Happy Earth Month! On today’s episode, we’re excited to share a collaboration with NRPA’s new podcast, Guardians of Greenspaces.

Guardians of Greenspaces is a podcast focused on conservation from a park and recreation maintenance lens. Hosted by Rukmini Kalamangalam, a program specialist on NRPA’s community and environmental resilience team, Guardians of Greenspaces uplifts voices of experts in the field and will drop weekly for the next 10 weeks.

We recently caught up with Rukmini to learn more about this new podcast and how it will bring value to maintenance staff working in the conservation and environmental resilience space. Tune in below to learn:

• Some of NRPA’s priorities as they relate to environmental resilience
• What prompted the creation of Guardians of Greenspaces
• What listeners can expect to learn on future episodes
• Interesting things Rukmini has learned hosting the podcast (like why people might not like tall grass)
• How you could win a $50 gift card to the NRPA retail store for listening

Plus, you’ll hear the very first episode of Guardians of Greenspaces focused on staff engagement at the San Antonio River Authority!

Additional Resources:

• NRPA’s Environmental Resilience Pillar
• NRPA’s Earth Month Resources

On this episode of Open Space Radio, we’re celebrating the incredible women in parks and recreation who are shaping the profession and making a difference in their communities.

Women have long played a vital role in parks and recreation – but it has historically been a male-dominated industry. Today, the leadership and presence of women in the profession continue to grow. In fact, within NRPA’s membership of more than 60,000 park and recreation professionals:

• 47 percent of members identify as women
• 48 percent of 2023 NRPA Annual Conference attendees identified as women
• 53 percent of 2024 NRPA Directors School attendees identified as women
• 47 percent of Certified Park and Recreation Professionals (CPRP) identify as women

We recently asked women in parks and recreation to share their experiences with us, and we got some wonderful responses. Tune in to the full episode to hear from:

• Kristine Stratton, NRPA president and CEO, gives a shoutout to women who have shaped the profession and NRPA staff who are leading impactful work
• Katie Groke, CPRP, director of community services at Apex Park and Recreation District (Colorado), shares how the former executive director of her department laid the groundwork for a lot of women at Apex to grow their careers
• Gabby Vera, CPRP, director of Lake Havasu City Parks and Recreation (Arizona), shares how she’s making history by being the first female director at her department and the youngest director in Arizona
• Nikki Taylor, CPRP, assistant director of recreation for Town of Bedford (Massachusetts), shares how her department can empower girls and women and the importance of leading by example
• Renee Glosecki, a project manager at Orange County Parks (California), shares how she’s making a lasting impact on women’s history by paving the way for future generations of women in leadership roles
• Ali Rhodes, director of Parks and Recreation at City of Boulder (Colorado), shares how two impactful women who worked for her department in the 1990s provided her the honor of supporting a well-planned parks and recreation system.

And, we received another response after recording that we wanted to share, from Joan Scovic of Northbrook Park District in Illinois, who gave a shoutout to women leaders in Illinois:

• Carrie Fullerton, Arlington Heights Park District
• Lisa Sheppard, Glencoe Park District
• Elizabeth Kessler, McHenry County Conservation District
• Laura Rudow, St. Charles Park District
• Allison Niemela, Batavia Park District
• Alex Engelhardt, Fox Valley Special Recreation Association

Joan shared: “These women are all amazing leaders in the field of parks and recreation in Illinois (and around the country). They are phenomenal examples of how to be a female leader in this field, and show incredible support to other women. They take the time to educate, share their career paths and mentor others, and are models for other women who strive to be leaders and those who want to excel in service to their communities. They accomplish all of this with intelligence, compassion, humor and warmth, and have all achieved amazing things for the profession, for their communities, and for the women who are lucky enough to be in their spheres of influence.”

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Women in Parks and Recreation Facebook Group
• Women in Parks and Recreation Webpage
• NRPA Youth Sports Framework

On this episode of Open Space Radio, we explore the critical role that parks and recreation plays in advancing sports opportunities for all youth — especially girls. Providing these opportunities is more than just fairness; it’s about giving girls the opportunities and support they need to succeed, both on and off the field. Participation in sports is linked to increased self-esteem, better academic performance and higher career aspirations for girls.

Sports also have the power to build confidence, foster leadership skills and create lifelong connections. However, girls often face barriers that prevent them from participating and staying engaged. This episode brings together leaders from various organizations to discuss strategies for making sports more inclusive and empowering for young girls.

Tune in to the full episode below to hear from experts in this space who are making a huge impact, including:

• Teresa Morrissey, Senior Program Manager at NRPA

• Kelsey Moore, Director of Social & Community Impact at Nike

• Jillian Green Loughran, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport

• Julia Lankford, Director of Operations at Laureus USA Sport for Good Atlanta

You’ll learn about the importance of engaging girls in youth sports, as well as:

• The key role parks and recreation plays in providing accessible, affordable and high-quality sports opportunities (they reach more than 40 million youth annually!)

• Why collaboration and partnerships are key to advancing girls’ participation in sports

• Strategies to break down barriers preventing girls from participating and staying in sports

• How coaches – specifically women coaches – play such a critical role in advancing this work

• How your park and recreation agency can be part of this movement and get more girls in the game

• And much more!

By investing in inclusive sports programming, training coaches and fostering partnerships, park and recreation agencies can help ensure that every girl who wants to play has the opportunity to do so.

Thank you to our guests for their insights and dedication to advancing gender equity in sports. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Open Space Radio and share it with others who are passionate about the power of sports to change lives.

Resources Discussed on this Episode:

• NRPA Youth Sports Framework

• Play to Lead Report: The Generational Impact of Sports on Women’s Leadership

• Nike Coaching Girls Guide: How to Get (and Keep) Girls Playing – Strategies for Engaging & Retaining Girls in Sport

• Body Confident Sport

• Coaching HER

• Nike Super Bowl Ad: So Win.

• Center for Healing and Justice through Sport

• Laureus USA Sport for Good Atlanta

Have feedback about this episode or Open Space Radio overall? Share it with us!

If you enjoyed this episode or learned something that might help you make a positive impact in your community, please consider donating to NRPA. Your gift will support our storytelling efforts and our mission to advance parks, recreation and environmental resilience efforts that enhance the quality of life for all at nrpa.org/donate.