BSA announces 2019 recipients of National Venturing Leadership Award

Venturing couldn’t exist without the dedication of young people and adults who plan events, recruit new members and help crews achieve their goals.

Even more remarkable is that most of this work happens behind the scenes, with no recognition expected.

The National Venturing Leadership Award, first presented in 2000, is one way the BSA recognizes these exceptional Greenshirts. (That’s an unofficial nickname for Venturers, derived from Venturing’s unique uniform color.)

The award is presented to Venturers and Venturing Advisors who make major, national-level contributions to Venturing, the BSA’s adventure-packed program for young men and young women ages 14 (or 13 and done with the eighth grade) to 21.

This month, the National Venturing Committee announced the eight Greenshirts who will receive the 2019 National Venturing Leadership Award.

The list includes a young woman who helped plan VenturingFest 2018, a young man who has excelled at promoting Venturing on social media and an adult Advisor who helped establish the concept of area and region Venturing Officer Associations.

Who has received this award in the past?

I blogged about the 20182017 and 2016 recipients. See a list of all past recipients here.

How many people can receive the award?

A maximum of eight awards can be presented each year.

Who selects the recipients?

A task force of youth Venturers makes the final selections, and the recipients are honored at the BSA’s annual meeting, which will be held this May in Denver.

What about council, area and regional Venturers and Advisors?

Venturing Leadership Awards are presented at the council, area and regional levels, too.

Go here to learn how you can honor the outstanding Venturers and Venturing Advisors you know.

Who are the 2019 National Venturing Leadership Award recipients?

Let’s get to the good part. Here are the 2019 recipients of the National Venturing Leadership Award:

Pamela Petterchak, Central Region Venturing President

From: St. Louis

What she did: Pamela has been instrumental in recruiting new leaders to the Central Region and its areas and councils through a coordinated strategy to encourage Venturers to serve as officers. At two national events, the National Order of the Arrow Conference and VenturingFest, Pamela represented the program in an approachable and effective manner.

Reece Kilbey, Western Region Venturing President

From: Mililani, Hawaii

What he did: Reece used his abilities to advocate strongly for the role of youth in the Venturing program. He connected Venturers with resources to help them grow Venturing. He’s a great ambassador for the Venturing program, taking time to recruit and work with youth at all levels of the Scouting program.

Jake Brillhart, National Venturing Vice President

From: Collinsville, Okla.

What he did: Jake is part of the National Venturing Committee’s communications team. He has excelled in promoting Venturing on social media platforms. His commitment to telling the story of Venturing has enabled the program to broaden its reach and more effectively express the core values and benefits of Venturing.

Katelyn St. Louis, Northeast Region Venturing President

From: Durham, N.H.

What she did: Katelyn led an incredible team for VenturingFest 2018. She even spent an additional week at the Summit Bechtel Reserve preparing for the event. Moreover, the Northeast Region has shown positive growth in Venturing under her leadership and direction.

Hannah Wheaton, former Southern Region Venturing Vice President

From: Chesapeake, Va.

What she did: Hannah has served as Southern Region Venturing Vice President of Communications and helped contribute to the program nationally. She also represented Venturing during the Report to the Nation. Hannah has been an ambassador for the Venturing program throughout the nation and the Scouting world.

Scott Sorrels, National Vice Chair of Venturing Committee

From: Alpharetta, Ga.

What he did: Scott has served as the National Vice Chair of the Venturing Committee. He’s been the backbone of the Venturing program since its creation — always working behind the scenes so the youth can shine. He has dedicated his life to Venturing and helped develop the structure the program uses today. He promoted and helped establish the modern area and region Venturing Officer Associations.

Aaron Parks-Young, former National Venturing Vice President

From: Garland, Texas

What he did: Aaron, a former National Venturing Vice President, has interacted with key professionals and volunteers to create a program overview for Venturing. During Aaron’s term, Venturing was undergoing program changes, and Aaron coordinated with the Venturing Program Changes Task Force on every decision. Aaron has continued to contribute his skills to promote Venturing nationwide.

Sherry McGugin, Southern Region Venturing Advisor

From: Cookeville, Tenn.

What she did: Sherry is known for her devotion to a number of leadership training courses, including Kodiak, National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) and National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE). She has helped make sure all youth have the tools they need to be well-trained leaders. Sherry has served as a course director at the Philmont Training Center for several national courses and helped staff many national Venturing events and trainings.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.