Celebrating Parks & Recreation’s 30 Under 30 — February Bonus Episode

The February issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now,
and I’m excited to finally be back with a bonus episode since we
had taken a break on bonus episodes over the last few months.
And, the reason I’m so excited about it is that we are
celebrating the second annual 30 Under 30!


Parks & Recreation magazine’s 30 Under 30 honors the top
young park and recreation professionals who serve as everyday
superheroes in their respective communities, and while you can
read about all 30 of these incredible professionals in the
article, I’m honored to welcome two of this year’s honorees to
the show today, as well as Michael Biedenstein, NRPA’s volunteer
and awards manager (who also helped us kick off this awesome
program last year before he came on board as a member of the NRPA
staff).


Joining us today is Rosie Santos, a manager for Strong Consulting
at the Mayerson Academy, where she coaches and consults with park
and recreation professionals, as well as neighborhood leaders and
other community changemakers on how to bring out the best in
themselves, their teams and their organizations. In her previous
role, Rosie served as the conservation and parks manager for
Great Parks of Hamilton County in Ohio.


We’re also joined by Hashim Taylor, who recently began his new
role as director of parks and recreation for City of Cedar Rapids
in Iowa, where he leads the park and recreation staff by
overseeing parks, recreation, forestry, golf, aquatics, Ushers
Ferry, and administration for the department. In his previous
roles, Hashim served as the recreation program manager for Prince
William County and worked in the parks and recreation departments
for City of Virginia Beach and City of Alexandria, Virginia.


Tune in to learn why Rosie and Hashim are so deserving of this
award, as well as what being recognized as a 30 Under 30
recipient means to each of them. You’ll also learn:


What excites us about this year’s 30 Under 30 class

How Rosie and Hashim each got started in the park and
recreation profession

The “why” behind each of their work and some career
highlights

What the future of parks and recreation looks like to young
professionals, and much more!



Related Links:


30 Under 30 for 2022

Mayerson Academy

City of Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation

NRPA Awards