Dimensions of Leisure for Life

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Robert J. Barcelona, PhD, is an assistant professor in the youth development leadership program and the department of parks, recreation, and tourism management at Clemson University. Barcelona received his doctorate from Indiana University after working professionally in the field of athletics and campus recreation. He has also worked with numerous recreation and sport organizations in both programming and research efforts and is a member of the board of directors for the Society of Park and Recreation Educators. His research on sport and recreation management has been published in refereed journals, trade magazines, and textbook chapters. Barcelona is also a coauthor of the textbook Leisure Services Management.

Brent A. Beggs, PhD, is an associate professor and the program director for recreation and park administration at Illinois State University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurial recreation, facility design, the management of sport and recreation, research methods, and trends. Dr. Beggs coauthored the textbooks Recreation Facility Management and Mastering the Job Search Process in Recreation and Leisure Services and has published scholarly papers and presented research findings at international, national, and regional conferences. Before teaching at Illinois State, he served as a lecturer and internship coordinator for the department of recreation, park, and tourism studies at Indiana University and worked for recreation agencies in the states of Illinois and Missouri. He is an active member of NRPA, NASSM, and NIRSA and serves on multiple editorial boards. Dr. Beggs earned his BS and MS in recreation from Southern Illinois University and completed his PhD in leisure behavior at Indiana University.

Jason Bocarro, PhD, is an associate professor at North Carolina State University in the department of parks, recreation and tourism management. He received his PhD from Texas A&M University. He was an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire from 2001 to 2005. Bocarro has published book chapters and articles in several research journals. He has also conducted trainings and workshops at state and national conferences focusing on youth and adolescent issues and physical activity. Before working in academia, Dr. Bocarro was involved with the development and supervision of youth adventure and sport programs in a variety of places and settings, including London, England; Nova Scotia, Canada; Texas; and New Hampshire.

Kelly S. Bricker, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Utah and chair of the International Ecotourism Society. She completed her PhD research at Pennsylvania State University where she specialized in outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism within the program of recreation, park, and tourism management. She has research and teaching interest in sustainable tourism development, natural resource management, and sense of place relative to ecotourism and sustainable tourism. She has conducted research on heritage tourism, social impacts of tourism, natural resource tourism environments, visitor management on public lands, sustainable tourism, and tourism certification programs. She has presentedd papers on issues in heritage tourism, sense of place, natural resource management, ecotourism, and sustainable tourism. Dr. Bricker has written about sense of place relative to whitewater recreationists and community tourism development, heritage tourism, incentive travel, sustainable tourism, and ecotourism management and issues. She has been a faculty member at the University of the South Pacific and West Virginia University; from 1999 to 2001 she served as president of the Fiji Ecotourism Association. With her husband, Nathan, she developed an ecotourism whitewater and sea kayaking operation called Rivers Fiji, located on the main island of Viti Levu, which established the Upper Navua Conservation Area and Fiji’s first Ramsar site. Dr. Bricker also serves as chair of the Interim Advisory Committee of the Tourism Sustainability Council.

Nathan Bricker, MS, is the co-coordinator of the natural resources learning program in the University of Utah’s department of parks, recreation, and tourism. Previously, he was the general manager for OARS Inc. Nathan completed his master’s of science degree in parks, recreation, and tourism at West Virginia University in 2003, where his educational pursuits focused on management and geography of protected areas. His master’s project focused on developing a lease for conservation, the Upper Navua Conservation Area (UNCA), and the Ramsar Wetland of International Importance designation in the Republic of Fiji. Together with George Wendt of OARS, Nathan and his wife, Kelly, started Rivers Fiji in 1998, and still run whitewater rafting and sea kayaking programs in the rural highlands. Nathan started his career in commercial guiding with OARS and Sobek Expeditions in 1984. From that time, he has guided extensively for World Heritage, Australian Himalayan Expeditions, and Sobek Expeditions, which provided firsthand experiences in the adventure and sustainable travel arenas as well as a solid background in the skills required for leading groups safely into a range of unique environments. Nathan has led groups in over 18 countries and holds instructor certifications with the Wilderness Education Association (WEA), Leave No Trace (LNT), Special Rescue Services (Swiftwater Rescue), Wilderness Medical Associates (WFR), and the American Canoe Association (ACA). Nathan has developed and led adventure travel programs to Tanzania, Kenya, Ecuador, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Thailand, Bali, Sumatra, Borneo, China Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, Galapagos, India, and Tibet.

