty Member Receives National Award for Her Contributions to the Field of Outdoor Leadership

Media Contact: Terry_Goodrich, 254-710-3321

Follow Baylor Media Communications on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia

WACO, Texas (Nov. 28, 2017) – Kelli McMahan, Ph.D., associate clinical professor and coordinator of outdoor education and leadership at Baylor University, has been announced as the 2017 recipient of the Paul K. Petzoldt Leadership Award.

“I took my first WEA course – a 30-day course in outdoor leadership – in 1994, not long after graduating from Baylor,” McMahan said. “That experience was transformative for me personally and professionally. I have remained active and involved in the organization throughout my career and since 2010, have served on the board of directors. I appreciate the opportunities I have had to provide leadership and contribute to the sustainability and growth of an organization that is extremely relevant to the field of outdoor education and leadership.”

McMahan was granted the award at the Wilderness Education Association (WEA)’s 40th anniversary international conference on Outdoor Leadership in Jackson, Wyoming, on Oct. 26. The Paul K. Petzoldt Leadership award acknowledges significant contributions to the field of outdoor leadership, outstanding influence within the profession and knowledge of the WEA and founder Paul Petzoldt.

“We are blessed to have such talented faculty in HHPR as Dr. McMahan,” said Paul M. Gordon, Ph.D., professor and chair in the department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation (HHPR) at Baylor University. “Receiving the Paul K. Petzoldt Leadership award reflects on Dr. McMahan’s dedication to educating our young men and women in the area of Outdoor Leadership and Recreation. As such, she truly inspires her students to greatness.”

McMahan earned her bachelor’s degree from Baylor University (’93), her master’s degree from Oklahoma State University (’98) and her doctorate in recreation, park and tourism sciences from Texas A&M University (’15).

Petzoldt, an accomplished mountaineer, founded the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in 1965. Since then, more than 285,000 students have graduated from the school. Before the establishment of NOLS, Petzoldt helped create the Colorado addition to the Outward Bound program, an international, non-profit, independent outdoor-education organization.

Petzoldt’s experience in NOLS and Outward Bound and his love of outdoor learning evolved into the Wilderness Education Association.

For more information about Baylor’s Health, Human Performance and Recreation department, visit the HHPR website.

by Brooke Battersby, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.