Skip to main content

Professional Development and Services

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management strives to provide quality technical assistance, applied research and continuing education to the leisure service industry within North Carolina. We provide training through the Oglebay Schools, in addition to resources for parks and recreation professionals through the Recreation Resources Service.

Kids Playing Soccer - Professional Development and Services - Parks Recreation and Tourism Management NC State

Recreation Resources Service

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management provides the Recreation Resources Service for park and recreation providers throughout North Carolina. Founded in 1943, the Recreation Resources Service is the nation’s first state-funded technical assistance program created for park and recreation professionals.

Our program’s services are provided through a partnership with the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. The Recreation Resources Service was established to provide assistance to the public and private sectors of North Carolina’s leisure service industry, including municipal and county park and recreation departments, nonprofit agencies, private recreation agencies, recreation consumer groups, and recreation and park board and commission members.

Today, the Recreation Resources Service offers four types of services:

Assistance for the Recreation Resources Service is offered throughout the state of North Carolina by three field offices, as well as the main office located at 3024 Biltmore Hall on the NC State campus.

For more information about the Recreation Resources Service, contact Director Charlynne Smith.

Oglebay Schools

We sponsor the largest recreation technical assistance and professional service program in the United States. In the past 50 years, more than 15,000 people have been certified through its national training programs, located at Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia. In addition to the National Training Center at Oglebay Park, we partner with several national associations to sponsor our programs. Partners include the National Association of State Park Directors, the National Association of Park Foundations, and the National Recreation and Park Association.

For more information, please contact Candace Goode Vick.