Aaron Ball

Aaron Ball is a Senior Lecturer and Operations Coordinator in the Adventure Education Department at Fort Lewis College. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from California State University, an M.A. in Adventure Education from Prescott College, and is a Ph.D. student in Organizational Learning and Leadership at the University of Idaho. With over 20 years of experience in adventure education, he specializes in judgment development under high-risk conditions, risk management, and outdoor leadership. He joined Fort Lewis College in 2008 as adjunct faculty and transitioned to his current role in 2013.

His expertise includes snow and avalanche education (as an AIARE Instructor Trainer), wilderness medicine (Senior Instructor, Wilderness Medicine Training Center), and mountain guiding (trained with AMGA). He has developed programs such as the Snow and Avalanche Studies certificate, the first of its kind at FLC. His professional network spans organizations like the American Avalanche Association, Wilderness Risk Management Conference, and Outward Bound.

Aaron has presented widely on topics like decision-making tools, risk analysis, and privilege in outdoor education, with workshops at national conferences (e.g., AORE, AEE) and regional symposiums. His research interests emphasize applying cognitive science to outdoor leadership challenges.