Pictured: Sameera Luthman, director of marketing & communications for Naperville Park District.
While I will celebrate my 24th year with the Naperville Park District (Illinois) later this year, I’ve been a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) for only 11 of them. One might wonder what the catalyst was for obtaining my CPRP, and the answer is simple — CAPRA (Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies). However, what keeps me motivated to maintain my certification is much more of an individual pursuit.
It might not be a popular perspective to peddle, but earlier on in my tenure, I didn’t see a whole lot of value in being CPRP-certified. Sure, it made sense for our recreation staff, but it didn’t make sense to me why a marketing professional would want to be a CPRP.
When Naperville first pursued its CAPRA accreditation in 2013, the assessors mentioned that while we had staff that were certified, they were mostly concentrated in the recreation area and that it would be a better look to have additional staff across the district holding that certification. As a director, I felt it was my obligation to help build that representation beyond recreation, so I sat for the exam and passed it.
However, once I started seeking training opportunities to earn CEU credits, I found that while some education sessions were good, many were fairly basic, given my tenure. While the training sessions helped me earn the CEU credits I needed, I felt like I was just going through the motions and wasn’t necessarily benefiting from the time I was spending.
It wasn’t until I presented at the 2023 NRPA Annual Conference in Dallas that I realized I was missing out on a golden opportunity to leverage my CPRP by helping educate others through my knowledge and experience. Plus, I also was able to earn CEU credit by serving as a conference speaker, which was a bonus!
Then, looking to get more involved, in early 2024 I committed to serving as a co-chair on the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) Conference Programs Committee to plan the Communications and Marketing track for the next conference in Chicago. It was serendipitous, to say the least, that I learned I also was eligible to receive CEU credits through my co-chair role. I finally found a wonderful sense of purpose and pride when it came to holding that CPRP certification and understood that I could serve our industry organizations while helping to educate and inspire the next generation of recreation professionals!
Of course, I’m still learning — thankfully — and there are great opportunities for someone with my tenure to continue to grow professionally. But I’m really enjoying using my CPRP status to give back to a profession that I’ve been immersed in for almost a quarter of a century.
Learn more about becoming a Certified Park and Recreation Professional
Sameera Luthman, CPRP, is the director of marketing & communications for Naperville Park District.