As the new year begins, the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) has launched several new initiatives to add to our considerable efforts to support our profession and the practice of parks and recreation administration. Our work centers on our mission of advancing knowledge related to the administration of park and recreation; encouraging scholarly efforts by both practitioners and educators to enhance the practice of park and recreation administration; promoting broader public understanding of the importance of parks, recreation, and conservation to the public good; conducting research, publishing papers, and sponsoring seminars related to the advancement of the field; and providing services either directly or indirectly that advance the profession.

To reiterate our history, AAPRA was established in 1980 by 50 founding members and is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational organization. Membership is made up of practitioners and educators who have served for at least 15 years in high-level administrative capacities in parks and recreation and demonstrated leadership contributing to the advancement of the field. Membership is limited to 125 practicing professionals at any one time, of which no more than 25 percent may be educators. In addition, members can hold emeritus status after they retire.

The Academy spearheads several ongoing projects. The Journal of Park and Recreation Administration is an official publication of the Academy. In partnership with Sagamore Publishing, it is designed to bridge the gap between research and practice for administrators, educators, consultants, and researchers and publishes original manuscripts that move theoretical management concepts forward in the field of park and recreation administration. It also provides clear implications of theory and research for problem solving and action in park and recreation organizations.

The Academy provides professional services including consulting, workshops, lectures, and open discussions to park and recreation agencies. Consulting services are offered free of charge, except for expenses, to provide agencies and institutions with the guidance to enhance quality for parks and recreation services. This year, we have agreed to work closely with National Recreation and Park Association staff to ensure more visibility and access to this program to all practitioners and the communities they serve. In addition to professional services, AAPRA manages the Legends of Parks and Recreation Videotape Library, sponsored in partnership with Landscape Structures, Inc., which consists of interviews with distinguished administrators and educators sharing their personal backgrounds, professional insights, advice, and philosophical beliefs.

Several prestigious awards and recognitions are managed by the Academy. The National Gold Medal Awards Program is a program of the Academy in partnership with NRPA and sponsored by Musco Lighting. This award, presented annually in conjunction with the NRPA Congress, honors communities and military bases that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development, and agency recognition. Under the leadership of our past president Lori Daniel and management of Ellen O’Sullivan, this program has been revamped to make it more accessible to serve communities nationwide.

The Honorable Cornelius Amory Pugsley Medals, sponsored in partnership with Davey Tree Experts, recognize individuals at all levels who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion and development of services and resources that constitute public parks and conservation practices in the United States. Annually, up to three Pugsley medals are awarded at the annual Academy Banquet with support from the National Park Foundation.

Finally, AAPRA, alongside NRPA, oversees the selection of members for the Robert W. Crawford Recreation and Park Hall of Fame. Leaders recognized in the Hall of Fame serve as icons for future leaders in guiding the recreation and park movement into the 21st century.

The Young Professional Externship Program, managed by the AAPRA, enables outstanding professionals 35 years of age and younger to interact with and learn from members of the Academy and other NRPA Congress attendees. Up to four externs are selected each year. The experience and exposure these young professionals receive through this program is exceptional and worthy of expansion.

National accreditation for political subdivisions, universities, and colleges has been a top priority for the Academy for several years. This national program is carried out by NRPA with many Academy members involved in order to promote and encourage best practices among these entities.

One new objective for this year is an effort on the part of the Academy to advance the NRPA PRORAGIS program. The database created by this program will provide the metrics necessary to further build our case for the values and needs that exist within parks and recreation. Only with this knowledge will we be able to make our case for the essentiality of parks and recreation. A second task force has also been formed to research, develop, and initiate methods to address one of our nation’s most significant health care issues: community wellness. A third task force will study of the essentiality of our services from a local and national perspective and review what can be used to advance our citizens’ perceptions of this essentiality.

The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration presents its class of new inductees, officers, and board members for 2013: Deborah Bialeschki, director of research and chair of professional development, American Camp Association; Randy Bina, executive director, Bismarck Parks and Recreation District, North Dakota; Richard “R.J.” Cardin, director, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, Arizona; John Curran, executive director, Tinley Park Park District, Illinois; Mark Heirshberg, director of Parks, Recreation & Commercial Facilities, City of Mesa, Arizona; Rick Herold, director of Parks and Recreation, Grand Prairie, Texas; and Christopher Nunes, director of Parks and Recreation, The Woodlands Township, Texas.

Officers of the Academy are elected by members and are as follows: Tom Lovell, AAPRA president, administrator, Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation, Lee’s Summit, Missouri; John McGovern, president-elect, president, Recreation Accessibility Consultants LLC; Jamie Sabbach, secretary, founder and CEI of 110%, LLC; Michael Blazey, treasurer, professor, Department of Recreation, California State University, Long Beach; Lori Daniel, AAPRA past president, manager of Recreation Services, City of Aurora Department of Parks, Recreation, and Public Properties, Colorado; Rich Grodsky, AAPRA executive director, retired executive director of the Elmhurst Park District, Illinois; Mark Eynatten, AAPRA director, director of Community Services, City of Chandler, Arizona; Dirk Richwine, AAPRA director, superintendent of Parks and Recreation, City of Henderson, Nevada; Sue Black, AAPRA director, former director of Milwaukee County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Culture, Wisconsin; Steve Neu, AAPRA director, former director of Bismarck Parks & Recreation, North Dakota; Ray Ochromowicz, AAPRA director, executive director, St. Charles Park District, Illinois; Dr. Karla Henderson, AAPRA director, professor, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University; and Andee Chestnut, AAPRA executive secretary/treasurer, retired public information director for Champaign County Forest Preserve District, Illinois.

For more information about AAPRA or to contact any of the members or officers, please visit www.aapra.org.