Coletta will begin her three-year term at the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference
Ashburn, Va. (May 24, 2018) — Carol Coletta has been elected to serve on the board of directors for the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) – the only nonprofit organization dedicated to public parks and recreation nationwide. She begins her three-year term at the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference, Sept. 25–27, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Coletta is a senior fellow with The Kresge Foundation’s American Cities Practice. She is currently on loan to the Memphis River Parks Partnership as the organization’s president and CEO.
Prior to her service to Kresge, she was vice president of Community and National Initiatives for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and served as president and CEO of CEOs for Cities for seven years. Coletta also served as executive director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and was host and producer of Smart City, a nationally syndicated weekly public radio show.
“Parks are critical infrastructure for cities,” said Coletta. “They are common ground that deliver multiple benefits to communities. Now, more than ever, we need places where we can all come together. I am proud to be joining the nation’s largest network of parks and recreation professionals.”
“On behalf of the entire organization, I want to welcome Carol to the NRPA Board of Directors,” said Barbara Tulipane, CAE, NRPA president and CEO. “Her expertise and passion for parks and recreation is an excellent fit for our organization, and we look forward to working with her to further excel our organizational goals and mission.”
“Carol’s work with the Kresge and Knight foundations is in perfect alignment with NRPA’s commitment to building healthier, resilient and more socially equitable communities throughout the country," said Jack Kardys, NRPA’s incoming chair. “Carol speaks the common language of building a connected public realm around great parks, public spaces and natural and cultural areas that gives a credible voice to NRPA’s 61,000 members who are the backbone of our nation's system of public parks."
NRPA’s Board of Directors is composed of 15-30 individuals. Board members are representative of NRPA’s membership, which includes leaders in the park, recreation and conservation movement, park and recreation professionals, and individuals from corporations, industry suppliers, commercial businesses and volunteer and civic groups.
To learn more about NRPA’s leadership team, click here.
To learn more about NRPA, visit www.nrpa.org.
###
About the National Recreation and Park Association
The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to parks and recreation for health, conservation and social equity. Through its network of 60,000 recreation and park professionals and advocates, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy and active lifestyles, conservation initiatives and equitable access to parks and public space. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.