January Premier: Overcoming Barriers to Innovation

Seve has had a 35 year career in five States in municipalities, counties, special districts, and the private sector. He has served the NRPA in various capacities-- CAPRA Accreditation Board as a Visitor, Reviewer, Board Member and Chair and on the CPRE Exam Committee. Seve has presented at NRPA conferences since 2011 and at regional, State, and other conferences on various topics-- national accreditation, urban tree canopy, naturalization, valuing our profession by telling the story, and historical preservation, among others. He enjoys sharing the great story of parks and recreation and looks forward to creating a succession process by mentoring and coaching young professionals. In the Fall of 2020 he was selected to the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. For his work over the years Seve was recognized with the National Distinguished Professional Award in 2013 at the NRPA Congress in Houston, Texas-- for his advocacy of parks and recreation, leadership, innovation in programming, program development, research, and community engagement. He has also served as an instructor at the Parks and Recreation Maintenance Management School (PRMMS) in Oglebay. On the personal side, Seve has travelled to thirty six States with his family visiting, thus far, 117 National Parks and Monuments. He enjoys photography, golf, gardening as a cathartic endeavor, and staying in touch with friends in over a hundred countries.

Dr. Joshua T. Medeiros serves as the Superintendent of Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services for the City of Bristol, Connecticut and as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Recreation, Tourism and Sport Management at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. Medeiros has an earned Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership and a Master’s Degree in Parks and Recreation Administration. Medeiros serves on the National Recreation and Parks Association Board of Directors and he is also the past President of the Connecticut Parks Association. Medeiros is a Certified Parks and Recreation Executive (CPRE) and is an award winner of both his state and national parks and recreation associations. 

Lakita Frazier is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional with over 25 years of experience in organizational leadership, program development, and capital improvement project management. She served as the Executive Director of the Richland County Recreation Commission from July 2018 until February 2022. Lakita served as the director of parks and recreation for Suffolk, Virginia, from 2003 until 2018. During her tenure in Suffolk, Lakita oversaw the department’s Master Plan Update and led the agency’s initial CAPRA Accreditation. She has been a fellow in the American Academy of Parks and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) since 2020.

She currently serves as the CEO and founder of Women in Parks and Recreation (WIPAR), which is committed to providing a positive platform and space for women in the field to collaborate, connect and support each other. In 2021, WIPAR was established as a federally recognized 501c3 nonprofit organization with an online following of over 11,000. 

Lakita actively teaches and mentors and is committed to professional development and lifelong learning, presenting at local, state, and national conferences. She serves as an instructor and a co-chair of NRPA’s Director’s School and a regent for the Revenue Management Development School. Lakita is the immediate Past President of the National Recreation and Parks Ethnic Minority Society and serves on the American Academy of Parks and Recreation Administrator’s Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee.  Lakita has been a member of the Board of Directors for the National Recreation and Parks Association since 2020, as well as a GP Red Advisory Committee and on the National Association of Park Foundations Board of Directors