Trailblazers: passionate about parks: Ellen O'Sullivan makes the link between health and parks and recreation.

Name: Ellen O'Sullivan, PhD, CPRP 

Title: President and Principal, Leisure Lifestyle Consulting

Member since: 1983

Ellen O'Sullivan is a kid at heart. She says that from the time she went to her first camp, she thought it was the most wonderful thing in the world. "I was probably the first person that ever told my guidance counselor that I wanted to be a camp counselor," she explains. That love of recreation has continued throughout her life. She may not be a camp counselor, but she's playing on the same field.

Her recent projects include developing curricula for NRPA's Step Up to Health program and coordinating the Florida Recreation and Park Association's marketing campaign for the recreation and park profession. An author of many park and recreation-related publications and a former professor of recreation and leisure studies at Southern Connecticut State University, it is not surprising that she was named by the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration as a "Legend in Parks and Recreation" in 2000. O'Sullivan not only enjoys recreation, but has given a lifelong commitment to the field.

Future of parks and recreation: "The future of parks and recreation is going to be 'back to the future'--we are coming full circle, recapturing what Joseph Lee and Frederick Olmsted were all about. We're going to go back into really supporting the important things for people. Olmsted visualized places and spaces where people could connect with one another and Lee talked about play all the time. In the history of this profession, we've backed away from play and we're on the brink of rediscovering that play makes people sane, it helps people grow. It's an essential part of overall health."

Favorite quote: "One of my favorite quotes comes from Ella Grasso, the first woman governor of Connecticut. She said, 'Bloom where you are planted.' It doesn't matter; you can become whoever you want to be."

Most proud achievement: "I'm most proud of Hearts N' Parks, a collaborative project of NRPA and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). We worked to infuse heart-healthy information into programs for the parks departments, with pre- and post-testing for knowledge. Every single department had a significantly increased knowledge, behavior and attitude about the heart-healthy information. NHLBI was blown away that our professionals could do that so quickly and effectively."

Words of wisdom: "I always look at parks and recreation as the four 'Ps'--Power, Promise, Potential and Possibilities. I know a lot of students are looking at sports and events management, which are great things. But spend time scratching the surface in terms of looking at possibilities you can open up for people through parks and recreation. What we do in parks and recreation can be one of the most powerful things you can do for an individual. It can be a real factor in the livability and the viability of a community."