board members and responsibilities 

As a board member, you play a very important leadership role within the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association. And board leadership is a way for you to have a lasting, personal impact on an organization and mission that is important to you.

Board leadership is very different from the staff leadership roles with which most board members are accustomed. More specifically:

• Board members have a legal responsibility to the organization.

As a board member, you have a legal commitment and responsibility to the organization. Referred to as a “fiduciary responsibility,” board members — both individually and as a group — can be held responsible when things go wrong at an organization. This means that the stakes are high in terms of making sure that the board is taking financial and legal oversight seriously; something in which each individual board member is expected to be engaged.

• Board members lead in partnership with the nonprofit executive.

Unless a nonprofit organization doesn’t have staff, the day-to-day leadership is provided by the Executive Director /CEO. The board works in partnership with the executive to set the overall strategic direction of the organization, but leaves the staff and operational leadership to the executive. This can be a challenging balance to get right, but is critical to the success of the partnership (and the source of a lot of board challenges when it goes wrong).

• Board members must lead as a group.

Unlike staff leadership roles where a particular position may have individual decision-making power, boards have decision-making power only as a group. That means that the most effective board members know how to discuss and debate issues thoughtfully and respectfully, contributing their expertise and perspective as a part of a group decision-making process, and supporting the group decision regardless of the outcome.

Board members provide the critical intellectual capital and strategic resources to power nonprofit success and strengthen communities.

• Are you committed to sharing your time and talents to help make the world a better place?
• Do you have specialized skills and expertise that could benefit a nonprofit board’s work?
• Are you willing to be an enthusiastic advocate for an organization and encourage others to get involved?

Serving on a board is a wonderful way to support a cause that you care about. But it also can be a powerful way to build your own skills and expertise. Individuals who serve on a board have the opportunity to develop and grow as leaders, cultivate new skill sets, and expand their network of peers, professionals, community leaders, and community thought leaders.

Click below to review each positions "job description"

Executive Board 

Regional Representatives

Committee Chairs

Other Directors

PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT ELECT

VICE PRESIDENT

SECRETARY

TREASURER

NORTH

CENTRAL

SOUTH

EAST

WEST

MEMBERSHIP

EDUCATION

MARKETING

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL

INDUSTRY PARTNER | CORPORATE

APRA also offers leadership positions for the following year-round subcommittees:

Conference Committee
Finance Committee

Membership Committee
Young Professionals Committee