The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) announced its 2024-2025 board of directors. Board Chair Jesús Aguirre and Kristine Stratton, NRPA president and CEO, welcomed five new board members.
“We are so excited to welcome these new professionals to the NRPA board of directors,” said Stratton. “With their insights, perspectives and experiences, we are confident in our ability to drive continued impact and change through the field of parks and recreation across the United States.”
NRPA’s five new board members are:
- Christian Gabriel, FASLA, PLA, founder and creative director, Public Nature Projects
- Stephanie Milewski, RLA, ASLA, senior project manager, Herbert, Rowland and Grubic, Inc. (HRG)
- Shonnda Smith, MBA, executive director of public works, City of Mobile
- Hashim Taylor, CPRP, director of parks and recreation, City of Cedar Rapids
- Linden Weiswerda, data insights analyst, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Gabriel, Milewski, Smith, Taylor and Weiswerda join forces with the following diverse group of leaders who currently serve on the NRPA Board of Directors:
Officers
Board Chair – Jesús Aguirre, CPRE, Tower Steel Services, previous director of parks and recreation for Washington, DC and Seattle
Board Chair Elect – Joshua Medeiros, Ed. D, CPRP, AFO, superintendent of parks, recreation, youth and community services, City of Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services
Treasurer – Susie Kuruvilla, CPA, CPRP, executive director, Gurnee Park District
Secretary – Dr. Philip Wu, (retired) physician consultant, Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region
Kristine Stratton, president and CEO, National Recreation and Park Association (ex officio board member)
Directors
Kathy Abbott, president and CEO, Boston Harbor Now
Rebecca Armstrong, CEO, NORTH
Samuel Assefa, director, California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
Rick Atkins, director, City of Round Rock Parks and Recreation
Anthony-Paul, “AP” Diaz, superintendent, Seattle Parks and Recreation
Jose Felix Diaz, executive vice-president, Ballard Partners
Lakita Frazier, senior consultant, BerryDunn and CEO, Women in Parks and Recreation
Phil Ginsburg, general manager, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department
Monica Hobbs Vinluan, senior program officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Sean Johnson, director, City of University Park Parks and Recreation
Mollie Marsh-Heine, chief development officer Natural Resources Defense Council
Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO, Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation
Ben Page, director, Des Moines Park and Recreation Department
John Prue, CPRP, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) program analyst, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic
Arnold L. Randall, executive director, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Breece Robertson, strategic data consultant and author of “Protecting the Places We Love”
Tiffany White-LaPierre, CPRE, AFO, senior planner, MIG
The 2024–2025 Board of Directors’ term began on October 8, 2024.