Over the past two years, our parks and open spaces have seen more traffic than ever as people sought places for safe outdoor activity, and our recreation programs and facilities have been forced to evolve to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks among participants. At the same time, the field has been connecting more with the ways that they help create healthy and vibrant communities, working to create more access and a sense of belonging for people of color in outdoor recreation, and seeing the need to recruit and support a well-trained workforce that matches the communities they serve. All of this, and more, add up to a lot of evolution and change within local parks, recreation and open space programs. Our panel of national and local experts will share their perspectives on the data and demographics underlying these topics, their innovative efforts to meet the needs and how they see the evolving future of parks, recreation and open space.

Registration opens soon.

Panelists:

Teresa Penbrooke, PhD, MAOM, CPRE
CEO and Founder of GreenPlay, LLC
Faculty, Researcher and Secretary of the Board, GP RED
PREPP program co-lead, CU Denver School of Public Affairs

Seve Ghose, CPRE/MOL
Community Services Director
City of Fort Collins, Colorado

Janet Bartnik, MS, CPRP
Executive Director
Mountain Recreation

Allison Kincaid
Executive Director
Colorado Parks and Recreation Association

Moderator:
Lisa VanRaemdonck
Executive Director
School of Public Affairs Institute
CU Denver School of Public Affairs