Joe McCullough, education coordinator with the Alaska Office of Boating Safety, was named the Western States Boating Administrators Association (WSBAA) boating safety educator of the year on June 12, 2012, at the 51st annual WSBAA conference.

The award, which recognizes a boating safety professional who achieves excellence in delivering a high-quality boating safety education program, is sponsored by Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc., parent company of Boat Ed and www.boat-ed.com.

“Joe McCullough is truly the ambassador of boating education in Alaska,” said Kurt Kalkomey, president of Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc. “He has worked many long hours and weekends to help launch and expand Alaska’s boating education program.”

In addition to teaching students about boating safety, McCullough trains instructors. He has put a special emphasis on providing instructor training for Alaska state troopers and military personnel. As a result, more boating safety education programs are being offered now than ever before.

McCullough’s commitment includes developing and improving Alaska’s education curricula and numerous boating safety education publications as well as producing award-winning videos such as Cold Water Boating and Boating Alaska. Through his efforts, he has provided a wealth of information to state boaters.

In a state with no mandatory education requirement, McCullough has taught boating safety courses to more than 900 people and coordinated the instruction for another 1,100 students.

“I would like to thank Boat Ed for this award, although it’s really Alaska’s award. As the education coordinator, I am so blessed to be able to work with a great boating law administrator and an awesome staff as well as the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Department of Public Safety and various other agencies,” McCullough said.  “This award is confirmation that recreational boating safety efforts are making headway in Alaska.”

Images courtesy of Kalkomey Enterprises