2/16/2005 - Wayne Edwards Honored for his Extraordinary Service to AFS

Dr. Wayne L. Edwards’ many years of AFS service as International Trustee were celebrated on January 28, 2005 at the Board of Trustees meeting in New York City. Dr. Edwards retired from the AFS International Board of Trustees leaving behind an exceptional record of committed and distinguished service.

Dr. Edwards’ AFS tenure has spanned decades. He has served the organization in many capacities, including terms as President of the Manawatu AFS Chapter (1980-83); member of the Board of AFS New Zealand (1982-96) and serving as its Chairman (1984-95); member of the AFS International Board of Trustees (1986-91 & 1993-2004) and serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees twice (1990-91 & 1996-2000). He is known for his commitment to the AFS New Zealand Educational Trust and he has been instrumental in ensuring the diversity of its AFS participants.

In 2002 Dr. Edwards received Life Membership to AFS New Zealand, the highest award which can be bestowed on a volunteer. He has worked assiduously towards the strategic development of AFS on an international level through his leadership in key working groups, such as the Partnership Review Task force and Vision 2010.

“His insight and understanding of the very different challenges AFS faced, played an extraordinarily important part in helping the organization move to the partnership model in the 1990s.”, said Richard Spencer former AFS president, “His personal integrity and the well deserved trust of the AFS world in his leadership enabled us to make profound changes in the way we operated our programs.”

“The list of Wayne’s accomplishments in his lengthy AFS career is endless and rich.”, said Victor Oporto, chairperson of the AFS Board of Trustees, “Wayne, in the spirit of Stephen Galatti and our AFS drivers, has given us a living example of commitment to an ideal.”

Dr. Edwards was a Fulbright Scholar to Michigan, USA in 1970-71, where he experienced first-hand what is was like to be an international exchange participant and developed a lasting interest in intercultural and global education. He received a Professional Associate Award in 1977 to undertake research in multicultural education at the Culture Learning Institute’s East-West Center in Honolulu. He holds a Masters of Educational Administration and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of New England, Australia.

In 1981, his daughter, Julie, traveled to the United States on AFS. This family connection to the organization quickly became a formal one when Dr. Edwards was elected vice chair of AFS New Zealand in 1982.

Dr. Edwards has a long association with New Zealand’s Massey University where he has served as Director of the Graduate Program in Educational Administration. His major interests are in areas such as leadership, organizational culture, institutional evaluation and improvement and ethnographic research methods. He has taught graduate courses and has written and spoken widely in these areas. Edwards has been particularly active as a speaker and leader in professional development activities in education throughout New Zealand and he has undertaken major research projects for the New Zealand Government.

Edwards was awarded the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June, 1995 for service to education and intercultural programs. He is a fellow of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (FCCEAM), among many other awards too numerous to mention.

Knowing Wayne we realize that he will continue to be involved in AFS. In fact, in April he will contribute anew as a member of special workgroup reviewing recent program research and its possible implications for how we run our programs.