September 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 10

PERSPECT I VES A MESSAGE FROM NRPA' S LEADERS
Building the Case
We are counting down the
weeks to the 2024 NRPA
Annual Conference in Atlanta.
It always
surprises
me how quickly a year passes!
During this past year, we
have been leaning into our
2024 theme - " Where You
Belong " - and this month
continues that focus. I'm
particularly excited that we
can showcase our Equity in
Practice Certificate Program. The certificate program,
like our other professional development
offerings, is rooted in research and data. Keeping
our feet firmly planted in research and datadriven
programs has been a hallmark of NRPA
since our earliest days. And, as I write this, I am
excitedly launching the search for NRPA's first
Chief Research and Impact Officer, a leadership
role that will be dedicated to growing our research,
evaluation and impact practice.
Those of us in this field deeply understand that
park and recreation spaces and services deliver
powerful benefits to communities. Unfortunately,
that's not enough to move the needle on funding
and advocacy. We also know, through the
countless stories, pictures and memories that our
communities create in our spaces, that our work
changes lives. But those stories aren't enough either.
We also need the research and data - the
evidence - to help us prove our case and help us
demonstrate that an investment in parks and recreation
is truly an investment in stronger, healthier
and more resilient communities. We need all
three working together - your knowledge and
experience, the personal stories of our community
members, and the research and data - to
make the strongest possible case for durable investment
in our work.
I am very proud of the work that NRPA has
done throughout the years in research and evaluation.
I'm equally proud of our partners who
have supported and strengthened the knowledge
and information available to the field. Partnerships
with academic institutions, like University
of South Carolina, George Mason University,
Penn State and North Carolina State; nonprofits,
like Trust for Public Land and the Urban Institute;
and members of our Business Council,
like PlayCore, have made an indelible impact on
the field and our advocacy. And, still, we must
do more. We must continue to make the case,
build that body of evidence and show all our
constituents - from the families using our playgrounds
to the policymakers funding our work
- that we deliver truly unmatched benefits.
Creating this new role is an important
step in that direction. What you can expect
to see from NRPA in the months ahead is a
clearer link between our research and our
community-level impact, better tools for using
research and data in your communications and
advocacy, and key methods for understanding
how we are performing when it comes to delivering
on those powerful park and recreation
benefits. You also can expect us to grow our
critical partnerships over time and strengthen
relationships with our pipeline academic institutions
and our allies in the business and
nonprofit community. Our aim in all this is to
better serve you and strengthen the field.
Stay tuned for more on this important
search and what it means for NRPA and our
future.
KRISTINE STRATTON
President and CEO
10 Parks & Recreation | SEP T EMBER 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
September 2024 – Parks & Recreation

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