NHRPA State Conference
October 15, 2026
Concord Parks & Recreation Community Center, 14 Canterbury Rd., Concord NH
Foundations For The Future
Schedule:
8:00 – 8:25 Lobby/Lounge Registration & FISH Tickets (coffee, tea, pastries)
8:25 - 8:35 Auditorium Welcome by NHRPA Executive Director Kerry Horne & Opening Remarks by NHRPA President Dan MacLean
8:35 – 10:05 Auditorium Keynote Speaker – Farrell Buller Brick by Brick: Building Your Legacy
10:10 – 10:35 Presentation to Jeanne Shaheen & Meet Premier Vendors
10:40 – 11:10 Gymnasium Vendor Hall – visit vendors and vendor hall activity
11:15 – 12:15 Auditorium, Session 1 – Doug Knotts, Emily Easterling, Carly Picard Evolving Perspectives on Playground Safety
OR
Breakout room, Session 2 – Matt Frye The Last Six Feet: Is Close Enough Good Enough For Your Community?
12:15 – 1:00 Auditorium Lunch and Networking
1:05 – 1:40 Gymnasium Vendor Hall – visit vendors and raffle winners
1:45 – 2:45 Auditorium, Session – Farrell Buller – Communication CPR: Clear, Practical, Real
2:50 – 3:45 Auditorium, Reflections & Roundtable –Matt Casparius & others - You ARE Certifiable!
3:50 – 4:00 Auditorium Final Remarks
Brick by Brick: Building Your Legacy
We are excited to welcome Farrell Buller as our keynote speaker this year!
For more than 20 years, Farrell has embraced her passion for serving others in local government. From a front-line camp staff member to the highest attainable position as City Manager, Farrell has embraced her passion for serving others in local government.
Also, saying ‘yes’ to any challenge has helped her master facilitating successful organizational change, strategic/modern operational processes, and fruitful collaborative efforts.
Her desire to improve herself and the organizations she works with is met with a positive forward-focused lens and demonstrated by the numerous invitational-only symposiums in which she has both attended and facilitated. A relationship builder, lifelong learner, and a progressive change agent for the benefit of the parks and recreation profession articulate the core of her professional values.
The ability to impact, influence, and inspire other local government professionals and executive leaders continues to serve as her professional North Star. As a certified leadership coach, keynote presenter, and results-based development consultant, she continues to inspire and impact teams across the US and Canada.
Farrell is a certified facilitator for LEGO© SERIOUS PLAY, Group Coaching Essentials, and as a Professional Co-Active Coach. This unique combination of self-initiated training enables her to help groups propel beyond what they realized was possible.
You can often find Farrell and her family intentionally taking the “road less traveled” as they discover their next adventure!
THANK YOU SPONSORS
NHRPA State Conference 2026
NHRPA would like to invite you to attend our annual State Conference.
We are looking forward to a great conference and we hope you will join us as a PREMIER Sponsor or as a participant in our VENDOR hall. We are excited to be back at the Concord Recreation Community Center in Concord, NH. The full schedule is coming soon!
Premier sponsor package: $500
The package will include table space, logo in online conference brochure and on all emails and conference promotion, two lunches, list of conference participants and the opportunity to introduce a session and speak for two minutes about your products and services.
Vendor hall package: $150 members or $300 non-member (includes membership)
Vendors will receive table space, one lunch and your logo in the online conference brochure and a listing of conference attendees.
Thank you Premier Sponsors:
The NHRPA Executive Board will hold business meeting starting at 9:30am. Committee chairs and anyone interested in joining or learning more about NHRPA Committees is welcome to join in the committee workshop that will start around 10:15am. It's a great time to get involved in NHRPA! Join us and find out more!
Beyond the Minimum Accessibility Webinar Series: Recreation for All: Best Practices in Therapeutic & Multigenerational Play
Parks and recreation spaces should provide meaningful opportunities for individuals of all ages and abilities through inclusive, thoughtful design and programming. This panel discussion will bring together experts in therapeutic recreation, accessibility, and community engagement to explore how inclusive multigenerational recreation fosters well-being, social connection, and a sense of belonging. Panelists will share best practices for integrating therapeutic recreation principles into programs, ensuring all individuals—regardless of age, ability, or background—can fully participate in play, recreation, and social experiences. This session is part of the four-part Beyond the Minimums webinar series. Real-time captioning will be provided.
Learning Objectives:
Post Camp Unpacking & Reflections for Camp Leaders:
Instructor: Emily Golinsky, Bright Moose Consulting
This session guides you to take an introspective look at taking care of yourself as a leader while you continue to unpack your summer camp experiences and look forward to the future. We’ll spend some time acknowledging the reality and normality of the “post-camp crash,” and talk about self-care specific to this post-camp time. We’ll also focus on how to successfully revisit topics from this past summer without reliving them, so you can plan strategies for next summer without an anxiety/stress flare-up. Finally, we’ll talk about how to find and connect with a support network for those things you’re still working through. Sound intense? Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of fun along the way!
Objectives: Participants will (1) recognize the normal physical, emotional, and mental “post-camp crash” that follows an intense season; (2) learn structured physical, emotional, connection, and professional resets to restore energy and balance; (3) practice techniques for reflecting on the summer’s challenges and successes without reliving stress or burnout; and (4) apply strategies like the “3% Rule” and “Sticky, Not Stuck” framework to separate healing from planning.
Swing Into the Holidays with NHRPA! ⛳
It’s time to put the end-of-year to-do list on pause and celebrate the season with your NHRPA friends and colleagues!
