February 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 10

EDITOR'S LET TER

Great Expectations
Before moving to Virginia in 2012, I lived in Orange County, California. I lived there for 11 years, first in a new area of an old city called
Tustin, and next in a master-planned development in the hills above
the beachside town of San Clemente, called Talega. These two communities, once separated by 40 miles of strawberry fields, are now
connected by the 5 freeway and toll roads. The 5, the main artery
not just within Orange County, but to the entire state of California,
connects the older beach communities to the sprawling climb of new
stucco homes through the fire-prone canyons and up the backside of
the Cleveland National Forest.
My 11 years in Orange County began with skyrocketing real estate
values, and with that, I was also witness to the dream, the downfall and
what is now becoming the rebirth of Orange County's Great Park. Michael Stockstill, a California-based journalist who has reported on The Great Park for several years, brings to our
pages a vigorous, living timeline with updates on the most recent developments in his piece
beginning on page 48, " The Great Drama of The Great Park. " This story speaks to lofty goals,
slow construction, the investigation launched by the Orange County Grand Jury, the financial
chaos during the recession and finally, the positive vision on the horizon.
Two years into NRPA's Commit to Health initiative, NRPA Vice President of Conservation
and Parks, Rich Dolesh, and NRP Director of Public Health Strategies, Zarnaaz Bashir,
MPH, discuss the promising expansion of partnerships between park and recreation agencies
and those working in the realm of public health. " Breaking Down Barriers: Parks and Recreation Connecting with Public Health, " beginning on page 52, looks at agencies that are embracing such collaborations and how they can be a model to other agencies across the country.
If you want a basic lesson in building successful sponsorships, turn to page 44 and read " 12
Steps to Sponsorship Success, " by Sylvia Allen, which lays out each fundamental stage of
building lasting and strategic partnerships for successful event and programming endeavors.
Just like your agency is a member of NRPA, associations themselves also belong to associations and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) recently honored
NRPA's Marketing, Communications and Magazine department with five coveted awards.
ASAE's Association TRENDS presented silver ribbons to NRPA for the design of our
conference pocket guide, our membership marketing campaign and our 50th Year Anniversary video. Gold ribbons were presented for the video we produced under our Health
and Wellness pillar, Get Out and Walk, and Parks & Recreation magazine.
Our work is inspired by your work, so we want to share these honors with you and also
say thank you.

PRESIDENT AND CEO
Barbara Tulipane, CAE
VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING,
COMMUNICATIONS AND
PUBLISHING, AND EDITORIAL
DIRECTOR
Gina Mullins-Cohen
gcohen@nrpa.org
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Samantha Bartram
sbartram@nrpa.org
MANAGING EDITOR
Sonia Myrick
smyrick@nrpa.org
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Catrina Belt
cbelt@nrpa.org
PUBLICATION DESIGN
Creative By Design
www.creativebydesign.net
SENIOR MANAGER OF
ADVERTISING
Dana Storm
703.858.2174
dstorm@nrpa.org
MAGAZINE ADVISORY
BOARD MEMBERS
Keith Anderson
Gerald Brown
Ernest Burkeen
Gwendolyn Chambers
Brendan Daley
Ryan Eaker
Mariela Fernandez
Robert García
Kathleen Gibi
Paul Gilbert
Sandra Gonzalez
Greg Harrison
Todd Lehman
Sam Mendelsohn
Maria Nardi
Gil Peñalosa
Dr. Kevin Riley	
Paula Sliefert
Anne-Marie Spencer	

GINA MULLINS-COHEN
Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing
Editorial Director
8	

Parks & Recreation

| F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 6 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

Stephen Springs
February 2016 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2016 - Parks & Recreation
