Adult Education Leader Honored: Doe Hentschel, Ph.D., Recognized for a Lifetime Career in Adult and Continuing Education

Dolores (Doe) Hentschel, Vice President, Leadership Greater Hartford, was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. She was introduced and presented with her award by Mary Alice Wolf, Professor Emeritus at University of Saint Joseph, on Tuesday November 19th in Orlando, Florida. The Hall of Fame recognizes scholars, practitioners and policy makers who have had a significant impact on the field of adult and continuing education and whose work has influenced the direction and scope of the field itself. Only 200 individuals worldwide have been recognized since the Hall of Fame was established in 1996.

“I am honored and humbled beyond words by this recognition,” Hentschel said.  “The people who wrote the books I studied, the people who mentored me early in my career, are in the Hall.  At the induction ceremony, I was reminded of what draws us to this field of work:  we help adults learn and change so that they can be all that they can be. To be recognized as one who has modeled the way for others in the field is a powerful affirmation of my life.”

For four decades, Doe Hentschel has developed transformative, creative, and pioneering continuing education programs and policies. As a strategist, collaborator, and innovator, she has distinguished herself in multiple settings. A leader and visionary in the field of adult education, Dr. Hentschel has consistently initiated, pioneered, and administered unique and internationally acclaimed outreach to diverse populations. While her legendary leadership has been far-reaching, Hentschel's local claim to  fame was as the Dean of Extended and Continuing Education at the University of Connecticut from 1986 to 1995.  She was responsible for revitalizing many of the programs of the Extended and Continuing Education division, and for pioneering a Center for Learning in Retirement and the Community School of the Arts.  Under her leadership, the Bachelors of General Studies Degree program for adult re-entry students became the fourth largest degree program a the university.

A long-time resident of Willimantic, CT, Dr. Hentschel recently moved to Hartford and has spent the past 13 years at Leadership Greater Hartford, initially as the Director of the ground-breaking Third Age Initiative, an award-winning program for developing, engaging, and connecting older adults in meaningful ways in the community.  In 2008, Dr. Hentschel became Vice President, and in that role she oversees all the programs at Leadership Greater Hartford.

Hentschel has served as an international consultant, curriculum innovator, manager, evaluator, leadership expert, and academic administrator within a wide range of organizations. Respected by adult development and continuing education experts, she has worked with policy developers, practitioners, and leaders in group dynamics, adult reentry and degree completion, aging programs, volunteer leadership, and training.

Dr. Hentschel has been the recipient of multiple awards in the field of adult and continuing education and has contributed more than 50 published articles, chapters, and research papers.  A leader in curriculum design for community leadership training, she has drawn on her expertise to enrich and expand community leadership programming for people of all ages.

Leadership Greater Hartford is the most comprehensive nonprofit community leadership organization in the country. It offers leadership training to individuals ranging from high school age to retirees, with community service projects featured in nearly all of its programs.  These projects and the program graduates continue to have lasting impact in the Hartford region.  For more information about how to be a participant or sponsor with Leadership Greater Hartford, call 860-951-6161 (x18), email info@leadershipgh.org, visit www.leadershipgh.org, or like it on Facebook.