We would’ve loved to congratulate Paul Duba on receiving our esteemed Josh Miner Award, but we couldn’t.
He was in the field at the time – once again proving how truly deserving of this award he is.
“Duba has an amazing intuition about what a group or individual needs at any given moment. He’s able to assess a group or individual and then tailor the next activity to match their needs. And he does it with total grace and Jedi mastery,” Nicole Parentice, who has worked with Duba in the Southwest Program, said.
Annually bestowed to one who exemplifies the qualities and character of our Founding Trustee, Joshua L. Miner III, and whose commitment and contributions to Outward Bound have improved the lives of students and staff, the Miner award couldn’t be awarded to a more appropriate person.
With 26 years of field experience, Paul started with Outward Bound in the 1980s, and his journey has taken him many, many miles and on numerous outdoor trips. Through canyons and rivers where he’s led rafting trips, worked as an instructor, a course director and staff trainer to mountains where he’s assisted with mountaineering and backpacking adventures, he has worked with all manner of people and course types, and he embodies the tenacity, compassion, self-sacrifice, curiosity, and undefeatable spirit that are the core of Outward Bound and exemplified by Josh Miner – right down to the mischievous glint in his sparkling, blue eyes, just like Josh’s.
Gracefully balancing the big picture from mission to safety, from staff to students, from self-awareness to mindfulness of others, Paul is a nuanced professional. He brings both heart and head to the job. His colleagues and students describe him as selfless, supportive above the call of duty, quietly inspiring, tireless, and full of grace and humility. Our students can be in no better hands and our staff mentored by few of par. Paul personifies Outward Bound.
In his personal life Paul is a devoted partner to Karen, an actively involved uncle and a high-altitude gardener. He completed a Master’s in Public Administration, served two years on Gunnison City Council and eight years as a Director of ESL with local immigrants in his own community. As a tri-lingual person himself, he worked a course run completely in Spanish with Teachers from Puerto Rico.
Any conversation with Paul about Outward Bound reveals his deep belief in its potential gifts and positive impacts for individuals and groups in our world. Ever at the center of our organization, the mission – and the students with whom it is shared – is ever at the center of Paul’s. Paul’s most recent passion has been course directing and instructing Outward Bound Veterans Courses, demonstrating his ever-strong commitment to Vets from Iraq and Afghanistan.
So again, congratulations, Paul – wherever you may be…
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