Over the past 11 years, John has volunteered his valuable time to serve on a variety of CPRS work groups including District 2, the A-Team Legislative Committee, Development and Operations Section Board and the Parks Make Life Better!® Branding Campaign. During his recent tenure with D&O, John coordinated web-based digital content, created a quarterly newsletter and provided expertise on virtual programming. John embodies the Citation of Merit as an individual who has worked on behalf of CPRS to advance the profession and has supported CPRS as a professional organization.

Since 2008, Bryan has served CPRS as a Regent/Regent Emeritus with Maintenance Management School, providing excellence in education and mentoring. Bryan has spent the last 2 ½ years serving on the Development and Operations Board. As the Vice President, Bryan hosted the successful 2019 Park Symposium to record attendance. As the current D&O President, Bryan has led the Board to success in communications, outreach and education. 

Kevin Miller served as the Foster City Director of Parks and Recreation for 22 years and as City Manager for 3 years. Kevin has served the parks & recreation profession at the state and local level where he served as CPRS District 4 President, State Board Region 2 Representative from 1995 through 1997, and CPRS State Board Vice President, President-Elect and President from 2000 through 2003. Kevin is currently a Trustee for the California Foundation for Parks and Recreation and a member of the CPRS Strike Team. Kevin has shown a lifelong support and commitment to the profession.

Long-time CPRS member Paul McCreary had over 30 years of experience in the profession of recreation. He worked his way through the ranks and served as the Director of Parks and Community Services for the City of Dublin from 2011-2016 and as the General Manager of Hayward Area Recreation and Park District from 2016-2020. He believed that all community members deserved access to recreation programming and parks. Paul's visionary leadership and  fierce commitment to the communities that he served led to major accomplishments such as the successfully passed F1 ballot measure that has made lastly changes to the Hayward area.

Katy Coss has provided outstanding service to CPRS in a number of different capacities. She has served District 2 in the Presidential Series and as the Administrators Section Representative. Katy has also served as the CPRS Conference Volunteer Coordinator among other roles.  Katy is dedicated to CPRS and its members. She has so much passion and energy for our profession and is the first person to jump in to help. She is a tremendous resource, helps others learn, and wants everyone to succeed. Thank you Katy for simply being amazing!

Conejo Recreation and Park District’s Aquatics Pool Operator/Manager, Xavier Volgenau is truly a Rising Professional who is making a SPLASH in the Aquatics field.  Xavier not only works to improve and expand services for his community, he is an active CPRS member who has presented at conferences and serves on the board at the local level.  Xavier has been the District 8 Aquatics representative for the past 2 years in addition to serving on the Southern California Public Pool Operators Association (SCPPOA) as Secretary in 2018-2019, Vice President in 2019-2020 and President in 2020-2021.

Jake Hopkins is the beating heart of District 10. As District 10’s Marketing Specialist, he increased our online presence which attracted new sponsors. The increased sponsorship afforded us to provide members with more opportunities, programs, and services and to contribute to our profession. Jake’s creative writing and design skills gave us the District 10 Director’s Desk series that replaced in-person events. Jake is a member of 5 of 6 committees, has presented at Recreation Leader Training Consortium, and encourages others to be involved in CPRS. He is a CPRS legend on the rise and most deserving of the Rising Professional award.

Caminitos Al Parque introduces low-income, Spanish-speaking Latinx families to the wonders of nature through an innovative in the field experience. Families join together to visit a local park for an enriching morning outdoors. Led entirely in Spanish by parks staff, the families enjoy sharing Spanish language storybooks, creating nature crafts, hiking together with plenty of time for interaction, playing trailside literacy games, storytelling/games/music, and accessing resources to help them organize future park visits independently. The program leverages an innovative partnership with Community Action Partnership and support from the Bancroft Family Foundation.

The Senior Variety Show is an annual event that showcases the talents and passions of performers 50 “and better!” This low-cost event provides a safe and supportive environment for older adults to perform music, storytelling, dancing, joking, spoken word poetry and more. True to its name, the Variety Show is a popular event that draws audience members of all ages and reminds everyone that talent is not limited by age.

