Education

Professional Development

Building Strong Workplace skills - Bolster skills you already have, or seek out new ones.

CPRS is committed to offering professional development opportunities for local government careers that explore practical education using a variety of learning formats. Our member organizations need professionals with expertise in putting new tools to use.  Our member organizations want employees well versed in soft skills such as adaptability because jobs of the past won’t necessarily be jobs of the future. 

Explore with us knowledge and skill building experiences needed to shape your career and transform (change) your organization.  We include sharing between professionals that tends to be the best source of practical education available.

We are sure one of our learning exchange programs can fit your professional development interests.

Click Here to Register for Open Events

Pledge for EDge

By making a Pledge for EDge, you commit to prioritizing your professional development and embracing opportunities for growth. CPRS is dedicated to providing the support, resources, and guidance needed at every step of the way. With our Development Action Plan, you can build a personalized roadmap for your short-term and long-term goals, ensuring that you have the tools necessary to navigate your journey to success.

"I urge each of you to make a Pledge for EDge – to embrace education as a means of attaining the cutting edge. Whether it involves pursuing a degree, acquiring new skills, or securing a coveted promotion, let CPRS be your partner in realizing these aspirations. To aid you on this journey, we’ve crafted a personal development action plan available for download. Use it to set and monitor your goals, adjusting them to suit your unique path."

Kyla Brown, CPRS President 2024-2025

Click Here to Download the Development Action Plan 

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Submit Your Session Proposals for HQ, Section, District and Region Events!

Click the button below to access the 2025-26 session submission portal.

2025-26 Session Submission Portal

The deadline to submit session proposals for CONNECTIONS 2026: CPRS Conference and Expo is September 15th followed by October 15th.  Submissions on file by September 15th will receive priority consideration.

The session submission portal is also utilized to collect session submissions for CPRS Section, District and Regional events and CPRS HQ webinars throughout the year.  Further, sessions submitted are made available to CPRS member leaders upon request when looking for presenters for specific topics or within geographic areas.  Some programs which routinely utilize the session submission portal include: 

• Director's Academy (presented by the CPRS Administrators Section)
• School of Rec (presented by the CPRS Recreation Section)
• CAMS (presented by the CPRS Aquatics Section) 
• BEACH Symposium (presented by the CPRS Recreation Therapy Section) 
• District 2 Park Forum
• Region 1 Fall Forum
• Region 2 Mini Conference
• Region 5 Mini Conference 

Have a great idea you'd like to vet out? Need some guidance on submitting a session? Want to join the Professional Development committee? Contact Lauren Oakley, Director of Professional Development today!