December 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 47

" After viewing the meeting for approximately
20 minutes, I already felt that this governance size
was not only counter-productive, but the fact that
each Board member represented varying Regions,
Sections and Branches only added to the confusion
and any sense of accomplishment as the agenda
items were slowly dealt with, " Thompson continues. " My disappointment was further heightened
as I witnessed at least two of the Board members
sleeping, with several others nodding off now and
then. "
Unlike others, Thompson determined to lend a
hand, throwing his hat in the ring for selection to
the Board. If elected, he would " work toward a governance structure that would be better suited toward representing the membership and being
more responsive to issues and concerns, " Thompson remembers. " While the momentum was there
to review the Board governance structure, there
was considerable opposition by those who felt that
the size and representation was just fi ne as is. Fortunately, there was also momentum growing by a
number of Board members that were simply not satisfied by this unwieldy body, and within a relatively
short period of time, a number of governance structures were introduced and discussed in-depth, with
the fi nal version of the current 21 Board member
structure now in existence.
Thompson, who now is NRPA president-elect,
says he was gratified to see how the restructuring came about in a meeting in the middle of this
decade.
" Not only did the Board approve the major reduction of the Board numbers, it also removed the
contentious representation by Board members who
previously were aligned with the NRPA Branches,
Sections, and Regions, " Thompson explains. " A surprising motion to remove this representation and to
have a Board that would represent the entire membership was introduced and approved. Thus, today
you have a national Board that is representative of all
the members of the association without any particular
allegiance to the membership component groups. "

A Positive View from the Outside
John Fierro is chief executive officer of the Mattie
Rhodes Center in Kansas City and a new member
of the NRPA Board of Directors. His nonprofit agency works on behalf of the city's families, children,
and individuals by providing counseling services, youth activities, and community empowerment

opportunities. His work in the social services
sphere throughout his career increasingly involved
parks and recreation - organizing athletic leagues
and advocating before city council for funding, for
examples. " It kept growing and growing to the point
where an opportunity presented itself to me to be
appointed to the local Kansas City parks board and
that's where I made contact with NRPA-this movement advocating on behalf of parks and environmental issues. "
His initial direct exposure to
NRPA came with attendance of annual Congresses.
" When I became affiliated with
NRPA, the Board exceeded 70 members, " Fierro says. " Then, each year
as I would go back to Congress,
meeting some board members and
key individuals, I started to understand the intricacies of the strategic
Fierro
plan-which was to shrink the Board.
I just think it's beneficial to any organization, whether it's local or national that you have not have too
many people-it's hard to really get things done.
Personally and professionally, I've always prided myself on the part of an organization or initiatives where we move-and we move fast. So, I was
pleased when I heard the strategic plan called for
reducing the Board from a large size to 21. "
Fierro believes the newly streamlined structure
will afford him the chance to achieve his goals as a
Board member.
" For me, one outcome would be to increase
the awareness among people I work with and am
friends with here in Kansas City and in all walks
of my life to give them a better understanding of
NRPA-that it exists, what it wants to accomplish,
and to communicate the overall benefits to all of us, "
Fierro says. " And, then personally, I want to develop new relationships. I want to be able to make new
friends across the country and understand their issues. When I walk away, I want to know I made an
impact. "
As Barbara Tulipane reflects on the changes
occurring to the NRPA Board, she is particularly
pleased with the way all its Boards going forward
will hold themselves accountable.
" We know what the goals are that we have set for
the Board, and at the end of the year, we're going
to take a look back and ask: 'How did we do?' This
Board is committed to assessing themselves. " 

www.NRPA .ORG

DECEMBER 2010

Parks & Recreation 43

December 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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