Dr. Syd Sklar is Professor and Chair of Recreation and Sport Management at the University of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois. Dr. Sklar completed his Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance with the University of Florida, where he specialized in therapeutic recreation. His research interests include outdoor adaptive sports, therapeutic recreation education, youth development, and therapeutic adventure. His publications include chapters in therapeutic recreation textbooks and articles in journals such as the Therapeutic Recreation Journal, World Leisure Journal, Annual in Therapeutic Recreation, and International Journal of Servant Leadership. He has conducted numerous presentations at local, state, regional, national, and international conferences.
Dr. Sklar served six years on the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions, and three years as its Chair. During his tenure as Chair, he led the Council’s transition from its status as a subsidiary of the National Recreation and Park Association to that of an independent organization. He is a past Associate Editor and Guest Editor for the Therapeutic Recreation Journal and a past Director At-Large for the National Therapeutic Recreation Society. In his home state of Illinois, Dr. Sklar serves on the Board of Regents for the Illinois Park and Recreation Association Pro-Connect Peer Mentoring program, and he is a past Education Director for the Illinois Recreational Therapy Association.
Prior to earning his doctorate, Dr. Sklar served as a recreation therapist at Shands at Vista Mental Health Center (Gainesville, FL) and Fox Valley Special Recreation Association (North Aurora, IL). He earned his M.S. in Recreation Administration at Aurora University, and his B.A in English/Communications at Albright College; and he holds current certifications as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR). Dr. Sklar is also a performing rock n’ roll guitarist, budding music producer, and outdoor recreation enthusiast.