AJ Czarnecki-Atwell

Education

MS in Experiential and Outdoor Education, Western Carolina University
BS in Recreation Management, Appalachian State University

Common Courses Taught

Outdoor Living Skills
Hiking & Backpacking
Mountain Biking
Introduction to Skiing & Snowboarding
Trail Building
Expedition Travel Courses
Wilderness Lifeguarding & CPR
High Angle Rescue
Principles of Active Transportation, Trails & Mountain Biking
Trail Infrastructure & Course Design

Scholarly and Professional Achievements

Areas of Study
Experiential and Outdoor Education.
The value of outdoor academic programs for alumni.
Risk management in outdoor education.
Trailbuilding and maintenance.
Wilderness medicine and rescue.
Mountain bike coaching and guiding.

Certifications
Wilderness First Responder- NOLS
Leave No Trace Level Two Instructor- Leave No Trace
Lifeguard & Lifeguard Instructor- American Red Cross
CPR & Basic Life Saving Instructor- American Red Cross
Wilderness & Remote First Aid Instructor- American Red Cross
Level One Instructor- Global Syndicate of Mountain Bike Coaches
B Sawyer- Felling & Bucking- US Forest Service
Unity Blaze- The Unity Folks

Scholarly Achievements
2025 Brad Daniel Excellence in Outdoor and Experiential Education Award recipient 

Institutional Service and Responsibilities

I serve as the Outdoor Recreation Management Coordinator & Campus Bicycle Coordinator. In these roles, I instruct a variety of outdoor skills-related courses and oversee recreation on campus at Wildcat Lake and the campus trail system.

Personal Interests

I am dedicated to high-quality experiential education experiences for students and believe the outdoors creates an amazing learning environment. I am motivated to create a more welcoming environment for outdoor recreation. Additionally, I enjoy traveling both domestically and internationally, as well as spending time outdoors, preferably on a mountain bike or snowboard.