AEE Accreditation Council Eagle Rock Retreat

AEE Accreditation Council Eagle Rock Retreat

Steve Pace, Director of Accreditation and Certification

The AEE Accreditation Council meets for its annual in-person meeting at the Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center each June. The school is located near Estes Park, Colorado, and is the perfect location for our yearly retreat. Their mission is, in part, to prepare the next generation of leaders to challenge unjust systems.

This year’s meeting focus, guided by Accreditation Council Chair Mike Pigg, was to reflect on accomplishments and to continue to improve how we operate. Group working agreements were updated, and many important topics were discussed. Members of the Accreditation Council are Aaron Funnell, Kim Sacksteder, Vic Kerr, Aaron Leonard, Manjul Prateeti, Andrew Farris, John Nordquist, Katie Baum Mettenbrink, Jose Gonzalez, Katelyn BeVard, Margaret Kelso, Maurie Lung, Paul Wolf, and Mike Pigg.

During the meeting, we discussed the importance of in-person training for the first-aid certifications we accept. Updates to the Program Manual and Council Handbook were approved that included clarifications on suspending programs, criteria used to decide whether a program receives a three or six-year term when applying for re-accreditation, the conflict of interest policy for Accreditation Council members, and the policy on electronic voting. The Education Committee organized the creation of video content for our asynchronous accreditation reviewer training.

We currently have twenty applicants for accreditation. There was a long and productive discussion on how to provide the best customer service possible so that as many organizations as possible can successfully meet our accreditation standards and thus improve their ability to meet their educational and therapeutic missions.

Lastly, we were able to dedicate time to be together in person. Council members come from many different backgrounds and locations, and each person brings a unique perspective to our work together. There was a consensus that this group of experts is a joy to work with. Diverse viewpoints are welcomed and expressed, members feel supported by each other, and genuinely find joy in achieving our purpose, which is to set standards of practice, provide education in furtherance of our purpose, and assess organizations for quality assurance.