June Premier: Thriving as an LGBTQIA+ Park & Rec Professional

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.