Member Information

Annual Membership Meeting 9-14-2022
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Annual Membership Meeting 9-15-2021

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The AAPRA commits to promote, nourish, and embody an inclusive and equitable environment, strengthen our commitment to promote justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, combat systemic and structural racism, and promote a culture of equality for all, through our knowledge advancement, research, education, and scholarly efforts. 

Nominations Open
April 6 - June 8, 2022


[Member Nomination]

[Urban Director's Nomination]

Membership into the Academy is by election of the Academy’s Board of Directors. The Membership Committee receives and scores all nominations and forwards their recommendations onto the Board for action.  

Members of the 2021 Class

Educator:    
Edwin Gomez, East Carolina University, NC

Professional:    
Sheila Canzian, San Mateo Parks & Recreation, CA
Paul Gilbert, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, VA
Scott Martin, River Heritage Conservancy, IN
Sonya Shaw, McAdams Consulting / Garner Parks & Recreation (ret.), NC
Katie Troline, Gold Medal Force, Roswell Recreation, Parks, Historical & Cultural Department (ret.), GA
Dina Trunzo, CRTS, Somerset County Park Commission, NJ

Urban Directors:
Homer Garcia, Director, City of San Antonio Parks & Recreation Department, TX
Maria Nardi, Director, Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation, & Open Spaces, FL
Michael Shull, General Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, CA

Practitioner and Educator Fellow nominees must meet these minimum requirements:

Practitioner: Must have served in a high-level position for no less that 15 years and hold a BS or BA degree as of October 1 of the year nominated. Position titles include general manager, executive director, director, deputy director, superintendent and/or administrator with significant experience and responsibility in the areas of parks, recreation, conservation, personnel, training, budgeting, planning, capital improvements, and marketing. 

Educator: Must have attained the rank of full Professor OR served in a high-level administrative position in higher education and recognized as an educator for a combined period of not less than fifteen (15) years as of October 1 of the year nominated. 

Urban: This category is for a Director or CEO of a major Federal, State, Regional, County (or Parish), or City with a population of 500,000 or more. Contact Urban Directors Committee Chair, Jayne Miller at parksuptjsm@gmail.com, as this nomination process if different. 

Practitioner and Educator nominees must:

  1. Have demonstrated leadership at the local, state, regional and/or national levels and display a broad interest and reflective nature interpreting experiences to others.
  2. Have demonstrated contributions to publications and presentations that benefit all members of the profession; include examples of applicant’s speeches on professional subjects; be specific with dates, name of organizations, or publication names and date published.
  3. Have received honors or awards that specifically pertain to contributions to the parks and recreation profession. Nominee should list individual awards separate from agency awards. 
  4. Articulate their anticipated contribution(s) to the Academy as the Academy’s goal is to make innovative contributions to further the park and recreation profession. Each nominee should review the Academy’s website for the bylaws, programs, awards, committees and task forces. 
  5. Provide a written statement addressing the question: “Why are you seeking Academy membership and how will you contribute to the profession as an Academy member?” 

Nominators must submit a letter supporting the nominee’s election into the Academy. It is recommended this letter NOT repeat the experiences of the nominee but rather address the question, “why are YOU nominating this individual for membership?”  Two (2) additional support letters from a current Academy must be submitted. ALL three (3) letters must be uploaded with the nominee’s application.

Other nomination requirements:

  1. Current Academy members may nominate no more than two (2) individuals for membership in any one year.
  2. Current Academy members may submit a letter of support for not more than two (2) individuals for membership in any one year.
  3. Current members of the Board of Directors may NOT nominate or write a letter of support.
  4. Current members of the Membership Committee may NOT nominate or write a letter of support. 

The Academy membership is limited to 125 members: 100 Practitioners, 25 Educators, plus 12 Urban Directors.