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Executive

Track: Parks, Recreation, & Tourism

Demand Data Collection and Benchmarking at Parks and Rec

Tuesday, April 13, 1:45-2:25pm EDT

Parks and recreation touches the lives of millions of people every day. With their focus on conservation, health and wellness and social equity, the more than 10,000 local park and recreation agencies across the country make our cities, towns and counties more vibrant, healthier and resilient. While highly valued by the public, park and recreation agencies struggle in securing adequate funding from local governments that also support public safety, education, transportation and other vital services. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession have further sharpened the dichotomy of being an essential local government service and one that faces significant funding challenges.

This presentation will demonstrate how park and recreation professionals are embracing data and analytics to a. identify the amenities and services best suited from their communities, b. share insights on services to offer in the face of the pandemic and c. demonstrate their agencies’ impact to local policymakers, the media, and the general public.

Kevin Roth image

Kevin Roth

Kevin Roth

Vice President of Research, Evaluation & Technology at NRPA

Kevin A. Roth serves as NRPA’s Vice President of Research, Evaluation & Technology. Roth leads the research team in its mission to create valuable data and metrics that enhance park and recreation agency performance and make the case for increased and more stable agency funding. He also oversees the team delivering IT and web services to the association. Roth has served in research and leadership functions in the nonprofit association space for more than two decades, including overseeing both research and IT at the Association for Financial Professionals for 13 years and conducting survey research at the National Association of Realtors for four years. He has a Ph.D. in Economics from George Washington University and a BA in Economics from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.