Another Successful 2025 Great Lakes Park Training Institute Concludes!
The 2025 Great Lakes Park Training Institute (GLPTI) took place from February 24 to 27, 2025 with 251 registered learners in attendance in person and virtually. Known for its casual atmosphere and unique location, GLPTI returned to Pokagon State Park for the 77th time. The only year GLPTI was not held at Pokagon was in 2021 when it was offered virtually due to the COVID pandemic. GLPTI has trained over 24,000 people from 49 states and six countries over its 78-year history.
Educational sessions are offered in four tracks, Park and Facility Maintenance, Natural Resource Management, Natural and Cultural Interpretation, and Personnel and Career Development, which gave attendees a broad but customizable learning experience. For the fourth year in a row, at least a portion of the conference took place online with 12 educational sessions offered via webinar or livestreamed via Zoom.
Women in Parks Leadership Program Returns
“The Women in Parks Leadership program significantly enhanced my leadership abilities and knowledge. Through insightful sessions and discussion, I gained valuable strategies for leading with empathy and confidence. The program allowed for not only personal growth, but empowerment through connecting with other inspiring women in the field.”- 2025 WPL graduate
A tremendous success story for this year's GLPTI was the return of the Women in Parks Leadership Program (WPL). A separate but concurrent program to the regular conference, WPL, led by an instructional team of leaders from the National Park Service, park and recreation districts, conservation districts and Eppley, offered a curriculum that helps future women leaders meet several significant challenges in leading agencies. Twenty-five attendees graduated from the program, which sold out in a matter of weeks. Due to the high demand and rave reviews from graduates, planning for a reprise of the program is for 2026 is already underway with an extensive waitlist already filling up.
GLPTI Awards and Scholarships
As always, GLPTI celebrated innovative regional park projects and recognized accomplished professionals at the Annual Awards Ceremony, held on Tuesday, February 25. The 2025 Great Lakes Park, Facility, or Program Award winners included:
- Ingham County (MI) Parks Department for Dirt School Bicycle Playground and Skills Park
- Northville (MI) Parks & Recreation for Unity Skatepark
- Vigo County (IN) Parks & Recreation for Ruble Park
The Richard Lawson Award for Professional Excellence was given to Carl Lindell of Indiana State Parks for his distinguished career and continuing contributions to the park and recreation profession.
The Garret G. Eppley Scholarship is awarded to park professionals and covers the full cost of attending the Institute. The scholarship winner for 2025 was Anna Godzig of Independence National Historical Park (National Park Service). Two scholarships that covered registration for the Women in Parks Leadership Program were offered by St. Charles (IL) Park District. Recipients of those scholarships were Abby Kushner Benson of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia and Kristin Kluting of Muskegon County (MI) Parks.
Mark your calendars for next year from February 23-27, 2026! If you are interested in serving as a volunteer or as a presenter (propose your brilliant ideas!), or if you wish to join the waitlist for the Women in Parks Leadership Program, let us know via email at eplymain@iu.edu. The new year of GLPTI will start with Institute planning kicking off at the annual Board of Advisors retreat in June.