Meet Our Board
Dr. Robert Ashcraft
Robert F. Ashcraft, Ph.D. is a citizen champion of public parks and recreation. His years of service are based on a belief that parks and recreation are essential to building community well-being, not for some, but for all. Dr. Ashcraft served for a decade on the board of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), including a stint as its Chair, during an era when NRPA developed and enacted its pillars of Health and Wellness, Equity and Conservation. Dr. Ashcraft has a global reputation for his pioneering work to advance the understanding of and effective practice for leaders of nonprofit/philanthropic organizations. Under his leadership, the ASU Lodestar Center is considered one of the world’s leading nonprofit academic centers, renowned for its research, education, leadership programs, technical assistance and conference activities, helping to build the capacity of the social sector for those who lead, manage and support nonprofits. In 2012 Dr. Ashcraft was named one of the most influential leaders in the nonprofit sector by the Nonprofit Times as a member of its “Power and Influence Top 50” list.
Chris Dropinski - Board Secretary
Leading projects across the country, Chris has gained perspective and knowledge of best business practices. Championing a mission-based entrepreneurial approach with engaged stakeholders she offers expert advice in areas such as organizational relationships and strategic management, striving to assure professionals are prepared to respond appropriately to well-meaning policy makers and constituents.
Her current role as co-owner and Senior Principal at GreenPlay, spanning 20 years, builds on a strong foundation of 24 years of Parks and Recreation administration with nearly half of that as Director of the City of Boulder, Colorado, Parks and Recreation Department. Armed with a teaching degree in addition to her P&R Administration degree, Chris has passionately helped move our profession forward, taking advantage of opportunities to serve in leadership and faculty positions ranging from non-profits and foundations, to the NRPA Rocky Mountain Revenue and Management School, and the National Association of Park Foundations.
As a Certified Parks and Recreation Executive, a fellow of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administrators, and experienced consultant she continues to help organizations remain relevant in our ever-changing environment. Living in Colorado with her husband Mike is extraordinary, and motherhood has been the joy of her life.
Tiffany White-LaPierre
Tiffany White-LaPierre (LA-PEE-AIR) is a Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE) with nearly 20 years of experience in the parks and recreation industry. Her career spans across the country having lent her talents to organizations in California, Florida, Illinois and Texas, where she has held roles specializing recreation programming, facility operations, special events, day/overnight camps, after-school programs, teen programs, membership/guest services, arts & media, and consulting.
As an advocate of continuing education and service to the profession, Tiffany has earned a BS in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism, MS in Sport Management, MA in Management, and is currently earning her Doctorate in Education specializing in workplace learning, training, and instructional design. She has served on numerous boards and committees on the local, state, and national levels including the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) National Certification Board, Women in Parks and Recreation (WiPaR) Board, Texas Recreation and Park Society (TRAPS) Marketing & Communications Committee, and the Central Illinois Council for Leisure Experiences (CIRCLE) Board of Directors.
Tiffany currently resides in Redlands, CA, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. When she is not working or studying, she loves to visit amusement parks (especially Disneyland!), spend time with her family, hang out at the beach, draw, paint, and create chalk art/hand-lettering designs.
Lori Berkes-Nelson
Lori Berkes-Nelson, M.S. Ed, CFRE,is the Executive Director of the Rockford Park District Foundation. She has been securing philanthropic support and enhancing awareness of the Rockford Park District's benefits to the community since 2014. The Rockford Park District Foundation was founded in 1979 and to date has raised more than $50 million dollars thanks to the generosity of friends and donors to support various capital projects and programs that serve youth. The Foundation is a 501 c (3) and is led by a 22 member volunteer Board of Directors.
Lori is a natural born networker who believes in the importance of intentional and motivational leadership. She has devoted her professional life to non-profit viability through successful leadership, board development, strategic planning, fundraising and marketing. She has over 30 years of non-profit management experience including leadership at Rosecrance, Golden Apple Foundation and Econ Illinois. Lori holds a Master of Science in Counseling from Northern Illinois University and has earned the credential of Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE).
