Recapping the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference Park and recreation professionals gather in person and virtually By Vitisia Paynich and Lindsay Hogeboom
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n September 21-23, NRPA hosted nearly 4,000 attendees in Nashville, Tennessee, and welcomed more than 1,700 attendees — who logged in from their desktops, laptops and other smart devices — to experience the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference. This first-ever hybrid event featured general sessions, education programming, coffee talks and special events, as well as an exhibit hall showcasing the latest products and services from leading companies. Here are some highlights from this year’s conference.
General Sessions Hit the Right Notes
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAUGHT IN THE MOMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
Among the much-anticipated events at this year’s conference were the general sessions. On day one of the conference, NRPA President and CEO Kristine Stratton unveiled NRPA’s new visual and verbal identity — a new brand that reflects our values and where park and recreation professionals and their essential work are recognized
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by all. She also shared NRPA’s impact statements, which are based on research and data-driven facts and serve as a key resource for NRPA members. After delivering her remarks, Stratton introduced U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who delivered virtual remarks on the state of our country. “Today, I want to speak to you about the growing threats that nature faces,
At this year’s conference, education was aplenty with onehour sessions and speed sessions.
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how the Biden-Harris administration is investing in solutions, and how we can work together for the benefit of the generations who will follow us,” she says. “If we take care of our land, water and wildlife, we can create millions of new jobs and generate millions of dollars in economic returns in the years to come.” Secretary Haaland was followed by a keynote presentation by Jad Abumrad, MacArthur fellow and host of the Peabody Awardwinning radio show, Radiolab. Abumrad discussed the challenges that people encounter when trying to understand the language around science. As he puts it, “Science is its own language island, but there’s a particular way that people talk in a lab that is unique to that space.” The day two opening general session kicked off with a keynote presentation by Mitchell Silver, principal and vice president of urban planning at McAdams and former park commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Silver shared his insights about the profession and offered some words of wisdom and encouragement to other park and recreation professionals. “We have to underscore that parks are for people,” says Silver about park and recreation professionals who ask him about park equity. “Diversity, equity and inclusion is not something you
