Brooke Turner
University of Alabama

What do you see as opportunities in collegiate recreation and our Association? How would you collaborate with the Member Network team to address these issues?

Collegiate recreation and NIRSA have tremendous opportunities to help lead change during and after this pandemic. Essentially, we have been given an opportunity for a reset of sorts. I believe that some of the most impactful questions to be asked right now are what do we need to stop doing and how do we get ahead of changes in higher education. NIRSA did an exceptional job with virtual webinars, caucuses, and networking opportunities and I believe this added tremendous value to our membership by allowing us to connect on important issues and topics without the expense of travel. As we are still navigating travel, policies, and budget changes, I believe that utilizing the technology we conquered in the past two years will continue to be important for the continued growth and development of our members. While we can add value and upkeep connections in a virtual environment, we must also not lose sight of the value of being together in person. Over the past decade, the number of in-person events NIRSA offers has grown; a strategic approach will be needed to analyze how we move forward with such events and which to continue to offer. Our world has shifted; to remain relevant our thinking and efforts must shift as well. The Member Network team will play a key role in analyzing the needs and concerns of members, presenting ideas and initiatives to the Association, and working to strategically utilize resources. I hope to be a part of this work as a representative on the Member Network.

In describing your contributions to NIRSA, identify how your involvement and experiences meet the position criteria and qualify you to serve NISRA in this role.

My experience as the chair of the NIRSA Championship Series Committee strengthened my understanding and ability to manage volunteer leaders, communication, special event planning, organization, and delegation skills. I led and coordinated the work of numerous work teams, created synergy amongst events, maintained communications with numerous stakeholder groups, and advocated for the needs of participants, schools, and NIRSA members. I am confident that this and other involvement experiences have prepared me well to serve and represent NIRSA Region II members.

Please share your ideas for engaging volunteers and identifying leaders in your region.

Creating environments where others can learn and grow into their potential brings me great personal joy and continuing these endeavors as the Region II Representative is an attractive opportunity to make a difference. Identifying leaders will need to take place both at the organizational and campus levels. We need ambassadors of NIRSA to help identify emerging leaders who may or may not be connected to the Association already. Who are our high performers, influencers, visionaries, driven team players who have courage, integrity, think of others, and accept responsibility that we can train to be our future NIRSA leaders and engage in current opportunities? I believe that volunteer engagement is achieved by understanding their motivation, providing proper training and feedback as they work to achieve their goals, building a sense of community, communicating progress and impact towards goals, and showing appreciation for their efforts. I believe that utilizing virtual meetings in meaningful ways can help in this endeavor. Asking respected NIRSA leaders to share knowledge in this type of environment may also increase engagement and connection. The strength of NIRSA is in our people and our community with one another; we can leverage technology to achieve this in new and meaningful ways if we take a deliberative approach.