Dr. Betty van der Smissen, pioneer in the field of outdoor education for more than 50 years, passed away on November 6, 2008 from cancer. Her contributions influenced outdoor programming, legal liability, research and the accreditation fields. One of her most influential books is Legal Liability and Risk Management for Public and Private Entities which is credited with creating the modern field of risk management for outdoor programs. Read more about her historic contributions as well as view interviews of Dr. van der Smissen.

The Association for Experiential Education has created a Research Endowment Fund in Betty’s name. For information on make a donation, go to the Betty van der Smissen Endowment Fund (PDF).

A two-part video interview of Betty van der Smissen was filmed by at the Association for Experiential Education conference in November 2007. Watch Part 2 of the Betty van der Smissen interview.