Celebrating Women’s History Month in Parks and Recreation — Episode 167

On this episode of Open Space Radio, we’re celebrating the
incredible women in parks and recreation who are shaping the
profession and making a difference in their communities.


Women have long played a vital role in parks and recreation – but
it has historically been a male-dominated industry. Today, the
leadership and presence of women in the profession continue to
grow. In fact, within NRPA’s membership of more than 60,000 park
and recreation professionals:


47 percent of members identify as women

48 percent of 2023 NRPA Annual Conference attendees
identified as women

53 percent of 2024 NRPA Directors School attendees identified
as women

47 percent of Certified Park and Recreation Professionals
(CPRP) identify as women



We recently asked women in parks and recreation to share their
experiences with us, and we got some wonderful responses. Tune in
to the full episode to hear from:


Kristine Stratton, NRPA president and CEO, gives a shoutout
to women who have shaped the profession and NRPA staff who are
leading impactful work

Katie Groke, CPRP, director of community services at Apex
Park and Recreation District (Colorado), shares how the former
executive director of her department laid the groundwork for a
lot of women at Apex to grow their careers

Gabby Vera, CPRP, director of Lake Havasu City Parks and
Recreation (Arizona), shares how she’s making history by being
the first female director at her department and the youngest
director in Arizona

Nikki Taylor, CPRP, assistant director of recreation for Town
of Bedford (Massachusetts), shares how her department can empower
girls and women and the importance of leading by example

Renee Glosecki, a project manager at Orange County Parks
(California), shares how she’s making a lasting impact on women’s
history by paving the way for future generations of women in
leadership roles

Ali Rhodes, director of Parks and Recreation at City of
Boulder (Colorado), shares how two impactful women who worked for
her department in the 1990s provided her the honor of supporting
a well-planned parks and recreation system.



And, we received another response after recording that we wanted
to share, from Joan Scovic of Northbrook Park District in
Illinois, who gave a shoutout to women leaders in Illinois:


Carrie Fullerton, Arlington Heights Park District

Lisa Sheppard, Glencoe Park District

Elizabeth Kessler, McHenry County Conservation District

Laura Rudow, St. Charles Park District

Allison Niemela, Batavia Park District

Alex Engelhardt, Fox Valley Special Recreation Association



Joan shared: “These women are all amazing leaders in the field of
parks and recreation in Illinois (and around the country). They
are phenomenal examples of how to be a female leader in this
field, and show incredible support to other women. They take the
time to educate, share their career paths and mentor others, and
are models for other women who strive to be leaders and those who
want to excel in service to their communities. They accomplish
all of this with intelligence, compassion, humor and warmth, and
have all achieved amazing things for the profession, for their
communities, and for the women who are lucky enough to be in
their spheres of influence.”


Resources discussed in this episode:



Women in Parks and Recreation Facebook Group


Women in Parks and Recreation Webpage


NRPA Youth Sports Framework