March 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 17

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF KATIE GROKE

Directors School - Deﬁnitely Worth It

By Katie Groke, MPA, CPRP

re you grappling with whether you should spend your hardearned money (or the limited training dollars in your budget)
on attending NRPA's Directors School in beautiful Oak Brook,
Illinois? As a 2019 NRPA Directors School graduate, my advice to you is: yes, you should go!
Situated in a suburb outside of
Chicago, Oak Brook is home to the
former McDonald's training facility, which is now where Directors
School takes place. Affectionately
known to former Directors School
attendees as Hamburger University,
the Hyatt Lodge is a beautiful place
to learn all about the key subjects
covered during your week stay. The
subjects covered at Directors School
include leadership development,
strategy, budget and finance, directors' role in the political environment
and response to changing communities. The best leaders and experts in
the industry teach and guide students
through varied classes, lectures and
case studies. There are fun opportunities to work together and discuss
current issues facing our industry
during mealtime roundtables, and
students are offered plenty of time

to ask questions and challenge the
instructors during sessions. Directors
School gives you the space and time
needed to embrace the next steps of
your park and recreation journey
and to contemplate how to implement your new knowledge in the
most effective way for your agency.
Some of the best parts of Directors School are the connections you
make and people you meet from
all over the country. At the start
of the program you are assigned
to a team that stays together as a
unit throughout the two years of
the program, allowing you to build
strong bonds throughout your time
at Directors School. These friendships extend outside of the program
and provide a network outside of
Directors School that allow you to
ask insightful questions, receive recommendations for problem-solving

and gain general support through
friends. Over the course of the
week you are together at Directors
School, you dive deep into real issues that you experienced and need
help solving. You also are given ample time to share success stories and
boast about the accomplishments
of your work and agency that may
help others. What's more, you are
able to brainstorm with the best
and brightest in our trade, and form
friendships that are long-lasting. My
group still communicates and reaches out to each other to seek support
on varying issues. They are some of
the first people I turn to when I get
in a pickle and need help.
We came, we learned, we danced,
we laughed, we conquered! Good
luck to the next class of Directors
School. Enjoy every minute of one
of the most unique experiences of
your life.
To learn more about Directors
School, visit nrpa.org/Directors.
Katie Groke, MPA, CPRP, is the Marketing and
Communications Director for the Apex Park and Recreation
District (katieg@apexprd.org, @grokey).

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March 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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