The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the nation’s leading advocate for parks and recreation, announced its 2024-2025 Board of Directors. Board Chair Jesús Aguirre and Kristine Stratton, NRPA president and CEO, welcome five new board members — all top leaders in their respective fields.
“We are so excited to welcome these new professionals to the NRPA board of directors,” said Kristine Stratton, NRPA president and CEO. “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
NRPA’s governance structure reflects a board composed of 15-30 individuals. The Board of Directors reflects NRPA’s membership, which includes professional and advocate leaders in the park and recreation movement; park and recreation agencies and organizations representing the public, private, voluntary, commercial and industrial sectors; and individuals and civic groups interested in the park, recreation, conservation, health and equity fields.
The 2024–2025 Board of Directors’ term began on October 8, 2024.
To learn more about the Board of Directors and NRPA’s leadership team, click here.
To learn more about NRPA, visit nrpa.org.
