A Look at our Award Winners »
By Sasha Grifftih and Jen Velie
Tim Mertz- the Jim Rennie Leadership Award
Tim has made significant contributions at the Board level for the AORE from 2008-2011; as a Director at Large, Vice President and President. Mertz coordinated the AORE’s first ever Industry Summit on Wilderness Medicine. He helped develop the infrastructure to hire and employ the AORE’s first Executive Director. His work leveraging AORE resources and assets to help develop and further the Strategic Planning, Business Operations, Fiscal Management and Budget analysis has positioned the AORE as "the premier organization dedicated to serving the needs of recreation and education professionals in non-profit settings.”
Tim Mertz joined the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation as the Director of Recreational Sports on April 1, 2012. He oversees department’s recreational operations that provide extensive opportunities that are available to MIT students and staff as well as the local community.
Prior to that Mertz served as the Assistant Director for University Recreation at the University of Wisconsin – Stout. There he supervised a comprehensive campus recreation department that included programs in outdoor adventure, health & fitness, intramural and club sports programs and aquatics. Mertz administered and prepared the annual operating budget for the recreation program at UW-Stout, recruited and trained full-time professional staff and oversaw the scheduling of the recreational programming there. UW-Stout opened the first 24/7 fitness facility in the UW system during Mertz’s tenure as well.
Mertz is a 2002 graduate of Southern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in recreation. He did his graduate work at SIU, receiving his Masters in physical education in 2005. Mertz worked as a graduate assistant in the Student Recreation Center at Southern Illinois University while there and also has experience as a backcountry guide in Alaska.
Quotes from his colleagues throughout the association:
“I have worked with few people in my life who have been as effective at getting things done as Tim Mertz. His service to the AORE has been far above and beyond anything that might have been initially expected of him.”
“There are few professionals that have contributed so much that has altered the course of an organization like AORE. Tim Mertz, has become one who has consistently stood behind his word, has initiated difficult conversations and led by example rather than words. I am very proud of him and have enjoyed watching his career develop over the last 15 years.”
Casey Dunphy – the Bill March Student Achievement Award
Casey is a graduate of Florida State University (FSU) where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Editing, Writing, and Media in Spring of 2014. In her time there Casey began her outdoor career working for Campus Recreation in 2011 as a Trip Leader but quickly took on more leadership roles throughout the department such as Supervisor, Head Trip Leader, and Marketing Representative.
Casey currently serves as Clemson University’s Graduate Assistant for CORE while pursuing her Masters degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. She is responsible for overseeing the planning of CORE's adventure trip schedule each semester, training staff, managing program risks, and other responsibilities associated with leadership of a collegiate outdoor recreation program.
Casey has served in many capacities throughout the AORE. She has been an active member on the Student Development committee, currently serves as an AORE ambassador, and most recently stepped in as the interim Student Representative on the Board of Directors.
“Casey’s positive energy and can do attitude make her a pleasure to work with. She is a natural leader and truly leads by example.”
“Casey is one of those students who probably changed my life far more than I changed hers. Casey is a leader without needing to be in the front of the room. She brings people together naturally. She celebrates others’ successes and makes those around her feel loved and important.”
“Casey exemplifies excellence and commitment. In herself. To the Association. To students and learners everywhere. Coast to coast to people of all ages. She is a teacher, a learner, a volunteer, and a leader. Most importantly she is an inspiration. She has impacted so many lives for the better.... from college freshman on their first OP trip experience to the students she counsels at Camp Manito-wish in the summers.”
“Her energy and enthusiasm for not just outdoor education / recreation, but for life, is contagious to all who come into contact with her.”
“I cannot possibly list all the reasons that Casey Dunphy is deserving of this award… She’s touched the lives of students and professionals ranging from Florida to Oregon.”
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