In a recreation, event planning and hospitality career that spans over twenty-five years, Kari has connected her professional know-how with her personal passions. As the Director of Community Services for the City of Belleville, she leads a diverse portfolio that ensures all municipal facilities, including recreation, parks and trails meet the needs of the community. In the last 15 years, Kari has mapped and executed the G8 Summit of World Leaders and managed the venue for the Canadian National Pond Hockey Championships, the Ironman Muskoka, and several provincial multi-sport games in addition to the U18 National Women’s Hockey Championship. She is passionate about fostering strong community partnerships and ensuring that the services provided truly reflect the needs of all stakeholders. When not immersed in her role professional role, you can find Kari lacing up her hockey skates, going for a run, or possibly headed for the softball diamond.

Beth is the Supervisor of Aquatics, Safety Certifications and Active Kids Programs with the University of Guelph, Department of Athletics. She has been with the University of Guelph for 17 years. Previously, she worked for the City of Mississauga in municipal Aquatics. Beth has a professional passion for aquatic safety, risk management, and developing future leaders in the field of recreation. Beth holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Toronto Mississauga. She has also earned the Parks and Recreation Management Certificate from PRO and the Schulich School of Business. She is also Dare to Lead trained. Beth lives in Mississauga where she enjoys time with her family, reading, listening to true crime podcasts and continuing to find ways to add mindfulness into her life.

Sureen is the Executive Director of the Dovercourt Recreation Association in Ottawa, bringing over two decades of senior leadership experience in the not-for-profit recreation sector. With a degree in Business and Entrepreneurship from Mount Royal University, Sureen specializes in organizational development, change management, and building robust fiscal models for not-for-profit organizations. His extensive governance background includes serving as an Executive Director reporting to skills-based boards, as well as holding volunteer board positions including Treasurer for the Calgary Foundation for Swimming Excellence and Vice President for the Southern Region of Swim Alberta. Sureen is highly committed to advancing PRO’s strategic vision and bringing an entrepreneurial, inclusive, and multi-provincial lens to the provincial board table.

Peter is the Director of Recreation and Wellbeing for the University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus. Peter has a breadth of experience including risk management, business analytics, program development, and staff development. Close to Peter’s heart is the advocacy and allyship for inclusive programming. Peter has volunteered extensively with both the provincial and national branches of the Lifesaving Society. He is an active member with NIRSA (North American Intramural Recreation Sport Association) and has held several key roles including the first Member Representative for Canada. When not working or participating with various organizations, Peter is busy with the local racquet club in his hometown of Georgetown, volunteering with Halton Conservation as safety patrol, and most importantly, spending time with his partner and adult children through their adventures.

Scott has worked in the public sector for over 20 years. Scott's passion has always been sport and recreation and he is the current Manager of Culture and Recreation for the Town of LaSalle where he oversees facilities and services. Scott has an Honours Bachelor of Human Kinetics degree and a Master’s of Human Kinetics degree majoring in Sport Management from the University of Windsor. He is currently an occasional instructor in the Sport and Recreation Management program at St. Clair College. Scott and his family live in Windsor. He has two daughters who are highly active in sport and recreation, keeping their family busy year-round.

Troy is a professor and former chair of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo, where he also serves as Director of the Healthy Communities Research Network and an affiliate with the Future Cities Institute. Since joining the university in 2003, Troy’s research has focused on how leisure in public spaces strengthens the social infrastructure of communities by fostering social connectedness, civic engagement, and community capacity. Troy recently launched Healthy Placemaking Solutions, a consulting practice that supports municipal parks and recreation departments through strategic planning, public engagement, and evaluation. Troy brings to the PRO board a deep commitment to advancing the role of parks and recreation in building healthy, vibrant communities across Ontario.

Graeme joined his hometown of Arnprior as its Manager of Recreation in 2018 and was promoted to the Director of Recreation role in 2021. In his 6 years in municipal government, Graeme has helped expand the recreation service offerings in one of the fastest growing municipalities and lead a pair of community-defining projects – the Waterfront Master Plan and the Recreation and Parks Master Plan. In addition to heading up the Recreation Department, Graeme also serves his community as a volunteer firefighter and coaches both hockey and soccer. Prior to joining the Town of Arnprior, Graeme was the Director of Communications with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group supporting the rebirth of Lansdowne Park – home to the Ottawa REDBLACKS, Ottawa Fury, Ottawa 67’s, TD Place and Lansdowne Live. During that time, he was involved with a variety of major events for both the stadium and the teams. He was also part of the Grey Cup winning REDBLACKS in 2016.

Jeff's passion for parks and recreation was first sparked with various jobs as a student working as a playground supervisor, parks summer student and outdoor rink attendant. He has continued to work for the City of Greater Sudbury's Leisure Services Division in various, progressive roles, culminating with the Director of Leisure Services position in 2017. As Director, Jeff is responsible for the areas of arenas, cemeteries, parks and recreation, providing leadership to the Division's 90 full-time employees, 800 part-time staff and 300 dedicated volunteers. A graduate of Laurentian University's Commerce program, Jeff has also obtained a Masters Certificate in Municipal Management and was part of the first cohort of the Northern Leadership Program obtaining a Certificate of Leadership from Laurentian University. Volunteer experience with hockey, youth basketball and minor baseball developed Jeff’s passion for grassroot sports and guide vision to ensure play is affordable and accessible for residents.

Emilie brings 20+ years of diverse recreation experience. She is currently the Director of Recreation, Community and Culture for the City of Burlington. She brings a passion for recreation, change management and a love for continuous improvement. Over her career, Emilie has worked in the not-for-profit sector, in sports coaching, marketing, events, roads and parks, business services and more. Emilie is currently leading her team through various strategic planning initiatives, including but not limited to an Events Strategy and an accountability framework implementation for agencies, boards and commissions. In her spare time, she loves to spend time outdoors with her 2 children and husband, play ultimate frisbee and practice yoga.

Kashyap is a municipal recreation leader with over 15 years of experience in community recreation, strategic planning, business transformation, and public service delivery. He currently serves as Manager of Standards & Innovation and Manager of Community Recreation for Scarborough with the City of Toronto’s Parks & Recreation Division, where he focuses on service excellence, operational performance, and program innovation. Committed to advancing inclusive and equitable sport and recreation systems, Kashyap has held volunteer leadership roles with Speed Skating Canada and the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He also coaches with the North York Aquatic Club, mentoring athletes in high-performance, values-based environments. Known for his collaborative leadership style and systems-thinking approach, Kashyap is dedicated to strengthening parks and recreation services that support healthy, vibrant, and inclusive communities.

Shanon has a wide range of experience in provincial, regional, and local levels of government in various sectors including health, education, social assistance, public works, public health, and corporate strategy. Shanon is currently a Director of Parks, Forestry and Horticulture Operations at the City of Vaughan. She has a degree in Public Policy and Administration from York University, a Master degree in Public Administration from the University of Toronto, and has completed an executive education program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Shanon is also an adjunct professor of public policy at Western University and is a member of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators.

With over 27 years in municipal recreation management, Kristina currently holds the role of Director of Recreation and Culture for the Town of Oakville. Kristina holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, a Masters Certificate in Municipal Leadership from the Schulich School of Business at York University and several certifications including HIGH FIVE®. As an advocate for recreation and healthy living, Kristina is a committed volunteer with her local soccer club and with the Peel/ Halton Chapter of JDRF as an advocate & mentor. A mother to three active kids, she spends much of her free time outdoors swimming, hiking, running and cheering from the sidelines as a proud soccer mom.