Nevada Recreation & Park Society

2024 NRPS Professional Peaks and Valleys

Annual Conference 

The annual NRPS Conference & Exhibit Hall will be held in Lake Tahoe at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. Conference will kick-off with general sessions on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 - Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

We will close out the week on Thursday, April 18, 2024, with our 6th Annual LEADership Institute at the Kahle Community Center located at 236 Kingsbury Grade Rd., Stateline, NV 89449.

This week will include inspiring educational programs and engaging network opportunities with professionals in the fields of Parks, Recreation and Aquatics. Access to the Exhibitors Hall will give an opportunity to see the latest and greatest equipment and practices from a multitude of diverse vendors.  Also enjoy exciting socials at some of the hottest locations in the heart of Lake Tahoe!

Quick Links 

2024 Conference Registration: FULL 

2024 Preliminary Conference Brochure: 2024 NRPS Conference Brochure.pdf

2024 Conference Volunteer Sign up: Click Here

2024 Shuttle Option: Click Here 

Registration

Conference registration will be opening November 6th.

Early Bird Full Conference: $290.00

Late Full Conference: $390.00 

One Day Only: $210.00

Awards Banquet: $35.00

L.E.A.D. Institute: $150.00

Keynote Speakers

Donna Hartley

Donna Hartley has an amazing story…she is proof that one woman can walk through fire and deliver a message powerful enough to impact millions of lives. This is an empowering survival story. Drawing on her life-altering events she ignites you with Firepower for your inner leadership and gives you proven strategies to master transformation in your life. Cry, laugh, and be inspired! She is a graduate of the University of Hawaii and former Miss Hawaii. Donna has been featured on PBS, NBC, ABC and in The New York Times. She is the author of book series Fire Up Your Life!

Click here to see Donna's video!

Krysta Palmer

At age 20, Krysta Palmer took up diving at the suggestion of a friend. Nine years later, she was in Tokyo representing Team USA at the Summer Olympics. The 2020 Olympic Games were Krysta’s Olympic debut, and she delivered the first Olympic individual medal for a U.S. female diver since the year 2000. The road to her bronze medal was not typical for an Olympic diver. Krysta started diving at age 20. She started as an elite-level gymnast and then became one of the country’s top trampoline athletes. Injuries made Krysta pivot within her sports career but her diverse background as an athlete made her an instant diving star. Krysta Palmer is currently training with hopes of making her second Olympic team in Paris 2024.

Session Speakers

Jeff Wozer

Having toured nationally for 20-plus years on the comedy club and corporate circuit, performing with the likes of Martin Short, Jim Gaffigan and Brian Regan, Jeff Wozer now pulls back the curtain on digital distraction, helping people, at both work and home, make better decisions with their screen-use time. Through keynotes and breakout sessions his engaging blend of insight and humor educates individuals on digital-balance practices so that they, not their devices, are controlling their attentions and, ultimately, their days.

Jeff’s insights, borne from his own screen-struggle story, has inspired audiences at conferences and business meetings across the continent. Some of his clients include the National Recreation and Park Association, Premera Health, BASF, the New York State Correction and Youth Services Association, IMA Financial Group, the Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium (EPHC) and the Arizona Society of Association Executives, to name a few.

Lori A. Hoffner

Lori A. Hoffner has been offering training for community networking, organizational relationship building, and positive youth development since 1997 and has spoken nationally regarding employment and staff engagement, youth program development, as well as multiple community issues. Lori created Supporting CommUnity, Inc. her professional speaking, training, and consulting business that focuses on individuals being positive, having fun, and connecting to one another to create a confident culture within their organizations and for the greater community they serve. Lori has a great deal of fun with her audiences, engaging them in thought provoking exercises and encouraging intentional, affirming practices every day.

Naomi Albertson

Naomi Albertson, MD, is Board Certified in Family Practice and specializes in Sports Medicine. She grew up in Palo Alto, California, received her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, completed her internship in family practice at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California and her residency and fellowship in sports medicine at Stanford University/San Jose Medical Center.

As a previous collegiate athlete, she has personally had numerous visits to orthopedists and rehabilitation specialists and gained a perspective that allows her to blend her personal insight with her expertise in medicine, nutrition, exercise physiology, exercise programming, return to play assessment, and aging athletes. She has dedicated her career in sports medicine to assessing and treating musculoskeletal injuries and motivating her patients through recovery.

