2024 CAEL Conference
Award Winners
Being recognized as a CAEL Annual Award winner is a mark of distinction! CAEL strives to honor the work of individuals, institutions and programs that commit to adult learner excellence, innovation and impactful, outstanding programs.
We welcomed nominations for five awards that honor excellence through key lenses in the adult learning experience. CAEL strives to honor the work of individuals, institutions and programs that commit to adult learner excellence, innovation and impactful, outstanding programs. Our shared mission prospers when we recognize and encourage individual, organizational and institutional excellence in supporting adult learners. Every day, you see their work in action and no one is more qualified to identify the latest heroes than the CAEL community. The five 2024 award winners are:
Learner of the Year
CAEL’s Learner of the Year is a lifelong learner who has successfully navigated the winding path that adult students face on the road to meeting their educational goals. We present the award to an individual who has overcome multiple barriers and has successfully returned to a learning environment. In doing so, we not only recognize and celebrate the individual learner and his or her own commendable achievements, but also those of the millions of other adults striving for excellence in higher education.
2024 Learner of the Year Award
Honoree: Charletta Thomas
Morris T. Keeton Award
CAEL established the Morris T. Keeton Award in 1989 to honor our founding president for his independent voice for innovation and improvement in education. We present this award to a leader who is committed to making experiential learning an integral part of education, to increasing access for adult learners and minorities to postsecondary education, and to improving the theory and practice of assessment, teaching and learning.
2024 Morris T. Keeton Award
presented to Jimmy McClellan
Community Impact Award
The CAEL Community Impact Award recognizes organizations for their roles as community leaders, innovators, and employers in professional service to the broader higher education and workforce development community. We are currently seeking nominations for organizations in the New Orleans area that have contributed to their community in a way that exemplifies the core areas of CAEL's mission and vision.
2024 Community Impact Award
Honoree: Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Adult Learner Impact Award
CAEL presents the Adult Learner Impact Award to recognize institutions and organizations that have provided outstanding programs and services for adult learners. It recognizes the significant impact institutions and organizations create for adult learners and embodies CAEL’s vision that “Every adult has a pathway to lifelong learning and meaningful work.”
Adult Learner Impact Award
presented to Southern New Hampshire University
Pamela Tate Rise Award
This award, named after the former longstanding CAEL president, recognizes those who forge connections between higher education and the workplace with incredible tenacity, enhancing both the lives of adult learners and our nation’s workforce. We present this award to an individual who has forged important connections between education and the workplace in support of adult learners.
2024 Pamela Tate Rise Award
presented to Dr. Fabiola Riobe
For more questions, please contact conference@cael.org