Cynthia Carruthers, PhD, is a professor in the department of recreation and sport management at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. She received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the areas of leisure behavior and therapeutic recreation. Her research interests include leisure and well-being, mindfulness, recovery from addiction, and youth development.

Lee J. deLisle, PhD, is the chair of the health, physical education, and recreation department at Western Michigan University. He teaches courses in recreational management theory, festival and event management, and sociology of leisure, as well as graduate courses in sport management. He is currently a member of the Society of Park and Recreeation Educators (SPRE) board of directors. He has served on the state board of directors for the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association, coordinates student activities for the Student Recreation Society on campus, and provides consultant services to municipal and private agencies. He previously worked as a recreation and parks director in Connecticut for 15 years. Dr. deLisle has contributed articles to World Leisure Journal, Annals of Leisure Research, Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, Tourism Analysis, SCHOLE, and Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly; he has also contributed to publications for the National Recreation and Parks Association and the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association. Dr. deLisle coauthored the text The Story of Leisure in 1998 with Jay Shivers. His most recent book, Designing Special Events,was published in the summer of 2009. Dr. deLisle enjoys spending a leisurely portion of the summer at his home in Roccantica, Italy, with his wife, Rhonda Larson.

Virginia “Ginni” Dilworth, PhD, is an assistant professor in the health, physical education, and recreation department at Utah State University. She has a BS in recreation administration from California State University at Sacramento, an MBA from Bentley College, and a PhD in recreation, park, and tourism sciences at Texas A&M University. She has been involved in research on a variety of topics, including nature tourism, transportation in national parks, and the experience of flow. Her current research focuses on active aging in outdoor recreation.

Minsun Doh, PhD, works in the department of recreation, park, and tourism administration at Western Illinois University. She received a BA degree in geography education from Korea University in Seoul. Her master’s and PhD degrees are from Texas A&M University in the field of tourism planning and development. Her academic interests are in community-based tourism development, geography of tourism, and special events management. She is interested in the balanced development of tourism in communities that involve all stakeholders, including the visitors, business owners, and the host community. She's also interested in how various geographical factors affect tourism destinations and how these places are shaped in regard to tourism-related changes. She teaches courses on concepts of leisure, introduction to tourism, international tourism, resort management, and special events planning and management.

Daniel L. Dustin, PhD,is chair of the department of parks, recreation, and tourism at the University of Utah. His main academic interests center on environmental stewardship and the moral and ethical bases for leisure and recreation activity preferences and behaviors. A past president of the Society of Park and Recreation Educators and a recipient of the National Recreation and Park Association's National Literary Award, he was named an honorary lifetime member of the California Park Rangers Association in 1994 for his contributions to the literature of outdoor recreation resource management and planning. Wilderness in America, Beyond Promotion and Tenure, For the Good of the Order, The Wilderness Within, Stewards of Access/Custodians of Choice, Nature and the Human Spirit (coedited with B.L. Driver and George Peterson), Making a Difference in Accademic Life (coedited with Tom Goodale), and Service Living (coauthored with Doug Wellman, Karla Henderson, and Roger Moore) are among his recent works as a contributing author and editor.