The Irvine Global Village Festival is a multicultural celebration, built by the community to provide cultural awareness through art, food, and music. Over its 20-year history, the festival has grown in size and scope, reflecting the evolving needs of the community. With more than 20,000 visitors, the annual festival has faced challenges with expansion and COVID restrictions, but continues to meet those challenges with creativity and innovation. The staff-run event inspires community support including nonprofit organizations, large business sponsors, and hundreds of others. The event creates community with meaningful and fun experiences for all ages, abilities, and cultures.

Project HOPE (Helping Others Prosper Everyday) promotes the independence, health and dignity of older adults through compassion, kindness, commitment, and positivity. Through this program with the assistance of dedicated volunteers, Burbank older adults are able to receive assistance with essential errands and maintain social connections.

The Tinkers & Thinkers Innovation Faire is a free S.T.E.M.-based event brought to the community through an exemplary partnership between the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District and the Pleasant Hill Library. The primary goal of this annual event is to champion S.T.E.M-based learning, encourage creative thinking, foster effective problem solving, and inspire innovation through a variety of “hands-on” projects for people of all ages and abilities. Not even a world pandemic stopped the event team from hosting this wildly successful special event that brings families, friends, and the community together for an exciting, educational, and fun shared experience. 

The YES program is focused on providing high school age interns with a professional opportunity to gain on-the-job training and real world experiences while also giving back to their community. This eight-week summer program is aimed at providing meaningful experiences for the youth while also investing in tomorrow’s workforce. The paid Interns are each partnered with a professional mentor in various fields to guide and coach them through the program. In addition, the YES Program incorporates access to training topics such as 21st century technology skills, public speaking, resume writing, customer service, and personal financial responsibility. 

The Cordova Recreation & Park District is proud to announce that as of June 28, 2021, the Cordova Community Pool is officially open!  The Cordova Community Pool expands the aquatic capabilities in the community. With two distinct pools, residents will find something for everyone: whether it is lap swimming, swim and safety classes, aquatic fitness, swim clubs or just cooling off during the hot Sacramento summers.

Partially funded through a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, the $5.2 million dollar Cathedral City Amphitheater and park provides a dynamic stage, origami music box design structure with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, interactive playground, turf slopes, entry plaza, walkways, lighting and restrooms. Additionally, this facility is utilized for cultural, entertainment, recreational and active events. The Amphitheater will be used for both free and admission-based events, thus creating a self-sustaining venue for the city.

The City of Encinitas collaborated with RRM Design Group, the Senior Citizen Commission, and community stake holders to transform a previously unused space into a multifunctional courtyard at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center. The design team worked directly with the Parks and Recreation Director and the Center Manager to brainstorm and identify the priorities for the space. Where once sat an overgrown and forgotten drainage area, now lies a warm and welcoming courtyard with seating, shade, plants, fitness equipment and lots of space to allow for flexible use.

Every aspect of the new Los Altos Community Center, from the architecture and landscaping, to building materials and art, strongly tie into Los Altos’ rich history and culture. The mission is to create a space for everyone, and to continue driving inclusivity and accessibility through recreational programs, services and social opportunities. The new sustainable community center includes dedicated space for senior, teen and kindergarten preparation programs, as well as flexible indoor and outdoor community gathering spaces to accommodate rentals, recreational programs, classes and events. Additional amenities include a playground, commercial kitchen, bocce ball courts and space for a future café.

The Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center is being nominated because it is like no other community center in California or maybe the nation. The focus is to prepare residents for success by providing a safe environment that fosters collaboration, learning and creativity.  The Center recognizes that a space by itself isn’t innovative, it’s the people inside the space who CREATE it!  The Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center will be your space to CREATE (Computer science, Robotics, Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center Engineering, Art, Technology and Electronics). 

