Region 4 Representative Candidate Candice Smith

Candice Smith

Candice Smith
Recreation and Community Services Sr. Supervisor
City of Ontario 
Connect with Candice
Please share relevant leadership experiences outside of your work environment.
My involvement with CPRS dates back to 2015 when I served as an Aquatics Section Region 4 Representative. It was that position that made me realize that my involvement in CPRS could not end there. I continued to serve on the Aquatics Board as the Region 4 Representative from 2015-2017, the Vice President for the 2018 year and the President-Elect in 2019. During this time I was the 2016 Aquatics Section CAMS scholarship recipient. Simultaneously, I served on the District 11 Board as Secretary from 2017-218, as President-Elect from 2018-2019, as President from 2019-2020 and as the Director of Board Relations in 2021.

In addition to my positions on the Aquatics Section and District 11 Boards, I have also served on the CPRS Conference Planning Committee for the headquarters by means of rating and reviewing sessions to be selected for the 2017-2023 education sessions. I have also presented at a District 10 training in 2020 and will be presenting at the District 12 event in November 2022. The previously mentioned roles have also awarded me the opportunity to attend various Leadership Summits, and Board Retreats as well as play a role in the initial stages of "CAP," the California Action Plan in 2018.  

Aside from CPRS, I served on the SCMAF (Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation) as the Inland Valleys Secretary in 2013, the Inland Valleys President in 2014 and the SCMAF Service Award winner in 2012 and 2013.
What personal attributes, skills, or knowledge would you bring to the State Board of Directors if elected?
I believe that I am a personable, friendly, loyal, honest, hardworking and motivated individual with a diverse way of thinking and a willingness to accept change and challenges. In addition, I feel that growing up as an athlete afforded me the skills of being a team player, knowing when it is my turn to step in as a leader/coach and when I am needed as a member of the team to accomplish the goal at hand. Over the course of my 22 years in the field, I have worked for an agency that this cost-recovery as well as an agency that serves the community with a generous general fund. Within those two scenarios, I have had experience in serving various demographics and program areas while supervising and leading a diverse team of employees. If elected, each of the previously mentioned attributes and skill sets would be brought to the table as part of who I am and who I have become throughout my career.
Why have you chosen to run for the CPRS State Board of Directors?
I am choosing to run for the CPRS Board of Directors because I believe that it is a professional organization that played a significant role in helping me become the professional I am today. CPRS has provided me with so many opportunities, friendships, skill sets and overall confidence to pursue challenges that arise within this field. By serving on the State Board, I feel that I will have an opportunity to strengthen not only my knowledge of the changes and challenges our profession is facing but those of young professionals as well. Serving on the State Board of Directors is something that I have aspired to do since I attended my first CPRS Conference nearly 15 years ago. I knew that I wanted to sit among the greatest within our profession to learn from and share from. I truly believe that we are better together!
What is the greatest challenge our profession faces and how will you lead to address that challenge?
If I had to choose one challenge, I would have to say that it would be how we as a profession continue to prove our relevancy. With the state of our state and the fiscal challenges that are on the forefront, our field seems to be the first looked at when making budget cuts. As a member of the state board, I would encourage us all to find a way to continue to tell our stories and advocate for ourselves. We know that what we do is important, and what we do is preventative by means of providing safe spaces for our community members to keep them from engaging in alternative behaviors. As a profession, we create memories, provide safety, develop individuals, create jobs and ultimately, provide so many life-changing opportunities for every human that enters our doors. My mission would be to help other professionals in our field know their worth and empower them to share that with every person that needs to know it!