The City’s Recreation Services Director, Michael Kalvort, has been elected to the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, one of the most prestigious designations in the Parks and Recreation field. For the past 25 years, Kalvort has improved organizations within the Parks and Rec. industry by delivering new parks and facilities, developing revenue sources and improving customer service delivery. Prior to joining the City of Boca Raton, Kalvort was the Director of the City of Virginia Beach Park and Rec. Department as well as the Parks and Rec. Director for Chesapeake and the Deputy Director for Cape Coral, which won the Agency of Excellence Award from the Florida Recreation and Park Association.
Kalvort has also been very active in many Parks and Rec. organizations such as the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) where he served as the Chair for the Administrators and Leadership Development Network, the Revenue Development School Board of Regents as chair. He also served on the State Boards for the Virginia Rec. and Park Society and the Florida Rec. and Park Association. Kalvort is one of the first 53 professionals who attained the CPRE Certification and he was also chosen as one of the top “40 Professionals under 40” in Southwest Florida by Gulf-Shore Business Magazine.
“Being inducted into the Academy is a tremendous honor and quite humbling,” said Kalvort. “The Academy is comprised of many thought leaders in the Parks and Rec. profession who I’ve learned from and admired throughout my 25-year career. I’ve focused my energies to make a lasting impact on the communities I serve and the team members I work beside. As a body, the Academy works to advance our profession to even greater heights and I’m excited to continue to mentor young professionals, much like some of my fellow Academy members have mentored me.”
The Academy is a group of distinguished practitioners and educators who are leaders in the field of parks and recreation. They must have served for at least 15 years in a high level of administration in a park and recreation agency or as a recognized educator in parks and recreation administration or they must manage a park and recreation department for an agency with a population of more than 500,000. They also must have demonstrated outstanding ability in administration, management or education in the profession; displayed broad interest with a direct service benefit to the advancement of public parks and recreation or assumed leadership with a keen desire to contribute to the advancement of the field. The Academy is limited to 125 active members.