When a cultural arts facility was identified to complement the new Library, Yorba Linda Parks and Recreation staff was tasked with designing a facility that fulfilled the vision of the Parks and Recreation Department’s Master Plan by meeting the need for additional community center space, along with the demand for a performing arts facility.  The resulting facility, the Yorba Linda Cultural Arts Center, features a hyper-flexible Black Box Theater, arts studio, dance studio, music room, and gallery space, and shares a vibrant outdoor space with the new Library, creating a sense of community in the City of Yorba Linda. 

The City of Bellflower partnered with VFW Post 7243 to design enhancements to an existing tribute to veterans located within Library Garden. The VFW offered guidance on military protocols and attributes they would value being incorporated into the project. The beautifully enhanced City of Bellflower Veterans Memorial was dedicated November 11, 2020 and proudly serves as a dedicated space where local veterans and their sacrifices on behalf of our nation and our values, as well as the sacrifices of their families and friends, will be forever acknowledged and enshrined in the center Veterans Memorial at Library Garden City of Bellflower of the city for generations to come.

The City of Encinitas, in collaboration with RRM Design Group developed a 3-acre park through a robust public outreach process. Utilizing every square-inch of the small and hilly terrain, the park consists of a passive “zen-like” experience at the upper park with a multi-use lawn, yoga/meditation space, gazebo, and plants chosen by the San Diego Botanical Garden. The lower park is action-packed with hill-side slides, 2-story climbing structure, tire swing, zip-line, sports court, dog park, and a pump track/skate feature. A meandering accessible path weaves the upper and lower parks through grass meadows and biofiltration basins. A park for everyone. 

Central City Park offers Fontana residents a recreational site that enhances community connections, with amenities that include a community garden, accessible playground, walking path, picnic shelters, restrooms and horseshoe courts. In addition, it fills a critical need for sports fields, with opportunities for year-round and evening play and tournament capabilities. The 14-acre site includes one regulation soccer field, two football fields with soccer overlays, and a snack bar. The City proactively encouraged community involvement in the design resulting in the transformation of a large, barren lot into a destination for youth sports, family gatherings and positive social interaction.

Riverbend Park was a collaborative design that answered the needs of the community and provided a park that will withstand flooding and provide creative solutions for community engagement, interactive play and riverfront opportunities.  The Riverbend Park renovation was not only a park renovation but a place to celebrate community after the devastating Oroville Dam spillway collapse. This park Riverbend Park Melton Design Group Inc. represented the resilience of a community and a park to withstand the future.

Goetz Park Phase II was completed in January 2021. This new development was designed to enhance quality of life for the surrounding communities by offering new amenities including a walking trail, open field space, baseball field, skate park, and new basketball court. The new expansion showcases how Parks Make Life Better!® in the Perris community by creating and cultivating safe, vibrant, accessible, and healthy spaces.

The Magical Bridge Playground is a world renowned concept first developed in Palo Alto. Designed to be socially inclusive for children and adults of varying physical and cognitive abilities, Magical Bridge Redwood City aims to go beyond typical playground designs, which often inadvertently overlook the 1-in-4 of us living with physical and cognitive disabilities, autism, visual and hearing impairments, the medically fragile, and our aging population. The Magical Bridge Foundation collaborated with Redwood City on its second location because of its progressive parks and recreation program, equitable location, financial generosity, and diverse community.

Belmont Parks & Recreation’s monthly e-newsletters have created a space for consistent communications with the community during a time of constant change, feeding a need for information and connection. As a community of 26,941, we maintain a subscriber list to 9,373, receiving up to 739 clicks per email. Following e-newsletters, programs like the Egg-Venture Drive-Thru and Tree Give-Away have sold out within hours. Content is developed in collaboration with various staff and community partners, and provides a space for gathering input on efforts such as our Master Plan. E-newsletters have reduced our dependence on print materials while providing measurable results.

The Plant for A Greener Burbank marketing campaign successfully implemented a shared community vision to create a healthy, beautiful, thriving community with the planting of nearly 800 trees throughout the City.

Cosumnes Community Services District opened their 100th park, Singh and Kaur Park, in homage to the Sikh community and two Sikh residents who had been killed in their city ten years prior. Unable to host a traditional park dedication due to COVID-19, they instead produced a four-part miniseries to explain the meaning and cultural significance of the park and share the transformative value of parks on community vitality. The video series was a multimedia experience that raised cultural competence and led the community toward healing. They captured a cinematic memory that the entire community will cherish for years to come.

