NEWP Impact Award
The Paddle Impact Award recognizes individuals whose outstanding efforts have strengthened NEWP, Inc.’s programs and activities through consistent hard work and leadership. Their efforts have served to make NEWP’s programs and activities possible, and successful in fulfilling NEWP’s mission to encourage and advance paddle sports education and safety.
Recipients of the Paddle Impact Award must be past or present members of NEWP.
To nominate an individual for this award, please complete the online nomination form and submit it to the Awards Committee for consideration.
Past NEWP Impact Award Recipients
Ken Braband, 2026
Ken’s paddling journey began with racing canoes on Iowa and Wisconsin rivers in the 1970s through the 1990s. After moving to Wisconsin, he and his wife Mary discovered sea kayaking. Their adventures soon expanded to sea kayak camping trips in the Apostle Islands, Pictured Rocks, the islands of Sleeping Bear Dunes and elsewhere.
In 2010, Ken became a certified sea kayak instructor through the American Canoe Association, and was later certified as a whitewater kayak instructor as well. After joining NEWP in 2012, he brought that instructional experience into the club. As a board member and active volunteer, he restarted the annual Rock Island kayak camping trip in 2017 and has led it every year since, continuing one of the club’s signature events. He also leads the club’s weekly Red River whitewater paddles and the annual student whitewater outing, helping paddlers build confidence and skill in moving water.
Ken kickstarted and led numerous club initiatives and served as lead instructor for kayak classes at the Green Bay YMCA, with plans to relaunch those classes in 2027.
What Ken enjoys most is helping paddlers progress along whatever path they choose, whether that means venturing onto the open waters of the Great Lakes, running roaring whitewater rapids, or simply feeling confident and safe on a quiet lake up north.
Will Stahl, 2026
Will Stahl’s involvement in paddling spans nearly five decades and reflects a consistent commitment to helping others learn, grow, and paddle more safely. Originally from Wonder Lake, Illinois, his paddling journey began in the mid-1970s while living in Peoria, Illinois. A formative trip on the Current River—challenging, uncomfortable, and memorable—sparked a lifelong interest in paddling and learning from experience.
After moving to Wisconsin in 1990, Will quickly became involved with the Green Bay paddling community, then known as GBPU. From his earliest days with the club, he supported instructional programs and winter classes, contributing as an assistant, instructor, and volunteer for many years. Will was also present during the founding of NEWP and played a role in shaping its early direction and culture of shared responsibility on the water.
A significant part of Will’s impact came through his long-standing involvement with paddling instruction and skill development. For many summers, he devoted extensive time to helping paddlers build confidence and competence at camps on the Wausau Whitewater course and at Bob Obst’s property on the Irrigation Ditch section of the Wolf River.
What Will values most is watching people do things they once believed were beyond their ability, and then continue progressing from there. Many paddlers he helped get started went on to become highly skilled, knowledgeable, and safety-conscious leaders themselves, extending his impact well beyond his own direct involvement.
Will’s commitment to paddling education and safety has been matched by a deep sense of community. He is the father of three daughters, the grandfather of three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and has shared his life with his partner Kathryn for more than ten years.
Through decades of steady, hands-on involvement, Will Stahl has made meaningful contributions to NEWP’s programs, people, and mission.
Scott Thomson, 2025
Since participating in the 2011 NEWP Kayak Essentials class at the Neenah-Menasha YMCA, Scott has immersed himself in NEWP’s activities and administration. He promptly became and has remained a key member of the public paddles committee that since then has organized and led more than 150 public paddle events. He has also consistently assisted with our Fox West and Appleton YMCA classes since then, rarely missing a class. In addition, he has served for many years on the NEWP board as a member, treasurer and now secretary, and has been essential in our website development and administration since launching our WordPress site several years ago. Scott has been a regular participant in NEWP’s club trips and gatherings, often sharing trip coordinator duties and handling the financial elements of those trips. He has also coordinated our weekly Lake Michigan paddles for the past few years. Scott’s visible and behind-the-scenes contributions have been absolutely critical to the success of NEWP’s mission for nearly 15 years.
Scott has also taken on open pool coordinator responsibilities and has become a competent instructor both in our pool classes and supporting people on our club trips and open water paddles.
David Horst, 2024
Anybody who has participated in NEWP’s Public Paddle events over the past 20 years have certainly paddled with David, have David to thank for the trip and shuttle route maps that have helped everybody find their to our paddle launch and land locations for the last 15 years.
David enjoyed two careers since graduating from UW-Green Bay in 1979. He started off with over 20 years of experience as a newspaper reporter and editor, followed up with more than 20 years supporting regional environmental and sustainability programs as an Environmental Grants Coordinator with the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. It is only natural that David’s passion for nature and his communications expertise has benefited NEWP over all these years.
In presenting the award, Jeff Mazanec said, “I first met David about 20 years ago, at one of our Special Places Program paddles. He quickly proved to me that the pen is indeed mightier than the paddle. We had started our 19-year run of Park to Park Paddles a year or two earlier and were pleased to have a couple dozen participants. David submitted a press release to the Appleton Post-Crescent and almost overnight our participation grew to 140, and more than double that in subsequent years.”
Ever since those early days, David supported NEWP’s events with news releases and broadcast media coverage. He also arranged special events to enrich many of the paddle events. Some long-time paddlers may remember visiting with a John Muir actor, participating in a Native American drum circle in Montello, learning about aquatic invasive species and enjoying at least two visits to Aldo Leopold’s shack on the Wisconsin River, all as part of paddle trip experience.
When David isn’t paddling, he and his wife Jean are likely caring for their herd of llamas and alpacas or enjoying visits from Sandhill Cranes in their backyard.
Please congratulate David Horst, the 2024 NEWP Impact Award recipient.
Jeff Mazanec, 2022
- Tireless volunteer, event organizer and community leader
- President of NEWP for eleven of the past 13 years
- Has trained hundreds of kayakers through NEWP classes and the Door County Sea Kayak Symposium
- Lead organizer of NEWP’s public paddles and many club trips
- ACA Coastal Kayak Level 3 Instructor