Dovie J. Gamble, PhD, is an assistant professor in tourism, recreation, and sport management at the University of Florida. She is a certified therapeutic recreation specialist and holds a BS degree in recreation from Grambling State University and master’s and PhD degrees from New York University. Her teaching focuses on history and philosophy of recreation, leadership, and recreation programs. She has been a longtime member of NRPA, serving on numerous committees. At the University of Florida she has directed the Office of Graduate Minority Programs and served as chair and coordinator of the University Minority Mentor Program (UMMP). In these roles she addressed social functioning and quality of life issues related to the transition of graduate and undergraduate minority students into the university. She continues to address quality of life issues of minority graduate students in her work with the Florida Education Fund’s McKnight doctoral fellows. Her research interests include quality for life issues of survivors of catastrophic health problems, with a focus of the role that leisure and social functioning play in long-term survivorship. As a longtime advocate and volunteer for the American Cancer Society, her involvement in efforts to develop and provide programs and services to address quality of life is ongoing.

H. Joey Gray, PhD, is an assistant professor and program manager of recreation and leisure studies at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. She has worked and taught in the field of recreation and leisure since 1999 and has designed courses in youth development and programming, campus recreation, and marketing in recreation. Her research focuses on community recreation, youth development, and health and leisure. In addition to her teaching experience, Gray has several years of professional experience in recreation management and special event planning both in the public and private sectors. She has also served as the athletic director of the National Youth Sports Program. Gray has received the Future Leader Award from the Society of Park and Recreation Education (SPRE); the Recreation Professional of the Year Award from the Tennessee Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD); and the Trustee’s Teaching Award from Indiana University.

Karla Henderson, PhD, is a professor in the department of parks, recreation, and tourism management at North Carolina State University. She has been on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Texas Woman's University. She received her PhD from the University of Minnesota. She has given numerous presentations throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Henderson publishes regularly in a variety of journals in the field and has authored or coauthored several books: Both Gains and Gaps (with Bialeschki, Shaw, and Freysinger), Dimensions of Choice, Volunteers in Leisure (with Tedrick), Introduction to Leisure Services (with Sessoms), and Evaluation of Leisure Services (with Bialeschki). She is currently coeditor of Leisure Sciences. Henderson has contributed to the profession in seveeral ways by serving as president of SPRE, the AAHPERD Research Consortium, and the Academy of Leisure Sciences and on numerous state, national, and international boards and committees. She has received the J.B. Nash Scholar Award, the Julian Smith Award, the NCRPS Special Citation, the ACA Honor Award, the SPRE Distinguished Colleague Award, the North Carolina Recreation and Park Society Honor Award, and the NRPA Roosevelt Excellence in Research Award. When not working, Karla enjoys hiking in the Rocky Mountains, running, playing her trumpet, and reading and writing wherever she goes.

Colleen Hood, PhD, is a professor in the department of recreation and leisure studies at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. She received her bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of Calgary and her master’s and doctoral degrees in leisure behavior and therapeutic recreation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include leisure and well-being, positive psychology and leisure, recovery from addiction, and professional practice in therapeutic recreation. She and Cynthia Carruthers recently developed the leisure and well-being service model for therapeutic recreation practice.

Joy James, PhD, is an assistant professor in recreation management at Appalachian State University. She received her doctorate in parks, recreation, and tourism management at Clemson University. She was a corecipient of the 2009 Society of Parks and Recreation Educators Innovation in Teaching Award. As a lifelong learner, Joy has a passion for innovation, best teaching practices, and scholarship in formal and nonformal learning environments.

