If you’ve engaged with NRPA’s leadership during the past six years, you may have seen or worked with Michele White without knowing the extent of her role at NRPA. As executive assistant, she supports President and CEO Barbara Tulipane and serves as a liaison for the Board of Directors and its various committees. White also works on a number of special projects and has recently developed NRPA’s new Fund Your Park campaign, a crowdfunding platform designed exclusively for park and recreation agencies. She took time out to share her background in parks and recreation, her work for the association and her penchant for standing in a creek on her days off.

Parks & Recreation magazine: You’ve been at NRPA since 2008. What attracted you to work here?

Michele White: The mission. Advocating for parks and making sure we all have access is a big thing for me. This is a job where you feel good about what you do.

P&R: Tell us a little about your day-to-day work.

White: I work closely with Barbara and the vice presidents to help ensure the association is moving forward.  I also liaise with the Board of Directors and board committees, provide management oversight to the association and have been involved in many special projects since I started, such as all of the urban park conferences we’ve done.  

P&R: Earlier this year, Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing and Editorial Director Gina Mullins-Cohen mentioned in her Editor’s Letter that she once overheard you say that you were “a park and rec kid.” What did you mean by that?

White: I grew up playing rec sports from age 5 and was in year-round soccer, mostly as a goalie. I also worked in the ski industry for six years and grew up skiing and snowboarding since I was 5. I spent a lot of time outdoors and have been intimately involved in rec leagues and the ski industry.

P&R: Tell us a little about this crowdfunding project you’re working on.

White: After seeing the new surge of funding coming from crowdfunding for a variety of projects, we thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if our members had a platform?” [Fund Your Park was designed] to help the membership raise money, engage their community, advocate support for projects and utilize a different platform to interact with the public. It’s not just the online part — we have found that it takes all hands on deck with fundraising and this is just another tool for our members to use to help rally for support.  

P&R: What’s your life like outside of work?

White: My husband’s name is Sean, and we have two dogs, a cat and a horse. We live in Delaplane (Virginia) and pretty much spend our time fishing, hiking, playing with horses and camping.  I’m an avid fly fisher and enjoy trying to tie my own flies. 

Danielle Taylor is the Executive Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine.