Awards of Excellence

 


KRPA Annual Awards of Excellence

Honor Someone From Your Agency or Your Community for Their Efforts to Support Recreation and Parks in Kansas

Are you aware of someone within your agency, a board member, a volunteer, a legislator, organization or local leader who has made a meaningful difference in helping your agency achieve success?  Please take this opportunity to pay tribute and honor individuals who are important to your success stories by nominating them to be honored at the KRPA Awards of Excellence Lunch during the annual KRPA Conference and Trade Show. 

Nomination forms for 2026 awards will be available in August.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Amanda Sterling at amanda@krpa.org.

Award Categories

Hall of Fame

Nominations for the KRPA Hall of Fame shall come from the general membership.   Requirements:  A parks and recreation professional who committed a lengthy time of service to the field of parks and recreation in Kansas.  Must be retired from the profession at least (2) years.  Candidates must be a past member of KRPA.  Professional nominees are preferred to have had professional certification but not required. Hall of Fame selections are made by the KRPA Executive Committee

2025 Inductees- Diann Henderson

Distinguished Fellow Award

This award recognizes a professional KRPA member who has rendered outstanding service to the organization and the profession on the local, state or national level. This award shall be limited to those persons having served a minimum of fifteen years of service as a full time employee in the recreation and park field. This award may be given posthumously.

2023 Winner
Troy Houtman, Wichita Park and Recreation

Distinguished Professional Award

This award recognized a professional KRPA member who has rendered outstanding service to the organization and the profession, local or state.  This award shall be limited to those persons having served a minimum of ten years as a full-time employee in the recreation and park field.

2025 Winner, Jared Rutti, Garden City Parks and Recreation

Distinguished New Professional Award

This award recognizes a KRPA member who has rendered outstanding service to any phase of the recreation and park profession on a local or state level.  This award shall be limited to those persons having served at least three years but not more than ten years as a full-time employee in the recreation and park field.

2025 Winner- Mallory Ozier, Johnson County Park and Recreation District

Distinguished Board or Commission Member Award

This award recognizes a member of a board or commission who oversees or advises park and recreation agencies.

2025 Winner- Alejo Cabral, City of Wichita

Distinguished Volunteer Award

This award recognizes a person who volunteers time for their services to the recreation, park or conservation initiatives and who has rendered distinguished service to the organization and the recreation and park profession.

2025 Winner- Susie Martin, Baldwin City

Distinguished Service Award

This award recognizes any full-time or part-time employee in the recreation and park field who has made a difference to the community or organization.  Recipients need not be KRPA members and it is the intent of this award to recognize dedicated employees in such areas as maintenance, clerical and programming positions.  This award shall be limited to those persons having served a minimum of two years as a full-time or part-time employee in the recreation and park field.

2025 Winner- Daniel Jones, Salina Parks and Recreation

Distinguished Public Service or Organization Award

This award recognizes an organization, which has provided outstanding service to any recreation, park and conservation initiatives at the local or state level.  An organization is defined to include civic and fraternal groups as well as businesses, corporations, and other organizations not directly associated with the recreation and park profession.  This definition does not exclude businesses dealing in services or products, which are recreation and park oriented.

2025 Winner- Friends of the Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita

Distinguished Elected Official Award

This award recognizes an elected official at any government level, including local, state or federal, who has rendered service to any phase of the recreation and park initiative at a local, state and/or national level.

2025 Winner- Bob Pape, City of Merriam

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