March 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 77

Member Spotlight: Trace Stevens, CPRP

race Stevens represents the archetypal story of the parks and recreation career. He took his first job in the field at the ripe old age of
16, making $2.15 an hour as a summer day camp instructor at the
Park Services Department in his hometown, Paducah, Kentucky.
Stevens worked that job for the next eight years, at the same time graduating
high school and matriculating from Murray State College. He strayed from
parks and recreation briefly - to teach sixth-grade social studies and work
as a youth counselor - only to return to Paducah Park Services when a fulltime position opened up in the same department where he started his career
years earlier. Today, Stevens is two years into his directorship at Henderson,
Kentucky, Parks and Recreation, married to his college sweetheart and the father of two boys who " keep us pretty busy, " he says. Parks & Recreation asked
Stevens to talk about his passion for the field and where he sees parks and
recreation headed for the future.
Parks & Recreation magazine: What
do you feel are the most important
challenges facing the field of parks
and recreation today?
Trace Stevens: The public's lack of
understanding of what people in
this field do is a major challenge.
The public understands that the
grass in the park has to be mowed,
but that seems to be the extent of
most people's knowledge. Advocacy for parks and recreation and
education of the public on the
benefits and duties of most park
professionals are a constant need.
People are always shocked to learn
that we handle things like cemeteries, facility maintenance, pavement
repairs and patching in the parks,
pool maintenance, afterschool programs and so many varied duties. I
really feel a great sense of accomplishment when I can represent the
parks and recreation profession as
just that - a profession.
P&R: Talk about one of your greatest professional successes.
Stevens: At the city of Paducah, I
was a part of the committee that
raised funds and constructed the

first public inclusive playground in
the state. There were other inclusive playgrounds at the time, but
they were at schools, rehab facilities
and army bases. The $250,000 playground was a big undertaking for a
community of our size and required
a lot of fundraising, coordination
and community outreach. Anytime
I've been back to Paducah and have
gone through the park that playground is practically standing room
only. It's become a landmark in the
community in just a short time.
P&R: What does the future of parks
and recreation look like to you?
Stevens: Like most other professions, technology is shaping the way
we do business. From cloud-based
recreation programs that have taken the place of the big " three-ring
binders " that sat at the front desk, to
GPS-mapped tree inventories and
social media marketing, the profession is moving toward a more technical foundation. Another factor is
the linking of tourism to parks and
recreation. Sport, eco and historical
tourism are segments of recreation
that are being embraced more each

year. The profession is quite different than what it was when I started,
when professionals were focused
on providing recreation opportunities for the members of only their
community.
P&R: What drives you most as a
park and recreation professional?
Stevens: I really feel this profession
touches so many peoples' lives in
ways they don't realize, and making
those interactions positive simply
improves life. There are so many
everyday challenges - parks and
recreation should be there to make
life easier. I enjoy being part of an
organization that has a part in providing beautiful locations to create
lifelong memories - a marriage
in a park, introducing someone to
a sport or activity that they enjoy
for the rest of their life, or providing that spot for peaceful reflection
and remembrance of a loved one in
a local cemetery. That kind of opportunity to positively affect others
really pushes me to do my job well.

- Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

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March 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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