Amy Seklecki
Amy Seklecki has been in the Parks and Recreation field for over 6 years. Seklecki began her career at the Wheaton Park District in Illinois, serving as the Marketing & Special Events Coordinator and later promoted to the Superintendent of Marketing & Special Events. She was responsible for the coordination and execution of the district’s 10 large special events generating more than $160,000 in net revenue annually, developed promotional marketing for various facilities and sponsorship materials and designed and managed email blasts.
In 2022, she was hired as the Director of Marketing and Community Engagement for the Arlington Heights Park District. She develops and implements a district wide marketing and branding initiatives to achieve the District’s mission and goals. She also oversees sponsorship, maintains relationships with the media and serves as the staff liaison for the Arlington Heights Park Foundation. In her first year on the Foundation Board, she created a new fundraiser that raised just over $4,000. She will be spearheading the Foundation’s fundraising efforts for the District’s full accessible playground for people of all abilities.
Seklecki is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP) and a NRPA 30 Under 30 winner. She also serves as the Co-Chair for Illinois Park and Recreation Association Conference Committee and is an active member of the Rotary Club of Arlington Heights.
Molly Hetrick
Molly Hetrick is a Fundraiser, Consultant, and Trainer with extensive experience in Parks & Recreation and public libraries. She holds a Certificate of Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from The Lilly School of Philanthropy and a BS in Environmental Education from Penn State University.
Molly currently serves as Development Director for the Penns Valley Conservation Association and leads Molly Hetrick Consulting LLC. Previously, she was Director of Advancement at the PA Recreation and Parks Society and Manager of Philanthropy at Schlow Centre Region Library.
With a background as a Naturalist in the TN State Park system and Supervisor of a regional nature center in Pennsylvania, Molly also taught as Adjunct Faculty at Penn State. Since 2008, she has provided fundraising consulting, coaching, and training, specializing in donor-centered strategies, annual campaigns, and capital campaign readiness.
Tim Herd
Tim Herd, CPRE is the CEO of the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, the statewide professional association for those who work or volunteer in parks and recreation, providing industry leadership, professional development, advocacy, and resources.
He is a Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE), and has been nationally recognized by the Take Pride in America Awards Program for his “commitment and exceptional contributions to the stewardship of America’s natural and cultural resources.” Tim is an award-winning writer and broadcaster, and the author of six books and countless published articles, features, and serial columns on leadership development, the benefits of parks, and connecting to nature. He is married to Carol for more than four decades, and boasts of four grown and accomplished children.
Alexis Larsen
Alexis Larsen, CFRE is passionate parks advocate with a profound appreciation of their transformative nature for communities across the country. Larsen serves as Five Rivers MetroParks’ Chief of Philanthropy overseeing the Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation and serving as the agency’s liaison with the James M. Cox, Jr. Arboretum Foundation and Wegerzyn Gardens Foundation. She is responsible for major and planned gifts; solicitation of donors and sponsorships; annual fund campaigns; membership programs; special events; and management of corporate, foundation and government grant submissions. Larsen has a deep understanding of the economic challenges facing parks and recreation organizations across the county and is adept at growing people, driving outcomes, and setting progressive strategy. She is an expert in fundraising and board management as well as community engagement that builds and strengthens relationships with donors, community partners, local leaders, and elected officials. She has been responsible for fundraising more than $25MM dollars during her career for the organizations she has worked for and has more than doubled the fundraising at Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation in the two years she has been with the parks. Larsen is a graduate of Wright State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communications. She is involved with the Association of Fundraising Professionals and holds a certificate in professional fundraising from Boston University. She is a proud graduate of Leadership Dayton and was named Public Relations Society of America’s Communicator of the Year in 2020 and a Women in Business Networking’s 25 Women to Watch in 2019. In her free time, she is the longtime food and restaurant critic for the Dayton Daily News with a weekly food column that has appeared in the Sunday newspaper for more than 12 years running.
Ally Effler
Ally brings near two decades of experience in fundraising, strategic planning and campaign management, with a focus on major giving and public-private partnerships. Prior to entering the parks profession, Ally led major and planned giving initiatives at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering, along with several multi-million dollar facility campaigns.
Over the last six years, as Chief Philanthropic Officer for Metroparks Toledo, Ally has played a leadership role in the successful establishment and growth of the Metroparks Toledo Foundation, helping to steward the park’s first capital campaign to build a public treehouse village. Today, her work focuses on guiding the Metroparks Toledo Foundation’s role in a $200M+ public-private campaign to construct Toledo’s first urban waterfront park and Riverwalk.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Miami (OH) and a master’s degree in public service management from DePaul University.
