LeadHERship 2022 Celebrates and Inspires Women in Parks and Recreation

Women working in parks and recreation throughout and beyond North Carolina gathered at the Durham Armory on March 16th for several days of networking, celebrating and mentoring. Created in 2011, LeadHERship was designed to be an educational opportunity for women in parks and recreation to discover practical techniques and leadership strategies through engagement, insight and networking with successful female leaders and role models.

“Attending the LeadHERship Conference was definitely one of the highlights of 2022 for me!,” said Alexa Matlock, recreation program supervisor for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism in Surf City, NC. “I felt so fortunate being able to meet so many other women that all share the same passion and excitement for their career as I do. Many of these ladies have been in this career field and attending the conference for decades, proving the foundation for Parks & Recreation was built with women and will continue to be maintained by women. I’m eager for the future of parks and recreation and to see all the doors that will continue to be opened for young ladies like me.”

Growth in North Carolina Creates Demand for Tourism and Recreation Professionals

Matlock attended the conference with colleagues Audrey Goyer, Tourism Coordinator for Surf City and LaQueshda Cadwallader, Recreation Program Supervisor for Onslow County Parks and Recreation. Onslow County, located in the southeastern coastal plain of North Carolina is home to more than 185,000 people and includes the incorporated towns of Holly Ridge, Richlands, Swansboro, North Topsail Beach, part of Surf City, and unincorporated Sneads Ferry. The area offers extensive outdoor recreation and sports activities and continues to attract industry, tourism, and families to its coastal community.

“With the increasing population, our department is working hard to offer more experiences to the residents in town as well as the families who will be moving here in the future,” said Reynolds.

She noted that Marine Forces Special Operations Command will soon begin implementing a phased plan to consolidate all MARSOC personnel and equipment to its headquarters to Camp Lejeune by the end of 2022. With the consolidation, areas such as Sneads Ferry and Holly Ridge are likely to see an influx with not just personnel, but their families as well, creating more demand for recreation and leisure experiences. Reynolds is excited to be part of the planning process associated with rapid growth and increased tourism. Attending LeadHERship 2022 renewed her enthusiasm.

“As a woman in Parks, Recreation, & Tourism, it is empowering to know that after attending the LeadHERship conference, we all left with a refreshed understanding of how the women in our field have the power to make change,” said Reynolds. “This was a constant and powerful message. As leaders, the best way we can do this is by better understanding the strengths of ourselves and our teams by asking powerful and meaningful questions that help foster a growth mindset.”

A Life Changing Experience

A colleague in the coastal region, LaQuesha Cadwallader, is the recreation program supervisor for Onslow County Parks and Recreation. As the only African American female and one of only 4 African Americans within her department, Cadwallader is honored to not only be a woman, but a black woman blazing trails in parks and recreation.

“The LeadHERship conference was life changing for me,” said Cadwallader. “I am a new leader in this industry and I’m learning everyday about effective leadership skills. Here, I learned that’s its ok not to be ok, how to juggle work while also doing my role as a mother and wife, and how important it is to network. The conference was a great resource in learning those skills and what works best not just for me but the staff that I’m blessed to lead.”

“Dale Smith had a wonderful session about Bias in the workplace: How do you show up? Biases are real, they happen every day unconsciously and consciously.,” said Cadwallader. “LeadHERship taught me how to show up, how to be proud of my gender, how to be proud of my race, and how to lead without hesitation but with courage and kindness.”

Smith was a featured speaker at this year’s event along with Patrice Andrews, Chief of Police for the city of Durham. Andrews acknowledged the timing of the conference during Women’s History Month and stressed the importance of events like LeadHERship 2022 for women to hold space for development and fellowship. She also told attendees to be brave and take chances and embrace the strength that women bring to any and all environments.

“When live gives you lemons, make orange juice,” said Andrews. “Leave them wondering how did SHE do that?”

The City of Durham along with Recreation Resources Service at NC State’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management along with Durham Parks and Recreation organized this year’s conference in the Bull City.

Wade Walcutt, Director of Durham Parks and Recreation brought his daughter to show her the importance of strong, organized groups of women coming together to make things better. He praised the organizers of LeadHERship 2022 for delivering an annual event to celebrate and elevate women in the field. Kristen Perez and Elaine Vanttoose, both working in Durham, were excited to be at the conference and eager to talk shop with others.

Perez is the Event Coordinator for Durham Parks and Recreation. She moved to Durham from Ashville several years ago and is currently working on the annual Bimbe Cultural Arts Festival coming up in May. In 2011, Durham Parks and Recreation received the Dorothy Mullen Arts and Humanities Award (Class II) from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) for the success of the Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival.

Vanttose is a recreation assistant supervisor at Durham’s Walltown Park Recreation Center and is focused on summer programming. With more people moving to the Triangle, enrollments are up and many organized activities already have a long wait list.

Women from Wake Forest Parks and Recreation were also in attendance. They are gearing up for Six Sundays in Spring, an outdoor event featuring free concerts. After cancellations in 2020 and 2021, this year’s series kicks off on April 24th with Marcus Anderson.

The first decade of LeadHERship served over 1,000 participants, the majority from North Carolina. Of the 80 plus speakers, more than 15 were from out-of-state. The national exposure of LeadHERship crafted a model for other states to implement, including Arkansas, Georgia and Illinois. The demand to support women in parks and leisure services was further demonstrated with the July 2019 creation of the “Women in Parks & Recreation” Facebook group. After one year the group boasted 7,600 members engaged in networking, collaboration and learning.

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