History

The Association of Professional Humane Educators, APHE, is a professional organization for people interested in and supportive of humane and environmental education.

APHE was founded as the Western Humane Educators Association (WHEA) in 1970 and grew in the decades that followed to over 300 members. In the 1980s, the name changed to the Western Humane and Environmental Educators Association (WHEEA) and the membership continued to grow. The Latham Foundation provided us with a permanent address in 2000. In 2004, the name changed once more to Association of Professional Humane Educators, or APHE, as it is known now, to reflect the goal to create one national humane education organization by uniting both the East and West Coast of the country. At this same time, our first APHE National Annual Conference was held in Portland, Oregon in March of 2004. We have hosted our national annual conference every year since in cities across the country from San Diego, CA to Orlando, Florida, including Chicago, Phoenix, Detroit, Charleston, and our upcoming 2022 conference scheduled for the Twin Cities. Carol Shiveley was APHE's first Board President.

In 2007, APHE published its first camp manual, a resource that we are still known for to this day. We began hosting webinars in 2010. In 2013, we redesigned our logo to our current image and our quarterly publication "The Packrat" was rebranded as the Humane Education Quarterly (HEQ).  In 2020, APHE's popular virtual Coffee & Connect series began.

APHE retains WHEEA's commitment to promoting humane and environmental education, but without the limitation of the "Western" geography. Today, APHE thrives as an active membership organization providing networking opportunities and resources to those involved with - or interested in - humane education.