The change of seasons also marks a shift of leadership among the NRPA Board of Directors. Following the Annual Conference in St. Louis, current chair, Susan Trautman, will make room for Steve Eckelberry to begin his term as board chair. The Illinois native has been immersed in parks and recreation throughout his life, from playing baseball in local rec leagues as a kid to serving in his current position, as technology manager for the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, where he’s worked for the past 15 years. Eckelberry also serves in an elected position on the Board of Commissioners of the Bartlett Park District in Bartlett, Illinois, a position he has held for the past 20 years. Motivated by his lifelong love of baseball, Eckelberry co-founded a local nonprofit to help recruit, train and assign baseball umpires for games in the area, all while cultivating a new interest in officiating lacrosse. We caught up with Eckelberry to learn more about his affinity for the field of parks and recreation and what he looks forward to as he settles in as NRPA board chair. Following is a portion of our conversation.

Parks & Recreation magazine: What drew you to the field of parks and recreation?

Steve Eckelberry: I grew up playing baseball in our local parks and at 14 started working as an umpire. I remember being a kid and playing at the neighborhood park and how much fun we had just playing outdoors. I love being outdoors so when the chance to run for our local park board came up, I realized I had a chance to give back to my community. Having an opportunity to work in the field as well, especially for an agency that serves individuals with disabilities, really completes the circle for me. 

P&R: Why did you want to serve as a member of the NRPA Board of Directors?

Eckelberry: I have always had a passion for parks and recreation. I have been involved in both state associations in Illinois. When I became involved in NRPA, it was shortly after some major changes had taken place to the structure of the Board of Directors, taking it from more than 70 members down to a much more manageable number. I was part of the Nominating Board Development Committee, which helped find and vet new candidates for the board. The more I became involved, the more I realized I could help NRPA move forward and continue to stay relevant to its members. 

P&R: What do you hope to accomplish during your time as board chair?

Eckelberry:  NRPA is moving in a great direction right now. We have a strong strategic plan in place and our board is transitioning from being a policy-making board into a resource board. We have brought on some terrific new board members and have a task force that has worked diligently this past year to try to identify possible board members for future years. During this year, I want to keep this momentum going, so our board, and organization as a whole, grows even stronger. We will be working hard to implement our strategic plan, as well as work on our board work plan, which helps support our strategic plan. 

P&R: What does the future of parks and recreation look like to you?

Eckelberry: I think as we continue to face more and more financial constraints, agencies will have to look at different and more creative ways to provide services to residents. This includes private partnerships, and working with other governmental agencies and nonprofits. We will be dealing with an aging population, which may mean more programs directed toward those age groups. Technology has started to play a bigger role in parks and recreation, and it will only get bigger. At the same time, technology can be a stumbling block. It makes it harder to get people outside, when some believe everything they need is in the palm of their hand.