In the newest Expert Q&A, editor John Reecer is joined by Michelle Rodriguez, the senior manager of organizational learning and development at the YMCA of the USA, to chat about the upcoming 2025 Community Rec Leadership Summit.
Specifically, Rodriguez shares what she enjoys most about the event, why she’s coming back for another year at the Summit, networking advice for other leaders and more. Here the questions discussed during the interview:
- Describe your experience last year at the 2024 Summit.
- What made you return to this year’s event, and why should other industry leaders attend the Summit?
- What are you looking forward to most this year at the Community Rec Leadership Summit?
- What advice would you give industry leaders when it comes to networking and and making connections at an event like this?
Information on the Community Rec Leadership Summit
The third-annual Summit is retuning this year on March 3 – 5 at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
With a commitment to educating community recreation professionals, the Leadership Summit will unite over 60 of the top industry leaders alongside limited sponsors for three days of valuable networking opportunities, peer-to-peer learning experiences, and thought-provoking discussions while enjoying the cultural richness, warm weather and stunning beauty of Arizona canyons.
Returning from the 2024 Leadership Summit to moderate in 2025 is Jon Kidwell, a longtime supporter and friend of Community Rec Magazine. Kidwell is best known as the founder of Leadwell, where he is a leadership trainer and coach, writer, and podcast host.
Kidwell will guide participants though four timely roundtable discussions covering the topics of:
- Building Impactful Collaborations.
- Health and Wellness Trends.
- Expanding Membership/Community Outreach.
- Leadership Challenges and Solutions.
Also, new to the Summit in 2025 will be the event’s first-ever panel discussion on AI and technology trends. This will feature a handful of industry experts leading a discussion on all the new ways technology is improving the ways rec centers assist communities.
