August 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 9

NRPA IN FOC US

NRPA Board Chair-Elect Bob Johnson
" We should be framing the national discussion about parks. "

B

oB Johnson serves currently

as vice chair of NRPA's board of
directors-and in November he
will begin his duties as board chair. Bob,
a business professional who comes to
NRPA from a 24-year-long citizen leadership and volunteering career, has a unique
perspective to offer on NRPA's fundamental role in serving its members. One that
stresses the importance of changing perceptions of parks-and igniting discussions
about their value-at both grass-roots and national levels.
Could you touch on the three types of nonprofit
board structures-fiduciary, strategic, and
generative-and explain how it relates to the
NRPA Board?
Fiduciary governance refers to the fiscal oversight
functions of a board, while strategic governance focuses on how a nonprofit fulfi lls its mission. Generative governance requires a board to reframe its
leadership to concentrate on the " why " of a nonprofit's work rather than on the " what " and the " how. "
Over the last five years, the NRPA board has
evolved from a fiduciary style of governance to one
that is much more generative in its mission. Largely because of the streamlining of the board from 70
" trustees " to 21 directors, NRPA's governing body
has evolved into a more forward-facing group. We
are continually reminding ourselves of why we were
founded and asking how we can frame the discussion about parks and recreation-rather than simply
responding to it. We also seek to provide leadership
in the field as it changes and evolves, rather than focusing on organizational operations.
Our role today has roots in our founding purpose.
NRPA was founded to be a voice for play, exercise,
conservation, and accessible public land. Yet, it has
also been geared toward supporting the professionals who run and maintain all of those public lands
and facilities. So we represent an interesting mix of
professionals and citizens-and our work touches

also on the unique role of government in acquiring,
owning, and maintaining public lands.
As we transition to this more generative style of
leadership and remind ourselves of our purpose, we
are poised to be an even more influential voice on
the national stage-and to address issues such as
crime, obesity, public health, hunger, conservation,
and nature-deficit in our country.
In a broad, " big-picture sense, " where is the NRPA
Board and how will it measure its success?
The NRPA Board is in the midst of a transition-one
that hinges on the question, " How do we get to tomorrow? " We have the responsibility to perform
proper fiscal oversight, to consider strategically how
NRPA might best fulfi ll its mission, and to provide
leadership in the field. And, in all three areas, we find
we are in the place of striving for a more forwardfacing model.
I think we can measure our success by how we
answer that same question of how to get to tomorrow.
Specifically, with regard to:
Financial strength of the organization. If we
want to be able to carry out a true, generative model
of leadership, we must keep focusing on wise fi nancial stewardship and the building up of our reserves.
[NRPA Board Treasurer Bob Farnsworth will address
the Board's fiscal philosophy and practices in detail
next month.]

www.NRPA .ORG

AUGUST 2011

Parks & Recreation

7
August 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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