December 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 10

EDITOR' S LETTER
Embracing What Comes Next
Common sense tells us that to move forward and thrive, we must
not let fear stop us from exploring what lies ahead. For nearly six decades,
Parks & Recreation magazine has been a trusted go-to resource for
the park and recreation community. NRPA's flagship publication highlights
the trends impacting the field and offers a voice to professionals
who dedicate countless hours to ensuring people of all ages, cultures,
identities and economic backgrounds have safe places to gather, play
and make memories. That voice has evolved throughout the years to
reflect our members' changing interests and needs. As we close out
2024 with this month's issue and look toward the future, it's critical that
we continue to grow alongside our park and recreation peers so that we
remain relevant in the field and in our commitment to excellence.
With this in mind, we are excited to share that Parks & Recreation
magazine will transition to be fully digital by 2026. However, we are
approaching this digital-first strategy in phases. In 2025, we will produce our regular monthly
ezine (12 issues), of which five editions will be printed. Our analysis of the magazine and current
editorial trends found that this shift is advantageous to the park and recreation field, our organization
and our team in many ways, such as:
* A digital platform allows us to reach a broader audience of park enthusiasts.
* Content can be uploaded in real time and can include multimedia and interactive elements that
make the magazine's content more relevant and engaging.
* This transition eliminates paper waste and carbon emissions from printing and distribution.
This new plan forward also means being strategic about the contents of our editorial. Beginning
in 2025, " Law Review " will publish four times a year. For more than 40 years, contributor James
" KoZ " Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., has been the principal voice on park and recreation case law with
his monthly column. As we develop our content strategy, we will try new editorial offerings and
reevaluate current offerings to meet the needs we are hearing from you - our readers and members.
We are grateful to continue the partnership with Koz and highlight his legal expertise in the
magazine.
Throughout these next several months, the Magazine team will navigate through this digital
landscape with careful thought and decision making about available applications and tools that
serve the best interest of our audience. Most importantly, our editors always welcome reader feedback.
We look forward to celebrating this exciting next step for Parks & Recreation magazine and
NRPA with you all and embracing what comes next.
PRESIDENT AND CEO
Kristine Stratton
CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS
AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER
Clarissa Garcia
EXECUTIVE EDITOR AND
DIRECTOR OF PRINT AND
ONLINE CONTENT
Vitisia Paynich
vpaynich@nrpa.org
MANAGING EDITOR
Lindsay Collins
lcollins@nrpa.org
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Alexandra Klein
aklein@nrpa.org
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Chris Brummett
cbrummett@nrpa.org
PUBLICATION DESIGN
Kim Mabon/Creative By Design
CreativeByDesign.net
SENIOR CORPORATE
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
WESTERN REGION AND ASIA
Michelle Dellner
703.858.4635
mdellner@nrpa.org
SENIOR CORPORATE
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER EASTERN
REGION AND EUROPE
Paul Semple
703.858.2174
psemple@nrpa.org
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Melissa Hunter
703.858.2199
mhunter@nrpa.org
PHOTOGRAPHY
Adobe Stock (including AIgenerated
images) or NRPA
(unless otherwise noted)
VITISIA " VI " PAYNICH
Executive Editor
Director, Print and Online Content
MAGAZINE ADVISORY
BOARD MEMBERS
Roslyn Johnson, CPRP - Chair
Neelay Bhatt
Anthony-Paul Diaz
Ryan Eaker
Kathleen Gibi
Paul Gilbert, CPRP
Tim Herd, CPRE
Denise Johnson-Caldwell
Michele Lemons
Sarah Lisiecki
Sam Mendelsohn
Maria Nardi
Lisa Paradis, CPRP
Paula Sliefert
Shonnda Smith, CPRP, AFO
Ronnetta Spalding
Anne-Marie Spencer
Stephen Springs
Amelia Storer
10 Parks & Recreation | DECEMBER 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G

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December 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2024 – Parks & Recreation