Current Award Recipient

Charles F. Kettering Award – Employer

Colorado Office of Climate Preparedness &
Disaster Recovery

Jonathan Asher, Director

The State of Colorado has been making headlines for Governor Polis’ commitment to experiential education, in particular internships and apprenticeships. The University of Colorado system has been a significant player in the expansion of experiential education in Colorado and has engaged both broadly and deeply with the Colorado State agencies in the creation of new and expansion of existing programs that give students work-integrated learning opportunities.

Jonathan Asher currently serves as the director of the Governor’s Office of Climate Preparedness and Disaster Recovery, within the Colorado governor’s office. He returned to Colorado in 2020 to serve as Governor Polis’s senior policy advisor after fifteen years in Washington D.C. where he spent roughly half of that time on Capitol Hill in senior energy, environment and natural resources policy roles. He also served as an appointee in the Obama administration at the Environmental Protection Agency, and as Director of Government Relations at The Wilderness Society where he was closely involved in the negotiation and passage of the Dingell conservation bill, and Great American Outdoors Act as the national co-chair of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition.  

Jonathan is a former whitewater river guide, former ski instructor and remains an avid climber, kayaker, skier and generally spending as much time outdoors as possible with his wife, Allison.