Similar to many park professionals, after work hours, she most often finds herself back in the parks. She enjoys hiking, biking and kayaking and visiting National Parks with her husband and two young boys and German Shorthaired Pointer, Mason.
Andrew Haliburton
Andrew Halliburton is a business transformation and strategic growth expert with over 12 years of experience driving innovation and operational excellence. As the founder of BMCX.IO and co-founder of Kairos, he specializes in helping organizations overcome growth challenges through strategic leadership and technological innovation.
Andrew has launched and scaled four companies in web development, marketing, video production, and product development, overseeing 48 product launches. He has led initiatives in AI, Machine Learning, blockchain, and Web3 technologies. As former COO of Devscale, he grew the organization from 3 to over 20 employees and 50 contractors, demonstrating his leadership and operational expertise.
His specialties include product strategy, leadership development, and guiding SMBs through critical growth phases with innovative business and technology solutions. He is also committed to community service, having contributed to the Policy and Operations Subcommittee for Camp Hobe' Inc.
Andrew holds dual Bachelor's degrees from Columbia University in Information Technology and the University of Arkansas in Broadcast Journalism. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, he enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and skiing with his family and dogs.
Matthew Rosebrock - Vice Chair
Matthew Rosebrock has worked for the Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission for the past 21 years primarily managing the Festival and Event department for the Recreation Division. In August of 2019, he took the role of Business Development Manager managing the Charleston County Parks Foundation and the sponsorship and sales initiatives for the Commission. In the Fall of 2020, Matthew began serving as a National Association of Park Foundations board member, and he is the current chair of the Strategic Partnerships and Resources Committee. As of 2023, Matthew also serves on the Parks Committee for the United States Tennis Association – Southern, helping to promote the sport of tennis. He is happily married to Marie, and has a 21-year-old daughter named Lucy. In his free time, Matthew enjoys spending time with his cats, playing with his dog Henry, listening to music and playing sports like basketball and Frisbee golf.
Debbie Trueblood - Board Chair
Debbie Trueblood, MSW, IOM, CAE: Debbie is a Senior Consultant at Association Management Center. She has formerly served as the Executive Director for Illinois Park and Recreation Association, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Academy for Eating Disorders, Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine, International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, and Illinois HomeCare Council (Interim). She has lobbied for Illinois HomeCare Council, National Private Duty Association, and American Osteopathic Association. She is a graduate of the Dunn Fellowship with the Illinois Governor’s Office, the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership, and the Institute for Organization Management (IOM). She is a Certified Association Executive. She has a Masters in Social Work from University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelors in Social Work from MacMurray College. She was a recipient of the Association Forum’s “Forty Under Forty” award. She served on the American Society of Association Executives Ethics Committee as Chair. As a consultant, she supports associations with governance, strategic planning, member engagement, ethics, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work.
Daniel Rich
For over 25 years, Dan has worked in enterprise software and fintech. He is also active in the tech startup community and is an advisor for early and growth stage companies.
In the community, Dan is active in non-profit, humanitarian, and land conservation efforts serving as an advisor on several university and non-profit boards, actively participating in disaster relief and search efforts with the American Red Cross and a member of the San Diego Search & Rescue team. He has also been a campaign fundraiser and athlete participant with Challenged Athletes Foundation for nearly 10 years.
Dan lives in San Diego and as an avid outdoor enthusiast and waterman he enjoys biking, climbing, surfing, camping, backpacking, swimming, and meditating in nature.
Barry Franks - Board Treasurer
Barry Franks is Illinois Parks & Recreation Association (IPRA)'s Finance Director and has been with IPRA since 2009. He has two graduate degrees, in finance and banking, and has spent 25 years in non-profit management. His favorite IPRA event is Park Pursuit but loves seeing and interacting with members at all the events.
Douglas Youngblood (1950 to 2021)
In Memoria To Douglas Youngblood (1950 to 2021) Doug was a founding member of the National Association of Parks Foundation (NAPF) serving as Treasurer. Read more here.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
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