WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION Remembering Dirk Richwine: Park and Recreation Leader, Advocate and Mentor
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n December 19, the field of parks and recreation lost one of its most dedicated and passionate leaders, mentors and advocates, Dirk Richwine. “Dirk Richwine was one of [the] most committed politic [supporters] of the parks and recreation field,” says Jodie Adams, a past president of NRPA and past chair of the Gold Medal Awards Program Committee. “The passing of Dirk will be monumentally felt by the park and recreation organizations and communities he served and contributed to over his life’s work [throughout] our nation. One word can describe Dirk Richwine’s passing — heartbreaking.” For nearly four decades, Richwine worked as a park and recreation professional. He was a graduate of Arizona State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in community recreation and Golden Gate University where he received a master’s degree in public administration. He began his career in parks and recreation working within communities throughout Arizona in various roles, such as recreation leader, recreation coordinator, recreation superintendent and assistant to the city manager. He then went on to serve five years
as the director of parks, recreation and community services for the City of Brighton, Colorado. Under his leadership, the department became a finalist for the Gold Medal Award in 1997, 1998 and 1999. During his tenure with the department, Richwine contributed to the design and construction of a four-field lighted sports complex, renovation of a youth sports complex, development of two neighborhood parks, acquisition and exchange of open spaces, trail access and development, establishment of a Cultural Arts Commission, creation of a Cultural Arts Master Plan, and more.
Richwine continued his park and recreation education throughout his career, graduating from Indiana University Bloomington’s Executive Development Program in 1986, and taking part in NRPA’s Revenue Management School for multiple decades. In 1999, he joined the City of Henderson (Nevada) Parks and Recreation Department where he worked for 14 years, including nine years as assistant director. During his tenure, City of Henderson was awarded the National Gold Medal Award and became Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) accredited, becoming the second accredited agency in the Western United States. Additionally, while working for the City of Henderson, Richwine was critical to the completion of 16 new parks and more than 15 miles of trails. He created the parkland standards for future preservation, acquisition and development and contributed to many successful and highly impactful projects, including the department’s Comprehensive Plan, Open Space Plan, City Wide Strategic Vision, and development of the department’s first Business Plan. To read more about Richwine’s contributions to the field of parks and recreation, visit nrpa.org/ DirkRichwine. In 2019, Dirk Richwine (left) received the NRPA National Distinguished Professional award, which is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of parks and recreation.
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Parks & Recreation
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