Andy Mink
Regional Advancement Committee Co-Chair & Executive Committee
Hometown: Orange, Virginia
Years on Board: 6
Education: BA - University of Virginia; MA –University of South Carolina
Courses taken: 1 course at Colorado Outward Bound School (21-day course); 8 NCOB 8-day courses; Costa Rica Outward Bound School 1999 10- day rainforest course; 2001 NCOB Invitational – Everglades; 2010 NCOB 4-day Parent/Child course
Professional Background: Worked since 2001 as the Director of Outreach and Education at the University of Virginia. Andy designs and leads professional development programs for K-12 and university educators that focus on hands-on instructional models.
Why Andy serves on the Board: My first phone call to NCOBS was 1995, and I spoke to Dave Genova (a 32-year veteran instructor for Outward Bound, who passed away in 2010). I was a middle school history teacher anxious to find new ways to reach my students in both what they knew but the process of knowing it. With strong support by the school, I created an experiential education school for 7th and 8th graders that addressed the entire academic curriculum through hands-on methodology, culminating with a classic Outward Bound course at the end of their middle school career. I witnessed the power and depth of these experiences for students, educators and families. My work on the Board is a way to maintain personal and professional connections to Outward Bound by serving as a steward of these connections.