John Boulmetis, URI professor emeritus of adult education, was inducted into the International Adult Education Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, on October 3, at the Hilton Lexington Downtown Hotel, Lexington, Kentucky.

Boulmetis, a distinguished adult educator known for his work and contributions to the field through involvement with the American Association for Adult Education, has published more than 180 articles and reports dealing with adult, vocational, and career education/training. He has written or co-written three books, including The ABCs of Evaluation: Timeless Techniques for Program and Project Managers, now in its 3rd edition. This much-cited book has had worldwide impact through its step-by-step guidance in effecting changes in evaluation systems in education, workplace training, human services, nursing, and nonprofits.

He redesigned the master of arts degree in adult education at URI, making it the largest master’s program at the university. Over the course of his career, he served as major adviser for more than 300 master’s and Ph.D. students and was the principal investigator on projects dealing with industry-based training, adult basic education, experience-based career education, community education, gerontology, vocational education, and human service agencies in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

He received more than $18 million in grants and contracts from state and national agencies and from such corporations as Texas Instruments, McNeil Consumer Products, and Pizza Hut.

He has also received several awards from his university, including the Outreach Excellence Award from the Office of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Studies Excellence Award, and the URI Greek Life Alumni Award of Distinction.

Boulmetis has delivered over 60 keynotes, workshops, and presentations at national and international conferences and meetings on adult learning, vocational curriculum, and training. In addition, he was part of a research project that had a profound impact on the development of competency-based education curriculum in adult education and vocational/career education programs throughout the United States.

In 1985, he developed a relationship with the U.S. Department of the Navy that led to offering the master’s in adult education with a specialization in Education Management and Training Specialist for officers of the Newport Navy Base. In 1987, he was named the Rhode Island Adult Educator of the Year by the Rhode Island Association for Adult Education.

A dual citizen of Greece and the United States, his scholarship in evaluation has impacted the practice in both countries. He also has been involved in the development of evaluation frameworks for most of the New England states.

The International Adult Education Hall of Fame honors leaders in the fields of continuing education and adult learning, and serves as a record of inspiration for the next generation of continuing education leaders.