Dr. June N. Price-Shingles, Ed.D. is a Full Professor in the Department of Health Education, Physical Education and Recreation at Chicago State University, whereby she has been faculty since 2007 and Director of the Undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Parks, Recreation and Sports Administration Program since 2011. June holds a Bachelor’s degree in Recreation Administration, a Master’s degree in Workforce Education and a Doctor of Education in Child Youth and Family Studies. In 2024, she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award by her alma mater, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale College of Health and Human Sciences.
As a child, June always enjoyed playing at the neighborhood park, unbeknownst at the time she was having her first exposure to the field of Parks and Recreation. Years later, in 1988 June began her career as a practitioner in our beloved profession. Over the decades, June has served in many facets by developing partnerships with numerous entities such as grassroots organizations, state and federal agencies, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and continues to do so as faculty. June is an experienced grant writer and in the past has procured substantial state and federal funding which aided her in capital development projects, creation of new partnerships for programs and the addition of new services for communities at-large.
Over the years, as a member of the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association and the National Recreation and Parks Association, she served on the College and University Relations Committee, Diversity Section, and the Administration and Finance Section. June has several publications and has presented at various conferences over the years. In 2016, June was appointed as a University Accreditation Visitor for the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT).
Although her current post is in the world of academia, she does not consider herself an educator, rather a practitioner bridging the gap from real world hands-on experience to the classroom. June’s ability to connect theory to practice is her strongest asset and greatest contribution to the professional development of students.
“I’ve enjoyed my tenure in the profession, and always had great coworkers, community partners and a keen appreciation for the diverse constituencies within neighborhoods I served. My greatest satisfaction comes from preparing the “next generation of Recreation Providers” in hopes of keeping the profession we love relevant and populated with “Essential” seasoned professionals for decades to come. Despite the decades long work history, I often tell students, I’ve never worked a day in my life! Subsequently, I also tell them “Hard work never goes unnoticed!”
Dr. Price-Shingles lives with her Husband and Son in west suburban Chicago and in her leisure time, enjoys competing in Triathlons, Cooking and is a Youth Sunday School Teacher.