Laurie S. Frank

Laurie Frank is a former public school teacher who has worked in the adventure and experiential education arenas for 30 years. She began her career as a special education teacher in emotional disabilities, working with students of all ages. Her path diverged upon the discovery of adventure education and experiential methodologies. The need to develop community within the school setting was apparent, and the adventure philosophy seemed the perfect vehicle to achieve that goal. 

Laurie is the owner/director of GOAL Consulting, working with people of all ages to create environments where everyone is invited into the process of working and learning together. Her major focuses are community building, collaborative leadership, and experiential education. Workshops with Laurie invite engagement by constructing knowledge through experience and exploration. 

Ms. Frank was a leader in designing the nationally recognized Stress/Challenge adventure program for Madison (Wisconsin) Metropolitan School District, and wrote their curriculum, “Adventure in the Classroom,” in 1988. Ms. Frank wrote Journey Toward the Caring Classroom (2004), an experiential approach to creating community in schools. She also collaborated on four other books: Games (& Other Stuff) for Teachers (1999), Adventure Education for the Classroom Community (2000, Revised 2007), The Mohican People, Their Lives and Their Lands (2008), and Leading Together: Foundations of Collaborative Leadership (2008). 

Laurie’s passion is to facilitate human interaction, and to create environments where everyone is empowered. A few of her projects include: YEP (Youth Empowerment Process), Inquiry Institute with the Chicago Teacher’s Center in Chicago, and Collaborative Leadership: a project of the Wisconsin Leadership Institute. She currently serves on the board of the Hancock Center for Dance/Movement Therapy.