Josh Hoffman Honored as NASBLA 2026 Western Region Educator of the Year
For more than a decade, Hoffman has served in Arizona’s Boating Safety Education Program, helping expand boating education opportunities statewide while strengthening partnerships that support safe and responsible outdoor recreation.
Hoffman has been instrumental in developing collaborative programs with Arizona State Parks and Trails, helping facilitate paddlesports, powerboat and bowfishing programs throughout the state. He has also partnered with Arizona’s Watchable Wildlife Program to coordinate engaging public events that combine outdoor recreation with boating safety education and environmental awareness, including Watson Lake Kayak-Bird Watching and Big Horn Sheep outings.
In addition to educational programming, Hoffman has helped strengthen Arizona’s life jacket outreach initiatives. Each summer, he assists with distributing more than 1,000 life jackets through loaner station and life jacket exchange programs statewide. He also recently helped support the implementation of three new loaner life jacket stations.
Hoffman regularly travels throughout Arizona to deliver educational programming and support boating safety initiatives in communities across the state. He has helped teach or coordinate 25 paddlesports classes that reached more than 200 students statewide.
Known for his innovative and strategic approach to outreach and education, Hoffman continually works to improve public engagement and enhance boating safety program delivery throughout Arizona.
In addition to his state-level efforts, Hoffman earned the Certified Recreational Boating Professional designation, demonstrating his commitment to advancing recreational boating safety nationwide. He has also served on multiple NASBLA committees and currently serves as an active member of NASBLA’s Paddlesports Committee.
Through education, outreach and innovative public safety initiatives, Hoffman continues to strengthen boating safety and outdoor recreation opportunities across Arizona.
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