Share this
Remembering Diana Bamford-Rees, CAEL’s First Employee
by Scott Campbell on May 22, 2024
As we celebrate CAEL’s 50th anniversary, there have been many occasions to look back at highlights that helped define our organization. Diana Bamford-Rees, who passed away earlier this month, was behind many of them. As we mourn her loss, we also celebrate the many contributions she made to CAEL and, more importantly, to adult learning.
As CAEL’s first official employee, Diana stood out from day one in her 44-year tenure. During that time, she served in many capacities, beginning with executive associate when CAEL was headquartered in Columbia, Maryland. Production manager of CAEL’s Publications Committee, associate director of CAEL’S Philadelphia office, and associate director of institutional development in Chicago were other roles she held. She also managed special grant projects for CAEL in Massachusetts and New York.
One of her most notable accomplishments was leading CAEL's work in South Africa from 2000 to 2004. During this pivotal time following the fall of apartheid, she oversaw a Ford Foundation project to tailor CAEL's workforce development model to the needs of South African adult learners and workers. As Diana later recalled, she realized that even across socioeconomic and cultural differences, adult learners everywhere face the same issues and barriers. The obstacles they face are invariably scarcities in time and money and juggling the responsibilities of work, family, and education. Diana’s work in South Africa, which included establishing a local staff and training program, empowered more than 1,000 workers with valuable new skills.
But, on a personal level, I remember Diana most for introducing me to CAEL. As executive director of New Ventures of Regis University and a board member of the Council for Accelerated Programs (CAP), I was a CAEL member for about 10 years before joining CAEL as an employee. At the time, Diana was CAEL’s liaison to CAP. CAP would have a subconference every year at the CAEL conference, and that’s how I first met her.
Diana could come across as gruff, especially before you got to know her. But that tough exterior belied a heart of gold consumed with a passion for her work and a focus on improving the lives of adult learners and workers everywhere. She was passionate about CAEL’s mission and supporting its stakeholders, whether they were coworkers, members, or adult learners themselves.
When I joined CAEL as vice president of higher ed and membership, Diana reported to me. I soon grew to admire her indefatigable, old-school approach to conference and event planning. As anyone who plans an annual conference knows, the event may occur over a handful of days, but the work is a year-long task. The “fundraising” model back then, such as it was, was a bit more grassroots than it is today. Diana would make the rounds among members and even fellow CAEL employees, coaxing a few dollars out of whomever was willing to help support the conference. Once the CAEL conference began, Diana became a fixture at the hotel, writing and rewriting runs of show to keep pace with any last-minute drama we could throw her way.
Those conference memories take me full circle back to reflecting on CAEL’s 50th anniversary and the indelible mark Diana left on CAEL. Celebrating our golden anniversary undeniably entails a celebration of Diana’s own legacy. And there is no better place to celebrate both than in New Orleans, Diana’s favorite city and site of the 2024 annual conference. Diana would visit New Orleans several times each year, staying at her beloved Hotel Monteleone. During CAEL events there, she would treat her CAEL colleagues to impromptu tours of the many hidden gems that lay outside of the city’s better-known array of jazz clubs and eateries. Later this year, as we gather yet again in New Orleans, we’ll be celebrating yet another milestone: CAEL’s 50th annual conference. I think Diana would be proud of how far we’ve come. I know I’m proud to have called her coworker and friend.
Share this
- Adult Learner Success (107)
- Success Stories (71)
- CAEL Members (70)
- Workforce Development (57)
- Credit for Prior Learning (53)
- Best Practices (47)
- Career Pathways Support (30)
- Work-based Learning (29)
- Strategic Partnerships (27)
- Impact (26)
- Trends in Higher Education (25)
- Upskilling and Reskilling (20)
- DEI (19)
- Retention and Completion (18)
- Curation (17)
- Talent Management (17)
- Q&A (16)
- Adult Learner 360 (15)
- Policy (12)
- Short-term Credentials (11)
- Competency Based Education (CBE) (10)
- Adult Learner Academy (9)
- Student support (9)
- Enrollment (8)
- Research (7)
- Student Stories (7)
- Transfer Students (7)
- Experiential Learning (6)
- Featured (6)
- HSIs (6)
- In the news (6)
- Military-connected Learners (6)
- NACTEL (6)
- Online Learning (6)
- Case Studies (5)
- Community colleges (5)
- EPCE (5)
- Education Benefits (5)
- Wraparound Support (4)
- Apprenticeships (3)
- COVID-19 (3)
- Future of work (3)
- Guest blog (3)
- Structural Approaches to Learning (3)
- Accelerated Program (2)
- Credit Predictor Pro (2)
- HBCUs (2)
- Tuition (2)
- Skills-based hiring (1)
- Student parents (1)
- September 2024 (6)
- August 2024 (10)
- July 2024 (9)
- June 2024 (8)
- May 2024 (11)
- April 2024 (5)
- March 2024 (7)
- February 2024 (5)
- January 2024 (7)
- December 2023 (9)
- November 2023 (7)
- October 2023 (3)
- September 2023 (4)
- August 2023 (3)
- July 2023 (5)
- June 2023 (8)
- May 2023 (9)
- April 2023 (5)
- March 2023 (6)
- February 2023 (5)
- January 2023 (3)
- December 2022 (4)
- November 2022 (7)
- October 2022 (7)
- September 2022 (6)
- August 2022 (6)
- July 2022 (4)
- June 2022 (6)
- May 2022 (4)
- April 2022 (4)
- March 2022 (3)
- February 2022 (5)
- January 2022 (5)
- December 2021 (4)
- November 2021 (2)
- October 2021 (8)
- September 2021 (4)
- August 2021 (4)
- July 2021 (2)
- June 2021 (6)
- May 2021 (5)
- April 2021 (9)
- March 2021 (8)
- February 2021 (5)
- January 2021 (4)
- December 2020 (4)
- November 2020 (3)
- October 2020 (6)
- September 2020 (2)
- August 2020 (1)
- July 2020 (4)
- May 2020 (2)
- April 2020 (1)
- March 2020 (2)
- February 2020 (3)
- January 2020 (3)
- December 2019 (2)
- July 2019 (1)
- May 2019 (1)
- February 2019 (1)
- January 2019 (1)
- October 2018 (4)
- September 2018 (1)
- August 2018 (1)
- July 2018 (1)
- May 2018 (1)
- April 2018 (2)
- March 2018 (1)
- February 2018 (2)
- September 2017 (1)
- August 2017 (2)
- July 2017 (5)
- June 2017 (4)
- May 2017 (3)
- March 2017 (1)
- February 2017 (4)
- December 2016 (3)
- November 2016 (1)
- October 2016 (3)
- August 2016 (8)
- July 2016 (2)
- June 2016 (2)
- May 2016 (5)
- April 2016 (2)
- March 2016 (6)
- February 2016 (9)
- January 2016 (4)
- January 2015 (2)