Boating Educator of the Year

Nominating: Pamela s. dillon boating educator of the year

In 2019, Pamela S. Dillon retired after more than 40 years in recreational boating safety. In recognition of Pam’s hard work, dedication and service given to NASBLA, the States and the recreational boating safety community, the Boating Educator of the Year award was renamed the ‘Pamela S. Dillon Educator of the Year’ award. In 2011, Pam began serving as the Education and Standards Director for NASBLA. In this position, she led NASBLA’s education efforts with monumental results. With all she accomplished in her time with NASBLA, it is just the tip of the iceberg in what she accomplished over a lifetime of vocation and service in the recreational boating community.

Educators and volunteers from state and local agencies and from nonprofit organizations are eligible. Boating law administrators should nominate candidates who have made an outstanding contribution to boating safety through education. A nominee should be someone in the education field who goes above and beyond to engage students and boaters, raise awareness, and make boating education and education initiatives relevant, thorough and exciting. Posthumous nominations are not eligible.

Three regional finalists will be chosen from among the state nominees and will win a paid trip to the NASBLA Annual Conference where the national winner will be announced and recognized during the Awards Ceremony.

National boating educator of the year selected

NASBLA and Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc. are pleased to announce the regional winners of the Boating Educator of the Year Award. This award symbolizes the highest level of achievement among boating safety educators in the U.S.

National Winner 2025

Annie Grenier - AKDuring its 66th annual meeting, held in Des Moines, Iowa, from Sept. 16 - 18, 2025, NASBLA presented its prestigious national Pamela S. Dillon Boating Educator of the Year award to Annie Grenier with the Alaska Office of Boating Safety. NASBLA congratulates Grenier on receiving the National Boating Educator of the Year award in recognition of her exceptional career and impact on recreational boating safety.

Northern Region

Travis Ferguson - OHTravis Ferguson
Ohio

Travis Ferguson, an officer with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), has been named the 2025 Northern Region Educator of the Year. Ferguson has served with the ODNR for 13 years, earning praise for his engaging Ohio Boater Education Courses. His extensive knowledge, drawn from years on Lake Erie, and enthusiastic teaching style make him a favorite among students.

In 2024, he taught five courses to 74 students, logging 78 hours of classroom instruction, and provided 184 hours of on-the-water training. Beyond the classroom, Ferguson completed 65 vessel safety checks, conducted 156 hours of boat patrol, and trained new probationary officers to prepare them for fieldwork. Following a devastating tornado at Indian Lake, he dedicated 46 hours to debris removal, ensuring safer waterways for the community. Read the full press release.

Southern Region

Hunter Wisecarver - TNHunter Wisecarver
Tennessee

The 2025 Southern Region Educator of the Year is Wildlife Officer Hunter Wisecarver of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Wisecarver serves in TWRA’s District 42, which covers 10 counties in eastern Tennessee and includes several major reservoirs and river systems.

Though primarily assigned to Douglas Lake, Wisecarver routinely patrols a wide range of regional waterways, including the Holston, Nolichucky, Pigeon, French Broad, and Watauga rivers. Since joining TWRA more than three years ago, Wisecarver has established himself as a leader in boating education and public engagement. In 2024, he taught four boating safety classes and certified 67 students who were required by law to complete the course, along with others who participated voluntarily. Read the full press release.

 

Western Region

Annie Grenier - AKAnnie Grenier
Alaska

Annie Grenier, education coordinator for the Alaska Office of Boating Safety, has been named the Western Region Educator of the Year for 2025. Grenier, who joined the Alaska Office of Boating Safety in 2016, has significantly expanded the state’s boating safety outreach. She expanded the Kids Don’t Float program to reach more than 100,000 children, including 12,654 students in 2024 alone. Nearly 100 teens have graduated as youth instructors through the program’s ambassador initiative, empowering them to teach others.

She also co-launched the Save It for the Shore campaign, which urges boaters to wait until they’re on land to consume alcohol. Backed by more than 40 Alaska breweries and distributors, the campaign’s non-confrontational tone is embraced by boaters and law enforcement alike, reducing alcohol-related incidents on the water. Read the full press release.

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Generously sponsored by Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc., the Boating Educator of the Year Award was launched by NASBLA in 2011 to recognize those who go above to engage students and boaters, raise awareness, and make boating education initiatives relevant, thorough and exciting.

2025 State Boating Educators of the Year

Northern Region

Glenn Dean, Connecticut

Peter Poulin, Maine

Robert Bell, Massachusetts

Ro Woodard, New York

Travis Ferguson, Ohio

Ian Smith, Pennsylvania

Southern Region

Doug Powell, Florida

Derek Ware, Louisiana

Tye DeCramer, Missouri

Philip Griffin, North Carolina

Herbert Luper, South Carolina

Hunter Wisecarver, Tennessee

Michael Reiss, Virginia

Western Region

Annie Grenier, Alaska

Kyler Cox, Arizona

Charlee Friedel, Colorado

Aaron Meier, Nevada


(Those in bold text are the regional boating educators of the year)

Previous Recipients