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From Outward Bound USA:

We are pleased to announce that Ann Morris has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Josh Miner Award. The Josh Miner Award honors Outward Bound employees who exemplify the qualities and character of our Founding Trustee, Joshua L. Miner III, and whose commitment and contributions to Outward Bound have improved the lives of students and staff, and enhanced Outward Bound’s ability to fulfill its mission.

Ann has been an invaluable member of the NYC Outward Bound Schools staff for the past 21 years and currently serves as the school’s Chief Operations Officer. In this role Ann touches virtually every aspect of NYC Outward Bound Schools’ operations, from finance and human resources to technology and facilities, and she has helped make a positive difference in the lives of tens of thousands of Outward Bound students.

What truly distinguishes Ann’s work and makes her especially worthy of receiving the Josh Miner Award is that Ann employs her intellect and incomparable work ethic in service to others. She consistently practices and brings to life the values of Outward Bound. She is fair, openminded, collaborative, and regularly demonstrates a deep sense of empathy and compassion for others in her actions. She is unfailingly generous with her time – always willing to lend a hand to a colleague in need even when her own plate is overflowing.

For these traits and more, Ann is universally respected and admired by everyone with whom she comes into contact – fellow staff members, board members, principals and teachers in NYC Outward Bound partner schools, as well as others in the Outward Bound system. As part of her award nomination packet, staff who have worked closely with Ann shared the following reflections:

  • While it is often difficult to draw a straight line from the contributions of finance team members to impacts on students or staff, Ann’s work over the last 2 decades has clearly shaped NYC Outward Bound Schools. Her unwavering drive and enthusiasm for the mission of NYC Outward Bound Schools, and Outward Bound at large, is evident in all she does and all she contributes to her school and her colleagues throughout the system.
  • Ann is a master of balance, maintaining a holistic approach to our organizational health while keeping an eye on the details, and honoring the competing needs of conserving financial resources and funding innovation and experimentation in order to adapt our services to meet the moment. 
  • [Ann is] a woman who is paving the way for future generations.
  • Ann is my hero! Maybe the poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou said it best. “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.”

Like Josh Miner, Ann is a true believer in the power of Outward Bound to change lives for the better and to help build a better, more humane world. On behalf of her nominators and the Josh Miner Award Committee, please join us in congratulating Ann and honoring her for a life of service grounded in Outward Bound’s values and benefiting so many young people.

The Josh Miner Award Selection Committee

I am honored to be part of such a great community that is so intently focused on doing such important work to support and lift up NYC young people! Sharing in this mission is a source of great joy and inspiration to me, and I’m particularly proud to be a part of an organization that has done so much to meet the moment during these incredibly challenging times.

Ann Morris

Chief Operations Officer, NYC Outward Bound Schools

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