February 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 11

the circumstances. [Our Visit Team
was] responsive to ideas (like scheduling a full-staff Zoom call, so they
could meet our team). They communicated their needs effectively. I
feel like we all worked well together, and that made the process pretty
painless. Obviously, we all missed
out on some of the benefits that
come with an in-person visit, but
our agency was pleased with how
our virtual visit went. " Chris Smith,
deputy director of Grapevine (Texas) Parks and Recreation, a newly
accredited agency, says, " All things
taken into consideration, Grapevine
was very honored to be part of the
process and is extremely grateful
that NRPA and the commission
[were] willing to adjust and face the
challenge in a brand new way rather than delaying the process. This
is an example that reinforces [that]
NRPA is willing to evolve and make

adjustments as needed to produce
the outcome being desired. "
Those on the Visit Team also
felt positive about the transition to
a virtual process. According to Jill
Korsok, director of Orange Community Education and Recreation
in Pepper Pike, Ohio, and firsttime visitor, the process with Reston (Virginia) Community Center
" went as smoothly as it could have
in mid-May. I was fortunate to
have two very experienced visitors
on my team to offer guidance and
reflection on their experiences in
previous visits....I was very glad
that we were able to make contact
with the agency a few days prior
to the beginning of our visit to review the information they provided and begin to formulate what we
needed to ask them for. They were
working under incredibly unusual
circumstances with limited access

to files, documents, other agency
partners, etc., and the extra time
was a positive thing for all of us. "

The Future
It has been almost a full year since
NRPA and the CAPRA Commission started down this path, and,
sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic is
still with us. Given both the public
health emergency and economic
realities, virtual CAPRA visits likely will remain a part of the process
for some time to come. Thanks to
the professionalism of the CAPRA
Commission and Visit Teams, we
learned along the way. The collected feedback from everyone involved will ensure the process of
accrediting park and recreation
agencies will continue to improve
in 2021 and beyond.
Jennifer Schleining is NRPA's CAPRA
Accreditation Manager (jschleining@nrpa.org).

Congratulations to the Newly Certiﬁed
Professionals and Executives!

ertified Park and Recreation Professionals (CPRPs) and Certified Park and Recreation Executives (CPREs) represent the individuals in the park and recreation field who have gone above
and beyond to provide the essential benefits of parks and recreation in the communities where they work and live.
NRPA would like to recognize
those professionals who became
newly certified between August 1,
2019 and August 31, 2020. Thank
you for taking the next step in your
career and for being extraordinary
leaders in the field.
NRPA also would like to recognize the National Certification
Board; the CPRP and CPRE Certification Committee; and the CPRP
Examination Committee, CPRE

Examination Committee and Job
Analysis Committee volunteers.
Your hard work and dedication ensure that NRPA's certification programs are of the highest standards.
Thank you all for your continued
commitment to parks and recreation and for what you do for the
profession!
To see the full list of newly certified professionals, visit nrpa.
org/2020CertifiedProfessionals.
PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | F E B R UA RY 2 02 1 |

Parks & Recreation

https://www.nrpa.org/2020CertifiedProfessionals https://www.nrpa.org/2020CertifiedProfessionals

February 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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