For athletes and their fan bases, there’s nothing like making it to the championship game or series. Sporting events like the Big Dance (NCAA Basketball), Super Bowl, World Series, The Masters and the Daytona 500 are the pinnacle achievements for athletes and their fans. As a park and recreation professional, the NRPA Annual Conference brings me the same rush and inspiration.
Thanks to supportive agencies and assistance from NRPA’s Fellowship Program, I’ve attended fifteen straight NRPA Annual Conferences. From Baltimore in 2008 to Dallas in 2023, my appreciation and passion for the most phenomenal career field ever created (in my humble opinion) consistently grew. This appreciation is rooted in relationships built, maintained and energized at the NRPA Annual Conference every fall.
Thanks to Kara Kish, a former Young Professionals Network colleague, I was introduced to Cody Jones, who at the time was one of her students at Indiana State University within the Recreation and Sports Management Program. In passing at an NRPA Annual Conference, Kara mentioned that she had someone she wanted me to meet, and soon after the conference, she connected me with Cody through an inspiring email introduction.
Pictured: Atuya and his peers at the 2023 NRPA Annual Conference in Dallas.
Cody and I quickly learned that we shared similar interests in our appreciation for our favorite sports teams and the fashion industry. For a little more than a year, Cody and I built our bond over email and a monthly video call. Fortune would have it that the upcoming NRPA Annual Conference would be held in Indianapolis. I remember it like yesterday, being super excited to actually meet Cody face-to-face in person. He came to my “Tap Into Your Power To Inspire” session and sat in the front row. Super cool, right?!
Pictured: Atuya (right) and Cody Jones at an NRPA Annual Conference.
Fast-forward to 2024, Cody and I still connect on video calls. He moved to Philadelphia after graduating from Indiana State University and quickly started making an impact in the lives of youth through sports and recreation programs. Cody was recently named the deputy director of parks and recreation in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
Cody is one of several park and recreation professionals who have positively empowered me personally and professionally. The NRPA Annual Conference has been and continues to be the big event that has most impacted my professional development. As a past NRPA Fellowship recipient, I was paired with outstanding professionals like Susan Cooper from New England and Tom Ross from Maryland. Susan and Tom took me under their wing during NRPA Annual Conferences in Baltimore and Salt Lake City. Whether inviting me to join them at a network meeting or simply introducing me to their professional friends from around the country, both set great examples for what it meant to be a mentor.
Pictured: Atuya (left) and Tom Ross at an NRPA Annual Conference.
The power of connectivity and a willingness to empower others through your experiences can take one’s path to new heights. I’m forever grateful to Susan and Tom for being outstanding mentors. I’m forever grateful to Kara for introducing me to Cody. I continue to be grateful to Cody for allowing me to try out this mentor thing and for giving me the pleasure to learn from him over the last several years. Lastly, I’m forever grateful for the NRPA Annual Conference — the big event that inspires and cultivates meaningful relationships and experiences.
Pictured: Atuya and his peers after presenting at a past NRPA Annual Conference.
I look forward to building with you in Atlanta at the big event!
Join Atuya at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference this October 8-10
Atuya Cornwell, CPRE, is the director of parks and recreation for the Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.