Dr. Sonya Shaw
Motivational Speaker, Author, Community Engagement Facilitator and Retreat/Workshop Designer Facilitator
Professional Certifications
Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP)
Professional Service
Retired Parks and Recreation Director of 30 years
Fellow, American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration
Top 100 Practitioners in US
Assistant Professor, North Carolina Central University, Recreation Admin.
Founder, Women of Color in Recreation and Parks
Past Council, Accreditation of (Colleges and Universities) Recreation, Parks, Tourism and Related Professions
Past President, North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association
Past Board Regent, NRPA Supervisor Management School
Past President, National Recreation and Park Ethnic Minority Society
Co-Founder, NC Black Recreation and Parks Professionals
Awards and Recognitions
Deb Award, Most Gleaned Podcast, Chat in the Garden Podcast for Women in Sports and Athletics
Featured in Significance Magazine as the Founder of Women of Color in Recreation and Parks
Career Accomplishments Highlights:
- First African American woman completing a doctoral degree in the Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management Program, North Carolina State University in 2017
- Led parks and recreation agency through two national accreditations
- Completed over $12 million dollars in parks, recreation center and greenway projects.
- Led Disaster Recovery Off-Site Location for ConAgra employees, leadership team and families during plant explosion
- Led logistics for Scotty McCreery American Idol Hometown Tour and Celebration
- Obtained nearly $4 million in public project grants
- Led visioning efforts to rebrand department services, programs, events and performing arts venue
- Led planning and development of 10-year comprehensive parks and recreation plan and park master plan development for new park properties
Conferences and Presentations:
- National Recreation and Parks Annual Congress, Phoenix, Arizona, Presentations
- Our Parks are Equitable Right, Live-Streamed Session
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Reflecting, Celebrating and Preparing for Your Next Level of Greatness!,
San Bernardino County Regional Parks Keynote, Calico, San Bernardino County, California -
Girl Get Moving! Career Strategies for Women in Parks and Recreation: Mindset, Belief Systems and Strategies for Success,
National Recreation and Park Annual Congress, Dallas, Texas
- Practice Makes Perfect Through Internships
- Girl Get Moving! Career Success Strategies for Women in the Workplace
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Our Parks are Equitable Right, Live-Streamed Session & Practice Makes Perfect Through Internships,
National Recreation and Park Annual Congress, Phoenix, Arizona
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DEI In Practice,
North Carolina Association of Zoning Officials, Charlotte, North Carolina
Speaking Engagements
Girl Get Moving! Your Career Dreams are Waiting on You
Dallas, Texas
Reflecting, Celebrating and Preparing for Your Next Level of Greatness! Keynote,
City of San Bernardino, California
Women in Sports Leadership Summit, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
NC Association of Zoning Officials Annual Conference Keynote, DEI In Practice, Charlotte, North Carolina
Trends, Challenges (in Parks and Recreation) and Preparing for the Coming Year, Aspire Series, City of Asheville, North Carolina
Georgia Recreation and Park Association Women’s Leadership Summit Conference, Igniting Your Leadership Spark Session I; Navigating the Career Experiences of African American Women Leaders in Parks and Recreation Decatur, Georgia
Women of Color in STEM Symposium, Authentically You, NC State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
NRPA, The Role of Spirituality and Coping in the Workplace for Women of Color, Baltimore, Maryland
NC/SC Recreation and Parks Joint Conference, Pathways to Success for African American Women Leaders in Parks and Recreation,
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Recreation Resources Services,
Women’s LeaderHERship Conference,
Wilmington, North Carolina
Southern Leisure Management and Trends Institute, Making Parks and Recreation Relevant, Columbia,
South Carolina
South Carolina
