Dougan Sherwood

Dougan Sherwood is the founder and executive director of the outdoor youth leadership program [http://www.leadershipdiscovery.org Quest for the West] . A pioneer of what is called as "experience education", Sherwood has over the years served in executive and directorial positions for many other national leadership programs such as program director for the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine, the now discontinued National Youth Leadership Forum on Nursing, and the Junior Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference (JPYIC). Sherwood has also served as the deputy director for the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JNYLC) and the National Young Leaders State Conference (NYLSC). Sherwood has facilitated life-changing experiences of education and leadership for over 11,000 students and counting, and continues do so not only through the programs sponsored by National Youth Leadership and the Congressional Youth Leadership Council but also through his own foundation, the [http://www.leadershipdiscovery.org Western Institute for Leadership and Discovery] .

Background

Dougan Sherwood received his B.A. in History and a minor in Native American studies from the University of Utah. Although he is a native of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Sherwood decided to stay on in Park City, Utah after college and worked there as the development director for an outdoor youth leadership organization. In 2002, Dougan moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue a Master's in Public Policy at The George Washington University. He also interned in the Senator Edward Kennedy's office of education policy.

Experiential Education

Experiential Education is a pioneering field of interest for many new educators. Its basic idea is to educate and motivate students for the world of opportunities that is open to them when they move on to college and pursue careers. Through experiencing leadership firsthand in programs, students in high school get a taste of what life is like in a certain career choice, on their own in the real world, in professional settings, in college, and in the world of leadership. For the duration of such a program, students act as independent functioning bodies, because for the first time they are faced with challenges such as living on their own, working in professional settings with professional ideas, learning to collaborate and connect with people from around the globe, competing for opportunities to showcase their abilities, and competing for new experiences. For example in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine, students compete for viewing surgeries in the operating room almost as if they were competing for these same surgeries as a 3rd year surgical resident. They also run their own cutthroat symposium competition as if they were presenting medical research or drug discoveries at a Gordon conference. Many students who have experienced these programs learn and grow immensely and have successful careers in high profile jobs, or advance greatly in their field of interest.

High-Profile Figures

There are many high-profile figures that Sherwood has worked with to bring experiential education to outstanding students and young leaders. They include Dr. Susan Briggs, M.D., M.P.S., F.A.C.S., who is a General and Trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Briggs is the director of the International Trauma and Disaster Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital as well, and used to be the President of the Pan American Trauma Association. She is involved with many government agencies and response teams and currently works as the Supervising Medical Officer of the Homeland Security/FEMA Specialty Medical Teams. She has won several high-profile awards, such as the Clara Barton Humanitarian Award from the American Red Cross.

Sherwood also has worked with Senator Edward Kennedy in the past, and several other key political and social figures in his work with the Congressional Youth Leadership Council and the National Youth Leadership Forum.