Lakita Watson is a Certified Parks and Recreation
Professional with over 20 years of experience in parks and recreation.
She is a graduate of Norfolk State University where she received her Bachelor's
Degree in Social work and is currently pursuing her Master's in Public
Administration from Liberty University. She is currently the Executive Director
of Richland County Recreation Commission in Columbia, South Carolina. Lakita is
active on the state and national level of our field currently serving as the
President of the National Recreation and Parks Ethic Minority Society. Sharing
her experiences and leadership strategies is a passion for Lakita who is a regent
for the National Revenue Management and Development school and a presenter at
several local, state and national conferences. She serves on the Advisory
Committee for GP RED whose mission is to fill the gaps in Research, Education,
and Development (RED) for recreation and land agencies. In addition to
her work with mentoring young professionals, Lakita started the Facebook group
and non-profit "Women in Parks and Recreation (WiPaR)" which now has
over 8000 members.