December 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 46

This Board wants to be not only forward-thinking in its ideas but nimble in its structure.
The goal is to be responsive and to serve all members well. The current format allows that.
-NRPA Board of Directors Chair Robert Johnson Jr.
alternating each year. Robert Johnson Jr., a citizen member from
Overland Park, Kansas, serves as the current chair while ChairElect Steven J. Thompson, Executive Director of Wisconsin Parks
and Recreation Association, will serve as the 2013 chair.
Reflecting this new structure, NRPA updated its staff nomenclature by moving from " chief " designations to vice presidents-Government Affairs, Marketing & Communications,
Finance, Knowledge & Learning, Administration, Partnership
& Business Development, and Parks & Conservation.
All these changes occurred with the recent switch from
branches, sections, and regions to the Networks structure.
Members can now join a wide variety of Networks with multiple interest to them-administration, conservation, public, polity, education, young professionals, and the like.

Representing the Whole Association
" This Board wants to be not only forward-thinking in its ideas
but nimble in its structure, " explains Board Chair Bob Johnson.
The goal is to be responsive and to serve all members well. The
current format allows that. "
The Board structure, having done away in 2010 with Branch,
Section, and Regional representation, offers members a dynamic Board-one in which each appointed member serves in an
at-large capacity, responsible to the entire national association.
" Each of us, of course, brings our own history and regional 'flavor' to the Board, " Johnson says. " But we are striving to make
decisions in a national context and in accordance with the whole
of NRPA's mission. And if the Board is comprised of specialtyarea representatives, we will not be able to bring that holistic,
national focus to our thinking, our continuing education, and our
decision-making. "
Chair-Elect Steve Thompson adds that the at-large nature of the
current board " provides strategic direction and support of membership services for all membership categories of the national association, including students. " And it also simplifies the process by
which professional and citizen members determine how to communicate with the Board. " It's simple, " Johnson says. " Any association member can contact me or any other person on the Board
with their concerns. All of us are prepared to follow up with any
member, regardless of whether the matter is one for a Board meeting agenda, task force research, or Network discussion. " And the
new NRPA Networks are complementary to the at-large nature of
the Board, Thompson adds. As the association's means of strengthening regional affiliations and specialty areas, the Networks offer
members an " active voice in their national organization...in a way
that is truly inclusive of the entire membership. "

Networks and the Board
Is there any official connection between Network and Board
leadership? While the Networks function independently and
much differently from the centralized Board leadership roles,

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says Johnson, the fact is, the Networks also provide a steady, important stream of information and issues for the Board to consider. " The discussions taking place among the Networks, "
says Johnson, " lead the Board to be more forward-thinking and
responsive. "
A recent Administrators' Network thread, for example, on the
Occupy Wall Street movement, led to conversations among the
Board on what that movement means for members whose job it
is to steward urban parks. And Network threads on conservation have enriched the Board's understanding of the priority that
conservation must take in the broader mission of NRPA.
While the primary focus of the Networks is member engagement and growth through peer-to-peer connections, the
enthusiasm this Board has for the new Network model is one
that should spark members' imaginations. This is a Board, Johnson reflects, that has more immediate and wide-ranging access
to what members are thinking about and experiencing in their
professional lives than any Board in the association's history.

Setting Goals-and Measuring Success
When the Board met in Atlanta prior to Congress, it established
three main goals. Those goals are to establish viable economic
models for parks, uphold the priority of conservation and stewardship, and strengthen grass-roots outreach at the local and
state levels.
" If we can have success in these three priorities, " says Johnson, " we can have success in the industry. "
But what concrete achievements should members consider a
year from now when evaluating whether this Board has served
those priorities well? Johnson readily ticks off the questions he
says he asks himself as he looks ahead to his tenure:
■■ What kinds of conversations is the association having at the national level? And what events are we being invited to participate
in that provide us with elevated forums for those conversations?
■■ What materials are we creating to equip our members with the
knowledge, the research, and the tools they need to fulfill those
three priorities?
■■ How has our database grown for America's Backyard, our grassroots, public outreach?
■■ How many applications are we getting to our Parks Build Community initiative?
■■ How well has the PRORAGIS system expanded its database of
completed agency profiles and enhanced its features and capabilities?
That's a full plate by any association's standard. How will this
Board of Directors fulfill such an ambitious set of objectives over
the next 12 months? Johnson pauses to consider the question.
" I think it boils down to the fact that we are truly an engaged
Board, " he says. " We are a group of people who are truly dedicated to the mission of NRPA. And we are all coming to this with
the idea of serving and representing the organization well. "

December 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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