Dani is the Superintendent of Parks for the Buffalo Grove Park District.  She was a parks and rec kid, growing up in programming and working as a lifeguard and swim instructor starting at age 14.  She received her B.A. in Elementary Education from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.  She then taught middle school math and science for three years before joining the Buffalo Grove Park District full-time in April of 2014 as the Aquatics Supervisor.  She supervised a staff of 50-100 employees seasonally and managed four aquatic facilities, including one outdoor pool, two indoor pools, and a splash pad.  After 4 years in aquatics, Dani was promoted to the Risk Manager for the Buffalo Grove Park District, where she supported both parks and recreation staff in their safety, training, and programming needs.  Dani also chaired her agency’s Safety Committee, played a big role in safety policy development and decision making, and led her agency’s COVID response.  In June of 2023, Dani was promoted to Superintendent of Parks.  In this new position, she now oversees the Grounds Maintenance staff, consisting of four crews and the mechanic for a total of 12 full-time staff and 13 seasonal staff.  Dani’s professional mission is to create a safe, positive, and supportive work environment for her staff that creates job satisfaction and agency efficiency. Dani loves her diverse experience in parks and rec, is a lifelong learner, and can’t wait to see what comes next.  She also created and chairs the Risk Management Special Interest Group within the Administration & Finance Section of the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, created and chaired the Safety Committee Workshop held in December 2022, and is on the Board of Regents for the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association ProConnect Mentor Program.  Dani holds her CPRP, CPSI, and CPO certifications.  

Stacey Halvorsen has a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Washington with emphasis on non profit management, education policy, and environmental and multicultural education.  She has been managing programs, facilitating community partnerships, developing curriculum, and teaching outdoor and environmental education for over 17 years in Colorado and the Northwest.  She is currently the Chief Education Officer at Colorado Mountain Club and the Vice President and Co-Founder of the Colorado Center for Primary Care Innovation. As an ACE-Certified Health Coach for over 7 years, Stacey is a Subject Matter Expert for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and is passionate about employee wellness.

Andrea Griffin is Superintendent of Recreation at Northwest Special Recreation Association (NWSRA). She has been with NWSRA for 16 years. She oversees the Collaborative Department, focusing on collaborative programs and the Community Adult Day Program, PURSUIT, as well as the Inclusion Department, working with NWSRA Member Park Districts, to provide inclusive recreation opportunities. . She is the recipient for the 2020 American Therapeutic Recreation Association Certificate of Recognition for her support of recreational therapy.

Griffin earned a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation from Aurora University. She is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP), a Certified Play Expert (CPE) and a Certified Inclusivity Assessor (CIA).

She is involved in professional organizations through Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) Recreation Section and the Therapeutic Recreation Section. Within each of these sections at some point in her career she has taken on a leadership role. Griffin is a member of American Therapeutic Recreation Associations (ATRA) Community, Management and Diversity on line communities and the Leadership Committee. She is a member of the Kent State University Inclusion Advisory Board and is the National Delegate for the Chicago Chapter of Woman in Leisure Services (WILS). She is also a member of the Mt. Prospect Woman’s Club and the City of Rolling Meadows Events Foundation.

Griffin has presented at the national, regional, state and local level on Recreational Therapy, the ADA, inclusion, behavior management, disability awareness, sensory rooms and sensory therapy and collaborative programs and has co-authored a chapter, Best Practices in Administrative Inclusion for the book Inclusive Leisure: A Strengths-Based Approach

Victoria Gonzalez, Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP), Certified Play Expert (CPE) and Certified Inclusivity Assessor (CIA) attended Illinois State University where she studied Therapeutic Recreation and minored in Psychology.  Victoria has been with Northwest Special Recreation Association (NWSRA) of 8 year.   She is currently the Manager of Inclusion Services where she oversees four full-time Inclusion Coordinators that work directly with NWSRA 17 Member Park Districts. Gonzalez is the lead CTRS on the NWSRA Snoezelen Sensory Team.  

Gonzalez, is involved in professional organizations through Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) Recreation Section and the Therapeutic Recreation Section, currently the At Large Representative of Therapeutic Recreation Section of IPRA. .  Within each of these sections at some point in her career she has taken on a leadership role.  In 2018 Gonzalez was awarded the Rising Star Award from the Illinois Therapeutic Recreation Section.  

Gonzalez has presented on the state and local level training on Inclusion/ADA, ability awareness, effective communication, behavior management, sensory rooms, Snoezelen Therapy and recreation program adaptions. 

Jacia T. Smith, Esq. is the Chief of Staff of Baltimore City’s Recreation and Parks, where she serves as a trusted advisor to the Director and oversees the daily activities of a large government agency. Jacia’s day-to-day duties involves providing oversight and guidance to the agency’s senior leadership team, as well as developing and implementing long-range strategies, and ensuring the operational execution that best serves the Agency's goals and City's overall needs. Jacia has served the City in other roles as the Deputy Director of HR Operations for Baltimore City’s Department of Human Resources (“DHR”) and as the Chief Policy Advisor. 

Prior to joining the City of Baltimore, Jacia was the Assistant General Counsel at Montgomery College, where she provided counsel on a wide range of legal issues facing the college, including employment law, labor relations, and liability and insurance matters.  Jacia also worked as a practicing attorney at a large regional law firm in the environmental and labor litigation practice groups.  

An energetic and transformational leader, Jacia has leveraged 15+ years of working in various legal and Human Resources (“HR”) roles, to pursue a career of service, where she is committed to the issues of diversity, inclusive leadership, and conflict management.  

