NRPA Congress & Exposition.

Oct. 18-22 San Antonio, Texas 

OPENING SESSION CONFIRMED

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 4-6 p.m.

Excitement builds as colleagues, supporters and friends assemble for the Opening General Session, the official start of NRPA's Congress & Exposition. Dynamic, entertaining and inspirational, the Congress keynote address brings influential and authoritative voices in parks and recreation directly to you.

This year's keynote address will be given by National Football League (NFL) champion and former running back for the Dallas Cowboys, Emmitt Smith. Aside from his fame as a three-time Super Bowl champion for the Cowboys, Smith is also a 1996 graduate of the University of Florida's public recreation program. He helped to create the Open Doors Foundation, which supports other organizations and faith-based programs that provide educational, financial and leadership assistance to youth. He is the founder of Emmitt Smith Charities, which provides education scholarships to under-served youth in Pensacola, Fla.

Smith is recognized for his outstanding performance as a running back for both the Dallas Cowboys and, more recently, the Arizona Cardinals. He earned both regular season and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honors in 1999, and he holds the record for most 1,000-yard seasons in the NFL.

In addition to Smith, attendees of the Opening Session will hear from San Antonio's civic leaders and NRPA leadership, as well as celebrate with the National Gold Medal Award and NRPA National Award winners.

For more detailed information on Congress, please refer to the preliminary program packaged with this issue of Parks & Recreation. To register, visit www.nrpa.org.