Ashburn, Va- The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) recently announced the winners of the association’s 2011 National Awards program. NRPA National Awards are presented to individuals and agencies annually across the U.S. to honor their efforts-both professional and personal-in the field of parks and recreation. Recipients are selected by NRPA’s National Forum Awards Committee-made up of industry experts from around the nation-and are chosen for excellence in a variety of topics, including professional and voluntary service, programming, leadership, research and public outreach.

NRPA will present the awards publicly at a special reception at the association’s 2011 Congress & Exposition in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 2.

The 2011 National Award Winners are:

Barb King Award for Environmental Stewardship
Jean “Susie” Schreiber, Chair, Waukegan Harbor Citizens Advisory Council – Waukegan, Ill.

Barb King Award for Environmental Leadership
City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department – Boulder, Colo.

Dorothy Mullen Arts and Humanities Awards
Class I – Summer Entertainment Series: Ossian Hall International Performance Series, Fairfax, Va.
Class II – Bimbè Cultural Arts Festival, Durham, N.C.
Class III – South Westminster Arts Group, Westminster, Colo.
Class IV – Big Deal Productions, Buffalo Grove, Ill.

Excellence in Inclusion Award – Agency
City of Miami Department of Parks and Recreation – Miami, Fla.

Excellence in Inclusion Award – Individual
Terri Johnson, Executive Director, Municipal Partners for Inclusive Recreation – Des Peres, Mo.

Excellence in Military Recreation Award
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam MWR – Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Excellence in Teaching Award
Gwynn M. Powell, Associate Professor, University of Georgia – Athens, Ga.

Excellence in Water Safety Award
Make a Splash Program – Bakersfield, Calif.

National Health and Fitness Award
Indy Parks Fitness and Education Program – Indianapolis, Ind.
National Humanitarian Award – Corporate
Fairfax County Park Authority – Fairfax, Va.

Kudos Award for Marketing Campaign
Fox Valley Park District – Aurora, Ill.

Kudos Award for Marketing Piece
Fairfax County Park Authority – Fairfax, Va.

Kudos Award for Public Relations
OC (Orange County) Parks – Irvine, Calif.

National Literary Award
Robert E. Manning, Professor, University of Vermont – Burlington, Vt.

National Partnership Award
City of Bell Gardens, Calif.

National Park or Facility Design Award
Class I – Johnson Creek, Arlington, Texas
Class II – Bethesda Park, Durham, N.C.

Ralph C. Wilson Award
Ernest Burkeen, Jr., Director, City of Miami Parks and Recreation – Miami, Fla.

Theodore & Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Research
David Scott, Professor, Texas A&M University – College Station, Texas

Recognition of Significant Efforts (R.O.S.E.) Award
Christopher Williams, Acting Superintendent, Seattle Parks and Recreation – Seattle, Wash.

National Voluntary Service Award
Harold L. Strickland, Sully District Rep., Fairfax County Park Authority Board – Fairfax, Va.

National Distinguished Citizen Award
Dennis Flanagin, Commissioner, Lan Oak Park District – Lansing, Ill.

National Distinguished Professional Award
John Whitmore, Organizational Development Manager, City of Denton – Denton, Texas

New Professional Award
Tiffany Johnson, Supervisory Recreation Specialist, D.C. Dept. of Parks and Recreation – Washington, D.C.

Young Professional Award
Kara Kish, Assistant Superintendent, Vigo County Parks and Recreation – Terre Haute, Ind.

The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people. Through its network of 20,000 recreation and park professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles, recreation initiatives, and conservation of natural and cultural resources.

For more information, visit www.NRPA.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrec-magazine.org.

Contact:
Amy Kapp
Communications Manager
National Recreation and Park Association
22377 Belmont Ridge Road
Ashburn, VA 20148
703.858.2151
akapp@nrpa.org
www.nrpa.org