Hiring From Within the Profession May/June 2006

William J. M. Wald
IPRA Chief Executive Officer

EYE ON THE PROFESSION
A CLOSER LOOK AT TRENDS AND ISSUES IN THE PARK AND RECREATION PROFESSION

Hiring From Within The Profession

If you were to go to the hospital and discover that your doctor had a degree in marketing, would you be satisfied? If your favorite baseball team hired a new manager who had previously been employed as an accountant, would you be satisfied? Of course you wouldn't.

Businesses hire people who have been trained in the profession, those who have demonstrated superior performance in similar work situations and those that have knowledge of the company and the field in which they will work.

How would a non-park and recreation professional know how to operate and manage a government unit like a park district? Would a non-park and recreation professional understand the complexities of a taxing body or the regulations under Illinois' Park District Code? Would a non-park and recreation professional be able to effectively manage and lead a diverse staff of recreation programmers, aquatic facility managers, communication and marketing managers and park maintenance crews? Would he or she know how to work with the elected officials that serve as commissioners of the park board to lobby for monies from the state to enhance facilities and parks? Would he or she believe in the benefits of open space and quality recreation and understand he role of stewardship as holders of open space?

There are so many areas of responsibility that an executive director of a park district, recreation or conservation agency must comprehend, manage and excel at before being charged with operating a special unit of government in Illinois. A position of this magnitude is best suited for someone who has grown professionally in the field, has learned from predecessors and has demonstrated the leadership qualities needed to direct both staff and work in concert with commissioners.

Why Would park, recreation, and conservation agencies consider hiring executive directors from outside the field of parks and recreation?

In Illinois, there are thousands of capable, qualified and experienced professionals that could and would excel at the duties of that position. A great majority are members of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association so they can continue to educate themselves, network with others, have access to resources and grow

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professionally. The park and recreation field is unique in that like-minded professionals don't have a sense of competition with one another in their work environment. Contrary to many in the business world, we want to share ideas with each other because we have a greater mission: to serve the communities in which we work and provide a better quality of life for our residents.

A position of this magnitude is best suited for someone who has grown professionally in the field, has learned from predecessors and has demonstrated the leadership qualities needed to direct both staff and work in concert with commissioners.

Illinois has the country's largest certification program, which is highly regarded — and perhaps envied — by other state park and recreation associations. Becoming certified shows that an individual has taken the steps to further his or her education and advance as a park and recreation professional. In most districts, applicants for a position like the executive director must be a Certified Park and Recreation Professional to even be considered.

The tax-paying communities that you live in should not be satisfied with a non-park and recreation professional taking the responsibilities of executive-level positions. Don't our citizens deserve better? Don't they deserve a qualified individual who knows parks and recreation? Knows the people? Knows how things are done?

Park facilities and recreation opportunities in Illinois are among the best in the country because of our state's dedicated and educated professionals. Let's allow those who have worked in the field to remain the leaders of the field.

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