Tara Eggleston Stewart is a Division Chief with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s (M-NCPPC) Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County. She is a Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE) and currently oversees operations and programming for the Aquatics and Athletic Facilities Division.
Prior to her current position, Tara served as Division Chief for M-NCPPC’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Division for nearly four years. Prior to that position, she was involved with Aquatics programming for over 20 years and is the former Countywide Aquatics Coordinator for the Department. She is a graduate of Howard University, has a master’s degree in Sports Business from New York University, and is a current Doctoral Student in Clemson University’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management Program.
Tara has been honored twice in Aquatics International Magazine’s “Power 25” feature for her community outreach and diversity work within the aquatics industry. Tara continues to lend her Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and management expertise through presentations at national conferences, serving as a former Regent for North Carolina State University/NRPA’s Supervisors Management School, and contributing articles to Aquatics International and the National Recreation and Park Association’s Parks and Recreation Magazines. She is a former AAPRA Extern (2012) and recipient of the American Parks & Recreation Foundation’s “Pottsie” Leadership Development Scholarship (2018).
Tara’s additional volunteer experience has included serving as the Aquatics Network Chair for the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), as an instructor for NRPA’s National Aquatic Management School, as a Regent and Past-Board Chair for Supervisors Management School, and as a Board Member and Past-President for the Association of Aquatic Professionals (AOAP). Tara currently serves on the Board of Directors as Chair for Diversity in Aquatics (DIA) and as a Commissioner for NRPA’s Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).