Mark L. McHenry, director of Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation, was sworn in as President-Elect of the American Academy for Park & Recreation Administration (AAPRA) at the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Congress and Exposition held earlier this month in St. Louis, Missouri. He will assume presidency of AAPRA in October of 2017.
AAPRA was established in 1980 and is dedicated to advancing the knowledge related to the administration of recreation and parks; encouraging scholarly efforts by both practitioners and educators to enhance the practice of park and recreation administration; promoting broader public understanding of the importance of parks and recreation to the public good; and conduct research, publish scholarly papers and/or sponsor seminars related to the advancement of park and recreation administration that advances the profession.
The membership is made up of practitioners and educators who have served at least 15 years in a high level of administration in a park and recreation agency or as a recognized educator in parks and recreation administration. They also must have demonstrated outstanding ability in administration, management or education in the profession; displayed broad interest with a direct service benefit to the advancement of public parks and recreation or assumed leadership with a keen desire to contribute to the advancement of the field. The Academy is limited to 125 active members nationwide. The Academy, in partnership with NRPA, administers the National Gold Medal Awards which honor agencies that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services.
ABOUT MARK L. McHENRY
Mark McHenry is the director of Kansas City, Missouri, Parks and Recreation, appointed in 2003, becoming the seventh director in the 124 year history of the Department. Mark has more than 40 years of experience in the Parks and Recreation profession serving in various capacities.
McHenry holds a Parks Management Degree from Texas Tech University and a Master of Public Administration degree from UMKC. He completed studies in the Graduate Program for Senior Executives from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Executive Development Program, at Indiana University.