What personal attributes, skills, or knowledge would you bring to the State Board of Directors if elected?
The personal attributes, skills, and knowledge I will bring to the State Board include conceptual and independent thinking. I am attracted to the constant challenge of our work and enjoy developing strategies, exploring ideas, and building systems that encourage innovation in addressing issues and concerns of the profession. I will provide continued stability to maintain the board’s involvement as an advocate of the day-to-day outputs of Parks and Recreation agencies across the state.
I am a highly organized person and take pride in my ability to process information and disseminate it in a clear and concise manner. I am very interested in and very adept at various social media platforms and believe that utilizing this type of communication is vital to the success of CPRS. I am committed to continuing the exploration and discussion of how CPRS can best use these various platforms to communicate with and engage the membership.
Why have you chosen to run for the CPRS State Board of Directors?
I have chosen to run for CPRS Vice President because I believe in the power, ability, and impact that the Parks and Recreation Profession has on the communities we serve. I have confidence in CPRS being uniquely positioned to engage its members to further establish our services as essential to our communities. This can be accomplished through the continued strengthening of the membership, meaningful professional development opportunities, and positioning of the profession through local, regional, and state-wide advocacy.
What is the greatest challenge our profession faces and how will you lead to address that challenge?
Our profession’s greatest challenge is being left out of the conversation as an essential service to our communities. More and more frequently, public funding and support flow to non-parks and recreation community support agencies to lead programs and establish community service centers. CPRS members and those employed in the Parks and Recreation Profession can utilize evidence-based advocacy to support our role as essential community development contributors using the foundations of our profession as a north star.