One-On-One with Jack Davison

One-On-One With Young Professional Award Recipient, Jack Davison

q. Tell us a little about yourself- where you are from, where did you go to school and when did you think about going into a nontraditional field like Parks and Recreation?

A. I’m from a small town, Berkshire NY, in Tioga county, and I went to college at Tompkins Cortland Community College, where I studied Outdoor Recreation. I got into parks and rec… accidentally. A girlfriend at the time suggested it while I was between majors in college. The relationship didn’t last, but love for the field did. As a person who did art, music, sports, and loved being outside, parks and recreation was a return to my inner child.

q. Growing up, can you recall a time or person that made you a fan of parks?

A. For as long as I can remember, every summer my family would go to the ADK’s to camp, hike, kayak and explore. I would say my foundation for exploring outdoor spaces, and my love of parks was rooted in these annual experiences. My deeper appreciation for parks didn’t come until later in college, when I began to truly understand and embrace the importance of stewardship for natural spaces.

q. Where are you employed today and what is your primary role at work?

A. I currently work for the Town of Onondaga Parks and Recreation Department as the Recreation supervisor. In this position I oversee all of our youth and adult programs. Most of our activities for children are instructional/introductory courses for children 3-14, and most adult programs are intramural sports leagues like softball and basketball.

q. What is your favorite thing to do at work?

A. This is weird, but I absolutely love working out and organizing the softball schedules. I Play in both our men’s lower division and our co-ed league, so when I pull out the softball binder, I get really excited about the softball season, and summer programs being right around the corner.

q. Who or what might you attribute your success to?

A. Never letting my title or education dictate the limitations of what I can or what I am willing to do. I never received a bachelors or masters degree, but I have taken every opportunity to expand the scope of my experience to make myself an invaluable asset to whoever I work for.

q. Do you feel it is important for park professionals to be certified necessarily today and why?

A. Certs and education are important to the extent that they help you perform your job, and help your organization better meet its mission. q. You have been involved with your local association and serve currently on the NYSRPS Executive Board. What do you think is the biggest thing you have gained from association experience?

A. Connections and support. I have gained an amazing resource network for developing ideas, as well as a supportive group of likeminded people who I have come to know as friends.

q. What advice would you give to a high schooler looking to go to college?

A. Try new things, discover what you love, and learn how to make a living doing it.

q. What advice would you give to a college student looking to be employed in park and recreation?

A. Take literally every opportunity you can. Degrees open doors, but experiences get you through them.

q. What would you advise a young up and coming professional to do to be nominated for “Young Professional of the Year”.

A. Don’t think about “what you can do to get an award”, focus on what you can do to impact the community you work for. Put in the time, the effort and keep raising your hand when they ask for volunteers. q. What advice would you give seasoned professionals looking to groom the next generation?

A. It’s ok to let people fail sometimes. We will try and make new trails, and we either discover something new and exciting, or come back to the path a little roughed up. Either way we learn, so help them learn, but don’t discourage creativity.

q. What will be the biggest challenge for you professionally in 2021-2022?

A. Keeping up the pace. So many people were looking for things to do in 2020, now it’s our job to open up opportunities that people have been looking for. It’s time to re-build and grow, but it’s going to be run fast and learn faster for the rest of 2021 into 2022.

q. What are you most excited about in 2021-22?

A. My pokemon GO program in June! But aside from that I’m excited to add new women’s sports programs in 2021-22, and to rebuild our dance program after having a whole year off.

q. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A. Hopefully in or transitioning into a director position. I love working for the town of Onondaga, and as much as I like planning programs, I want to be able to make bigger impacts on communities in Syracuse and be a force for positive, equitable change.