Jacia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hampton University; a Juris Doctor from the University of Buffalo Law School; designations as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (“SPHR”) and Senior Certified Professional (“SHRM-SCP”); and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 

Kendra A. Moore has spent her life using her personal and career experiences to provide resources to communities.  Moore received both her Bachelors and Masters of Social Work from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. She has over 10 years of experience in youth programs, strategic planning and teen development. 

Moore’s professional experience includes serving in Virginia, Georgia and Florida.  She is currently working in Baltimore, MD as a Chief of Programming for Baltimore City Recreation and Parks. Ms. Moore has a passion for community and the people who live there. Her desire is to always educate and train young people on how to excel with their greatest potential, through giving them exposure to new and enriching experiences. 

She is a servant leader who is passionate about heart work (serving from the heart). In her spare time, she enjoys the beach, puzzles, traveling, baking, planning & decorating for events. 

Taylor Jeromos serves on NRPA's Professional Development team as the Manager of Learning Production. Her career has focused on creating accessible programming, centering diverse narratives, and facilitating informal learning opportunities for people of all ages. She’s been a part of the education teams at a number of cultural organizations, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.  

Taylor earned a Master’s in Museum Studies and Public History at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and holds a Bachelor’s in Medieval and Gender History from Earlham College.

Dr. Tiffany Johnson is a Parks and Recreation Executive for the City of Tukwila Parks and Recreation, a Qualitative Researcher and the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Rocket Solutions Consulting, LLC.  She is a CPRP who has also attained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Public Management, a Bachelor of Science Degree (BS) in Parks and Recreation Management, a Minor in Business Management, and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership.  Tiffany is the Past-President of the National Recreation and Park Ethnic Minority Society (NRPEMS) and has more than 19 years of full-time professional work experience in the field of Parks and Recreation Leadership. She is the two-time recipient of the NRPA Mid-Atlantic Network Young Professional award (2007 and 2011), along with the American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration’s Ernest T. Atwell Professional Diversity Extern recipient in 2010, the 2011 New Professional Award Recipient, the 2016 Robert W. Crawford Young Professional recipient, sits on the NRPA Program Committee and is a Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies Commissioner. Her dissertation was “Increasing Implicit Gender Bias Awareness Among Leaders in City Government: A Case Study of the City of Seattle”, which was published by the Library of Congress is 2020. Dr. J is a catalyst for change and a pioneer in Change Management, Professional Development, Strategic Planning, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. 

Latham Zearfoss is a Cultural Liaison for the Chicago Park District. Additionally, they sustain an artistic practice, and contribute to collective motions toward joy and reflection through mutual aid and other creative and collaborative social projects. They have exhibited and presented their work internationally and all over the U.S. 

John N. McGovern leads the Accessibility Practice at The W-T Group, LLC (WTG).  WTG is an MBE that is the NRPA preferred provider of accessibility consulting to NRPA members.  He began his parks and recreation career in Albuquerque, starting as a center director and eventually starting the Therapeutic Recreation Program.  He then moved to Illinois to helm two of the local government partnerships that provide services for people with disabilities.  Always interested in civil rights, he went to law school at night while working in parks and recreation and is one of the foremost authorities on the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  His ADA work is sharpened by his career parks and recreation experience, his own disability, and his service on behalf of NRPA on the three federal advisory committees that developed the parks content of the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design.   

Kande Jones is currently the Director of Development for the Mulvane Recreation Commission in Mulvane, KS. She has been with the Mulvane Rec for 5 years, having worked previously as the Youth Program Director for 4 years.  Currently, as Director of Development, she works with the Mulvane Recreation Foundation and the Community Alliance for Mulvane Families to foster lasting relationships with community members and organizations.  Kande believes that this is an amazing time to be involved with Parks and Recreation with increased access to funding and greater awareness of the importance of outdoor spaces, conservation and restoration, and community programming. She holds a National Center Director Credential from McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership and CPRE through NRPA. She also holds a B.S. in Biology, from Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX, and an  M.S. in Biology from the University of Colorado- Colorado Springs, CO. She identifies as Aspie and ADHD. 

Tammy Schwab is currently the Manager of Education and Outreach for the Resource Management Division, Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), in Fairfax, VA. She is a eighteen-year veteran with Fairfax County Parks having worked as a Naturalist/Historian Senior Interpreter for Sully Woodlands at Cub Run RECenter, where she originated and developed the first nature program at a county recreation center.  Currently, as Program Branch Manager, she coordinates the work of frontline interpreters and their nature and history programs at three lake front parks, five nature centers, two historic sites, an Observatory, a working farm and a public garden.  She is a National Association for Interpretation Certified Interpretive Guide Trainer. She also holds a B.S. in Biology, from Shippensburg University, PA, and an  M.S.  in Zoology from, Miami University, Oxford, OH. She Identifies as Dyslexic and ADHD. 

Danielle Lucas serves on NRPA's Professional Development team as the Hybrid Learning Coordinator. Her career has focused on creating, implementing, and sustaining positive experiences that participants can take to share with someone else. She’s been a part of the education and recreation teams at a number of organizations, including but not limited to Kentucky State Parks, Wilson's Nurseries Butterfly Greenhouse, Georgetown-Scott County Parks and Recreation, and the University of Kentucky. 

Danielle earned a Bachelor’s in Recreation and Park Administration, triple concentrating in Natural Resource Recreation Management, Tourism/Resort Recreation Management, and Event Planning Recreation Management from Eastern Kentucky University.

Taylor Jeromos serves on NRPA's Professional Development team as the Manager of Learning Production. Her career has focused on creating accessible programming, centering diverse narratives, and facilitating informal learning opportunities for people of all ages. She’s been a part of the education teams at a number of cultural organizations, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.  

Taylor earned a Master’s in Museum Studies and Public History at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and holds a Bachelor’s in Medieval and Gender History from Earlham College.