December 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 40

Recapping the 2021
NRPA Annual Conference
Park and recreation professionals gather in person and virtually
By Vitisia Paynich and Lindsay Hogeboom
O
events
at
n September 21-23, NRPA hosted nearly 4,000 attendees in
Nashville, Tennessee, and welcomed more than 1,700 attendees
- who logged in from their desktops, laptops and other
smart devices - to experience the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference.
This first-ever hybrid event featured general sessions, education
programming, coffee talks and special events, as well as an exhibit hall
showcasing the latest products and services from leading companies. Here
are some highlights from this year's conference.
General Sessions Hit
the Right Notes
Among the
this year's
much-anticipated
conference
were the general sessions. On day
one of the conference, NRPA President
and CEO Kristine Stratton
unveiled NRPA's new visual and
verbal identity - a new brand that
reflects our values and where park
and recreation professionals and
their essential work are recognized
At this year's conference,
education was aplenty with onehour
sessions and speed sessions.
by all. She also shared NRPA's impact
statements, which are based
on research and data-driven facts
and serve as a key resource for
NRPA members.
After
delivering
her
remarks,
Stratton introduced U.S. Department
of the Interior Secretary Deb
Haaland, who delivered virtual
remarks on the state of our country.
" Today, I want to speak to you about
the growing threats that nature faces,
how the Biden-Harris administration
is investing in solutions, and how we
can work together for the benefit of
the generations who will follow us, "
she says. " If we take care of our land,
water and wildlife, we can create
millions of new jobs and generate
millions of dollars in economic
returns in the years to come. "
Secretary Haaland was followed
by a keynote presentation by Jad
Abumrad, MacArthur
fellow
and host of the Peabody Awardwinning
radio
show,
Radiolab.
Abumrad discussed the challenges
that people encounter when trying
to understand the language around
science. As he puts it, " Science is
its own language island, but there's
a particular way that people talk in
a lab that is unique to that space. "
The day two opening general session
kicked off with a keynote presentation
by Mitchell Silver, principal
and vice president of urban
planning at McAdams and former
park commissioner for the New
York City Department of Parks
and Recreation. Silver shared his
insights about the profession and
offered some words of wisdom and
encouragement to other park and
recreation professionals. " We have
to underscore that parks are for people, "
says Silver about park and recreation
professionals who ask him
about park equity. " Diversity, equity
and inclusion is not something you
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PHOTO COURTESY OF CAUGHT IN THE MOMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
December 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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