The Society for Experiential Education Welcomes Four New Members to the Board of Directors

The Society for Experiential Education elected Don DeMaria, Kafui Kouakou, Katia Maxwell, and Evan Small to the organization's Board of Directors at its meeting on May 21, 2026. The new board members will begin their terms in October 2026 during SEE’s annual conference. 

Together, the incoming board members bring a wide range of experience across higher education, K-12 education, institutional leadership, professional development, research, access, and experiential learning practice. Their selection reflects SEE’s continued commitment to advancing experiential education across diverse environments and communities and supporting the educators, practitioners, scholars, and leaders who make this work possible. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Don, Kafui, Katia, and Evan to the SEE Board of Directors,” said Vivienne Felix, Incoming SEE Board of Directors President. “Each brings deep experience, a strong commitment to experiential education, and a clear passion for advancing SEE’s mission. As our field continues to evolve, their perspectives will help strengthen our work, expand our reach, and support a vibrant community of experiential educators.”

	Don DeMaria brings deep experience in off-campus and place-based learning, currently serving as the inaugural Executive Director of Indiana University’s Capital Campus in Washington, D.C. A longtime SEE member and member of the inaugural SEE Fellows cohort, DeMaria has served on the Conference and Research & Scholarship Committees and has chaired or co-chaired the annual conference committee in 2025 and 2026.
	Kafui Kouakou serves as Vice Provost for Experiential Education and Career Development at Mercy University, where he leads institution-wide efforts to ensure every student completes a meaningful work-based experience before graduation. His work spans experiential education infrastructure, career and professional development, research, equity, and access, including current service as co-chair of SEE’s Professional Development Committee.
	Katia Maxwell serves as Assistant Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences at Athens State University, where she has helped advance experiential education as a meaningful part of the university’s identity. Her work has supported the integration of experiential learning across the institution, and she brings a strong commitment to advocacy, connection, and the continued growth of SEE’s member community. Katia participated in the 2022-2024 SEE Fellows Program.
	Evan Small is a faculty member in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education at Elon University, where his work spans outdoor education, K-12 teacher education, study abroad, undergraduate research, and experiential education across campus. A member of the Experiential Education Academy faculty, Small brings a practitioner-academic perspective rooted in social justice, critical pedagogy, K-12 education, and helping students make meaning through experience.

About the Society of Experiential Education

For more than 55 years, the Society for Experiential Education has connected educators, scholars, and practitioners engaged in experiential education. Through convening, scholarship, professional learning, and publication, SEE supports inquiry and practice grounded in experience across higher education and community settings.

SEE’s vision is to broaden the perspectives and voices shaping experiential education, so they reflect the practitioners and learners who engage in the field.