An incredible first week...

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I know that the board, staff and many of the members have worked tirelessly over this past year to revitalize IPRA.  A great foundation has been created and I believe that we are headed in the right direction.  Now it is my job, and the job of our staff, to take that foundation and build a successful IPRA that meets your needs now, and in the future. 

Over my career I have embraced the idea that as leaders of organizations it is our responsibility to develop not only ourselves, but our staffs.  I started my career more than 20 years ago as a recreation specialist for the United States Air Force and thanks to the opportunities I was given, and support of my supervisors, I have had the pleasure to be:

• a superintendent of recreation for an Illinois Park District;
• a vice president of operations for a $100M not-for-profit organization;
• a chief administrative officer for a $500M government agency; and
• now the leader of one of the largest, and I think the greatest, parks and recreation associations in the country!

And it has been the support and encouragement of supervisors and mentors, as well as access to quality training and education that has allowed me to grow as a leader.  It is this dedication to education and professional development that I want to grow and strengthen at IPRA. 

To the executive directors, I want to create an IPRA that will provide you the tools that you need to grow as chief executives.  Whether it is finance, leadership or board management, IPRA should be providing you the training, information and support to help you excel, especially in these difficult economic times. 

To those of you who aspire to one day be an executive director, IPRA should be giving you the tools to develop the skills necessary to become our future leaders.  And for those of you who are just starting your careers, we want to invest in you.   You are our future, and we need to make sure that we are positioning you for success. 

My personal philosophy has always been that I don’t hire staff for the job they have today, but for the position I believe they will obtain two or three jobs from now.  In doing so, I always make the commitment to help them grow - not only by providing them with tools and support, but also by challenging them to do more than they believe possible.

My commitment to professional development is one of the major reasons I wanted to be your executive director.   As a membership organization, it is IPRA’s responsibility to provide you and your staff with quality training and educational opportunities that you deserve.  I also look forward to making sure that your voices are heard. This past week was great for reconnecting with many of our members and I am looking forward to meeting many more of you over the next several months.  And I am sincere when I say that I want to hear from you.  Whether you are in Carbondale or Gurnee, Peoria or Flossmoor, or anywhere in between, I want this to be your IPRA.  Over the next year, I will be traveling the state to listen to your ideas and share the progress we are making as an association.   

I look forward to working with LoriKay and the rest of the board members to make 2011 an exciting year at IPRA. 

Here is the 2011 board roster:

LoriKay Paden, Chair
John Curran, Chair Elect
Carrie Haupert, Past Chair
Nancy McCaul, AF Section Representative
Patrick Kloss, Northern District Representative
Joseph DeLuce, Central District Representative
Lori Lovell Knouse, Chicago Metro District Representative
Mary Jeanne Hutchison, Southern District Representative
Allison Niemela, CM Section Representative
Gail Ito, EM Section Representative
Brian Meyer, FM Section Representative
Michael Sletten, PNRM Section Representative
Richard Hanetho, REC Section Representative
Matthew Corso, TR Section Representative

I look forward to working with the board, the members, and the staff to implement the strategic plan, to improve communication with our members, and to provide meaningful networking opportunities.

Thank you again for your support of IPRA.  I look forward to an exciting and successful year.

Best,
Jan Arnold, Executive Director, Illinois Park and Recreation Association