About
Mission: The Standards & Accreditation Committee is responsible for improving the Standards and Accreditation process for Gap Year Programs and Consultants in compliance with U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission requirements. Our Standards & Accreditation Committee, composed of gap year program staff, gap year consultants, risk management experts, and additional invited professionals, updates the Standards of Accreditation every 4-5 years. We publish the new standards and update the accreditation process accordingly.
How to Get Involved: Reach out to info@gapyearassociation.org
Co-Chairs
Chris Barlow is Director of Programs at High Mountain Institute (HMI) and co-founder of HMI Gap, an Accredited Gap Year Program.
Dave is co-chair of the Gap Year Association’s Standards & Accreditation committee and co-founder and Executive Director of Cornerstone Safety Group, a membership-based risk management, medical, and mental health services company supporting gap year, adult, and experiential education organizations. With a master’s degree in risk management and 29 years experience in domestic and international operations, Dave has been the Vice President of Global Health and Safety at some of the industry’s largest companies, responded to thousands of incidents, and has consulted over 80 organizations. He is relied upon regularly as an industry expert and mentor speaking at several conferences annually.
Dominique Robinson is a New York-based artist, and educator. In 2014 she founded Pizarts to support cultural exchange initiatives through travel and art. Pizarts is a registered company with the United Nations International Dance Council. In 2016 Pizarts launched Dance Gap Year with programs being hosted in New York, Los Angeles, and abroad. Robinson is a member of the Gap Year Association and is an active contributor to GYA’s Standards & Accreditation Committee and the Fair Trade Learning Committee.
Inspired by his own gap time studying conservation and wildlife biology in East Africa and wilderness leadership in North Carolina, Jason Sarouhan has spent 25 years: leading, designing, directing, and advising about experiential education programming. A supporter of GYA since its founding in 2012, he has helped develop and revise each iteration of the official Standards. He co-chairs the Standards & Accreditation Committee and has served as both primary and secondary reviewer of several accreditation applications. Jason is a dedicated long-distance trail runner and is a proud founding board member of Girls on the Run Western Massachusetts.