Michael Kanters, PhD, is an associate professor at North Carolina State University. He received his PhD from Indiana University. Dr. Kanters has taught at Brock University in Canada and the University of Western Illinois. Dr. Kanters’ research seeks to understand the roll that sports play in the lives of children and adolescents. He is particularly interested in the impact of parental involvement and the association of sport participation with physical activity. His current sport and physical activity research is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Linda "Rainbow" Levine is an award-winning educator and facilitator. She has guided over 50,000 San Jose State University students and international workshop participants who rave about their experiences and personal successes. Linda’s enthusiasm and engaging leadership style turn a learning experience into an exciting and enjoyable event. Professionally and personally, Linda lives creatively and abundantly. Her current pursuits include SJSU professor, professional clown, life coach, grief counselor, girls’ empowerment camp director, and workshop presenter through her business Surprise Enterprise. Her areas of expertise include leadership, teamwork, life balance, diversity, grief and loss, and play and creativity. Linda received her bachelor’s degree in recreation from Indiana University and a master’s in education from the University of Cincinnati. For over 20 years Linda, her husband, and pet tortoises have lived in California, where she gets to teach courses with wonderful titles like Creating a Meaningful Life.

Nancy Nisbett,EdD, is an associate professor in the department of recreation administration at California State University at Fresno. She coordinates the community recreation and youth services specialization as well as the Serving At-Risk Youth certificate. Dr. Nisbett is certified at both the state and national levels as a recreation therapist and has been practicing for more than 15 years. Her past experiences include working at youth ranches, camps, and hospitals and as the inclusion director for a municipal recreation agency.

Erik Rabinowitz, PhD, is an assistant professor of recreation management at Appalachian State University. He taught previously at Oklahoma State University and Southern Illinois University. Erik received a PhD in educational psychology and an MS in recreation from Southern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in social science from Colorado State University. Erik previously worked as assistant to the director of university assessment at SIUC and as manager of WDBX 91.1, a community radio station with over 100 volunteers. He also worked for Project Achieve and Brehm Preparatory School, both centers that assist individuals with learning disabilities. He is interested in research on the benefits of recreation, psychological constructs of leisure participation, and extreme sports. He spends his leisure time chasing around his two little girls. He enjoys skiing, soccer, canoeing, playing chess, playing his mandolin like David Grisman (he wishes), and going to a Dead show.

 Ariel Rodríguez, PhD, is an assistant professor in the school of community resources and development at Arizona State University in Phoenix. His responsibilities include teaching undergraduate courses, conducting research, and generating externally funded projects. His teaching focuses on the management and evaluation of park, recreation, and leisure services with an emphasis on community and municipal services. His research focuses on safety behavior, obesity prevention, well-being, and life satisfaction primarily in younger populations. Moreover, he has been involved in numerous evaluation projects assessing the effectiveness of programs aimed at improving safety behavioral patterns, physical activity, and overall well-being of younger populations.

Paul Schlag, PhD, is an assistant professor at Western Illinois University in the recreation, parks, and tourism administration department. He has a bachelor’s degree in recreation management and youth leadership from Brigham Young University, a master’s of public administration from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, a master’s of education in instructional technology from the University of Georgia, and a doctorate in recreation and leisure studies from the University of Georgia. He teaches courses in the philosophy of leisure, leadership in leisure services, youth and leisure services, leisure services for the elderly, and recreation facility management. His main interest is examining ways in which leisure may contribute to wellness through providing opportunities for dealing with developmental tasks throughout the life span. Paul and his family live in Macomb, Illinois.

 Stephanie West, PhD, received a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and a masster’s degree from Georgia Southern University, both in recreation management. Her PhD is from Texas A&M University, where she worked with Dr. John Crompton. Before completing her PhD, Stephanie worked full-time in campus recreation for three years at the University of North Florida and for five years at Texas A&M University. Other noteworthy experiences include running a summer day camp in Blackville, South Carolina, as part of the Rural Recreation Development Project and completing an internship as a transportation hostess at Walt Disney World. She is currently an assistant professor at Appalachian State University, where she teaches in the recreation management program. She most enjoys teaching leisure promotions, program planning, and a course on the cruise line industry, in which she takes students aboard cruise ships for a behind-the-scenes look at their operations. Her research focuses on leisure-time physical activity. When she is not at work, she enjoys traveling, road cycling, running (very slowly), reading, watching television shows recorded on TiVo, and spending time with her cats.