Whether working with children, adults, or professional athletes, her goal is clear - to get each patient back to the activities they love, safely, injury-free and to the best of their ability. In her free time, you can catch her at Mt. Rose chasing her kids down the Chutes, paddle boarding on Lake Tahoe, or at Moana Nursery, buying yet another bag of dirt.

James Andersen

James is Dynamic, engaging, energetic, passionate, practical, thought-provoking, relatable…brings in humor and leaves the audience with purposeful ideas and examples.

He brings ordinary sessions and speaking engagement to the next level. Participants have most notably left saying they felt energized and ready to tackle small and large obstacles in their daily lives through their work, home & through a new perspective of self-awareness of themselves and others.

James’s thirst for learning and presenting new and innovative ways to bring success to any program, organization or personal situation will bring any engagement to the next level.

An Interactive, fast-paced, quick-thinker, able to “Tailor-Make” a presentation for any discussion topic or theme and most importantly his tactics and strategy provide opportunity for proven outcomes.

Has the ability build his message into a 1-on-1, small group or conference or assembly with thousands of attendees.

Rachel Griffiths & Tom Griffiths

Note and Float Life Jacket Fund

Note and Float Life Jacket Fund is unique, as it is the only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to donating life jackets to swimming pools in the U.S. We also gain evidence-based insight about life jacket use from pools that receive Note & Float life jackets. We found that swim lesson enrollment typically more than doubles and in-water rescues typically decline by more than 50%.”

Dr. Rachel Griffiths is a highly regarded expert in aquatic risk management and has worked with a wide range of organizations and facilities to develop and implement effective safety programs.

Tom Griffiths, EdD, is one of the leading experts in the field of aquatic safety. He is founder of the Aquatic Safety Research Group, and served as the Director of Aquatics and Safety Officer for Athletics at Penn State University for nearly 25 years. He has been involved in all phases of aquatics and water safety for nearly 40 years and has published more than 300 articles.

Paul Schmitz

Paul Schmitz builds the collective leadership of organizations and communities to achieve greater social impact through his roles as Senior Advisor at The Collective Impact Forum and CEO of Leading Inside Out. He is also the author of Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up, and the former CEO of Public Allies, where he helped more than 5,000 diverse young adults begin careers working for community and social change. Paul is a faculty member of The Asset-Based Community Development Institute, was a social innovation advisor to the Obama White House, and has been named three separate years to The Nonprofit Times list of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in America. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife and five children.

Trevor Howard

Trevor Howard serves as the Regional Sales Manager at Landscape Structures, operating from Phoenix, Arizona. With a strong commitment to improving community spaces, Trevor is particularly passionate about the development and revitalization of parks and playgrounds. He holds a firm belief in the importance of play as a fundamental aspect that not only supports the physical and cognitive development of children but also acts as a catalyst for community engagement. Through his professional endeavors, Trevor aims to foster environments that facilitate social connections and enhance the quality of life for individuals and families alike. His expertise and dedication make him a respected figure in the field of recreational space development.

Hotel Room Information

Visit Bally's Lake Tahoe Casino Resort at 

https://ballyslaketahoe.reztrip.com/ext/promoRate?property=1736&mode=b&pm=true&sr=830606&vr=3&accessCode=STNRP3

Conference room block code is STNRP3. Book your hotel before the room block sells out! 

Socials & Awards

2024 NRPS Conference Awards Information

Citation Award  SUBMIT

Elmer H. Anderson Park Excellence Award | SUBMIT

Dundee Award | SUBMIT

Get Involved 

If you are a student member, L.E.A.D. participant, or looking to get more involved with conference email    Kendal.Kerbrat@cityofhenderson.com for more details on volunteer opportunities or with any questions related to volunteering at conference. To sign up to volunteer please complete the following survey: Volunteer Survey.

If you are looking to get more involved with NRPS or the LEADership Institute; please email Leaders@nrps.org. 

The 2024 L.E.A.D. Institute will be held on Thursday, April 18, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Kahle Community Center located at 236 Kingsbury Grade Rd., Stateline, NV 89449. Continental Breakfast and lunch provided.

Exhibitors 

Exhibitor spaces are available for the 2024 Conference! Exhibiting at conference will help you network with professionals interested in your products, contact potential customers with purchasing power, promote new products and services, attend any of the educational sessions being offered and have your company listed on NRPS website. To register and learn more about exhibitor opportunities click here