Join us for a fun, relaxed holiday social featuring indoor golf, good food, networking, and plenty of holiday cheer. Whether you’re an avid golfer or just looking for a fun way to connect with others in the parks and recreation community, this is a great opportunity to get out, meet new people, catch up with peers, and celebrate the year together.
What’s Happening?
⛳ Indoor Golf – Grab a club, take a swing, and have some fun! Good Food – We’ll have a variety of appetizers and flatbread pizzas to enjoy. Networking – Connect with fellow NHRPA members and meet our commercial members. Yankee Swap – Want to join the holiday fun? Bring a $10 gift and jump into the swap!
NHRPA Members — $25
Your registration includes indoor golf, food, networking, and holiday fun!
⭐ Commercial Members — $100
Commercial members are invited to sponsor the fun! Your sponsorship includes golf and food, plus an opportunity to network and connect directly with NHRPA members during the event.
Come ready to mingle, make some connections, enjoy some friendly competition, and celebrate the holidays with your NHRPA community.
Bring your holiday spirit! Reserve your spot today and join us for a fun NHRPA holiday tradition!
For more details visit: X-Golf Bedford
Join us in Bartlett, NH in 2026 at the Grand Summit Hotel at Attitash
Save the Dates - January 12-14, 2026
For over 70 years, the Northern New England Recreation & Parks Conference has been one of the highest quality parks & recreation conferences in all of New England. The conference is organized by a committee made up of parks & recreation professionals and exhibitor representatives from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont & Massachusetts.
Our number one goal is to produce a top quality educational experience. Each year the conference host rotates between Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The conference's location of Northern New Hampshire remains the same each year.
For more information visit the NNERPC website.
Meeting agenda and location at Grand Summit Hotel coming soon.
Leading with Calm in Challenging SituationsInstructor: Emily Golinsky, Bright Moose Consulting
Every camp has moments that feel intense - a missing camper, a heated disagreement, a sudden change of plans. In those moments, leaders set the emotional temperature for everyone around them. This session helps staff understand the power of calm, confident leadership and how to model it under pressure. Participants explore what “strong leadership” really looks
like (spoiler: it’s not about volume or urgency), learn to recognize their own stress patterns in the 4F (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn) response, and practice strategies to stay grounded when things get hard. Using tools like Emily’s PADAR framework (Pause–Assess–Decide–Act–Reflect), practical grounding techniques, and team agreements, staff will have concrete ways to respond rather than react, support one another, and build a team culture where calm is contagious.
Objectives: Participants will (1) recognize how a leader’s emotional tone influences staff, campers, and overall group dynamics; (2) identify individual stress responses and practice tools to stay calm and focused in high-pressure situations; (3) apply the PADAR framework to make thoughtful, effective decisions when challenges arise; and (4) strengthen team culture by normalizing calm, steady leadership as a shared expectation.
Can’t Supervise Today! #Too overwhelmed combined with Difficult Staff Conversations Instructor: Emily Golinsky, Bright Moose Consulting
It's true that our mid-level supervisors and managers are overwhelmed. You might have been overwhelmed too, back when you were in the role. There's two major differences between then and now, however: (1) who you were vs. who the supervisors are now, and (2) who you supervised vs. who they are currently supervising. Understanding the generational shift is key to bridging these differences so you can help today's leadership staff lead effectively. Join Emily to look at these frustrations through a generational lens (so we can all share a common understanding), Then, we'll dive into specific, strategic, tangible steps you and your team can take to improve both the supervising and the ability of today's young staff to receive guidance. Instead of despairing over the state of today's young adults (it's a fair point but not productive!), you'll leave this lunch-and-learn prepared to set your leadership staff up for success
From I Can’t Even to I Got This: Addressing Camper Burnout Instructor: Emily Golinsky, Bright Moose Consulting
Care fatigue, empathy erosion, compassion crash…whatever you call it, it’s the look we’ve all seen on a counselor’s face when they’re just done with “that camper.” Even the most dedicated staff reach a point where their patience wears thin and frustration takes over; they become emotionally numb, irritated, or even resentful, and they’re convinced that they’ve already given all they’ve got. This session explores why staff hit that wall and addresses what’s really going on - physiologically, emotionally, and relationally, plus how leaders can support staff in regaining their balance. We’ll explore ways to acknowledge and normalize these moments (without shame!) and introduce practical, ready-to-use strategies to help staff reset in the moment and re-commit to long-term successful re-engagement with campers. And we’ll answer the big question: “What can we do to keep staff grounded and effective when the patience runs out...but the camper’s still there?”
Objectives: Participants will (1) identify signs of staff “camper burnout” and its impact on the staff experience; (2) learn supervisory tools for redirecting staff mindset and behavior in a culture that normalizes support without blame; and (3) build a toolbox of coaching strategies for helping staff re-engage with campers who are experiencing repetitive, challenging behaviors
Participants can earn up to 1.5 CEU's for enrolling and participating in this program. Program fee of $400 includes 2.5 training days including food. This is a terrific opportunity for professional members from New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts.
As park and recreation professionals, we are privileged to be the stewards of taxpayer dollars. Each and every day we get to spend their money. What a responsibility!
We hold in our hands the power to impact communities by how we manage these resources. How we spend, how we generate revenues, and how we work to create a financially sustainable future for our organizations and for the field of parks and recreation.
Together we can create a movement to strengthen financial acumen in parks and recreation - one person and one agency at a time. This eye-opening and engaging experience will be one you won’t forget.
She currently works alongside organizations from coast to coast assisting them in creating financially sustainable service models for their communities. She also teaches financial management at Indiana University in the School of Public Health’s masters program.
Thank You Supporting Sponsors!
"NHRPA " is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization. 172 Pembroke Road, Concord, NH 03301