The City of Folsom Parks & Recreation Department was challenged with how to continue engagement with our community when they couldn't be a part of these programs that brought our community together including the largest annual event, the Wayne Spence Folsom Veterans Day Parade. With Folsom being a military town, the challenge of honoring our local heroes in a significant way without having the physical parade was something our community was expecting. Without the parade, the department’s social media was tasked with coming up with a way to honor our veterans, share their stories, and connect with the community virtually.

The City of Irvine Art Beat activity guide was redesigned with customer service, brand identity, and responsible use of resources as driving factors. By using in-house graphic design staff and collaborating across teams, the Irvine Fine Arts Center now has a publication that is responsive to customer needs and better highlights their programs and services. The open feel design has the flexibility to adapt to changing class offerings, and is adaptable to online viewing. The fresh design is the result of collaboration with staff and the public, leveraging the expertise of arts and marketing staff. 

Manhattan Beach Parks & Rec’s social media is an online resource where the Manhattan Beach community can obtain insight to living a better life. Through thoughtfully curated posts, and the success of the department’s social media, digital media efforts have evolved into a citywide initiative, expanding digital communications across all City departments. Naturally, this cohesive effort has maximized the City’s digital presence with a sense of unity, creating an inviting place where the community can engage with the City and share their experiences.

Palettes in the Park was a 4-day workshop that gave children in the City of Palmdale community the opportunity to create and exhibit their art. All levels of artistic ability were welcomed and nurtured. Not only were the participants provided the supplies and direction to create a small art piece, but these workshops were held in a park setting. This event utilized our parks in a way that isn’t traditionally thought of when we think of park space. We feel we raised the status of how our parks are used and for what types of programming.

When COVID-19 forced its nature centers and historic sites to close, RivCoParks developed innovative digital education material to increase accessibility and a webpage on which to access them.

We changed our recreation guide to give it a look and feel of a magazine. Our goal was to get more people to explore the guide, so we put articles, park highlights, coloring pages and word searches. The magazine also gives us a great  way to tell our story and inform our residents about all the opportunities provided to them by Roseville Parks, Recreation & Libraries.

The City of Sacramento’s Department of Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment is updating its Parks and Recreation Master Plan to guide improvements to parks, trails, recreation facilities, and programs over the next 20 years. To inform this new Parks Master Plan 2040, the team launched a youth art contest in summer 2021 to help identify needs and priorities for future policy decisions. The contest creatively engaged youth from all socioeconomic backgrounds in Sacramento through poetry, videos, photos, and drawings, and uncovered impactful stories about their experiences while simultaneously promoting engagement in civic life and building a stronger relationship with YPCE.

The new County Parks website champions the Parks Make Life Better!® initiative with its unique design and functionality making County Parks programs more inclusive, accessible and welcoming for all community members!

Impacted by restrictions of the pandemic, the City of Santee needed to stay connected with its citizens during a time of virtual communication, quarantining and social distancing. SanteeTV was created to increase accessibly to emergency information, public meetings, as well as to provide citizens with information about city operations and happenings. By accessing public, educational and governmental (PEG) fees collected by local cable providers, a new local television channel was formed and launched within a few months’ time. SanteeTV is proud to keep citizens connected as we Do More > Due East.

Celebrating art and culture, in all forms, touches the community’s soul by creating a sense of place and belonging, provoking thought, and allowing humanity to explore commonalities and differences.  Temecula’s new Arts & Culture Guide provides residents and visitors with locations and details about various Arts and Cultural Facilities; Public Art Installations; Arts Galleries; Performance Venues; and Arts Events available to the public throughout the year. #FindYourselfHere! Printed maps are available at City Facilities and at TemeculaCA.gov/ArtAndCultureMap. Temecula's commitment is to provide quality arts programming and entertainment experiences for all as a center of art, culture, heritage, and lifelong learning opportunities.