Jody L. Stowers, CPRP is the retired Director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Westerville, Ohio. She is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Florida and serves on the St. Johns County, Florida Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. Previously she was the Recreation Superintendent for the City of Kettering, Ohio and started her career with the City of Valparaiso, Indiana Parks & Recreation Department.
Throughout her career she has been actively involved in furthering the parks and recreation profession, most notably: Past President for Ohio Parks & Recreation Association; Trustee for National Recreation Park Association (NRPA); Program Chair for the NRPA Congress; Chair Great Lakes Regional Council; and Board Member for the American Academy for Park & Recreation Administration and the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies. She also served as a Board Member for the North Carolina State Supervisor Management School and the Indiana University Executive Development Program.
She received her Masters of Administration degree from Central Michigan University (1990) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Recreation Administration from Purdue University (1979). She has received the APRS President’s Award; Robert W. Crawford Young Professional Award; OPRA’s Professional of the Year; and in 2013 was inducted into the Ohio Parks & Recreation Hall of Fame. [updated 3/15]