ORPS Keynote Speaker

Roslyn Johnson

Roslyn Johnson, CPRP is currently the Director of Recreation and Parks for the City of Annapolis, MD.  She has held this position since March of 2023.  Prior to this appointment she was unanimously confirmed in March 2020 as the first female director for Baltimore County Maryland's Department of Recreation and Parks. She was previously the Deputy Director of Facility Operations for a six-time National Gold Medal winning Parks and Recreation agency in Prince George's County, MD.  In this role, she led innovative recreation programs that served the community.  She also put systems in place so that the department could successfully zero out their carbon footprint in 2018.  She had oversight of natural and historic resources, sports and arts programs and facilities, maintenance and development, and public affairs and marketing. Roslyn has an extensive career in the field of parks and recreation. In the past 19 years, she has held Deputy Director and Associate Director positions in parks and recreation agencies in Richmond, VA; the District of Columbia; and Baltimore. Her background and experience include overseeing multi-million dollar budgets, leading a diverse workforce, managing programs and facilities, and representing the agency in community outreach with elected officials, residents, and communities. 

Roslyn has been very involved in NRPA (National Recreation and Park Association). She was a Board Member of NRPA from 2013-2019. Roslyn was a keynote at the inaugural Symposium on Leisure and Recreation Tourism in Shenzhen, China where she presented on being a Gold Medal Recreation and Parks Department as well as on the National Recreation and Parks Association.  She presented at the first Urban Park Conference in Chicago, is a familiar presenter at the NRPA Conference, she taught during the inaugural year of the Graduate Institute at Oglebay and was an instructor for NRPA Director's school from 2015-2019.

Roslyn is the co-organizer of TEDxCollegePark.  She has been a member of the NRPA Urban Park Directors group since inception, served a short stint on the Program Committee, was a diversity mentor, young student/professional lunch pair, and assisted with the Urban Parks Summit. Roslyn is a Senior Executive Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School and has a certificate of leadership from The Center for Creative Leadership. Her passion and enthusiasm for her profession is ever evolving and Roslyn recently completed training to become a Certified International Coach. She is also very involved in the professional community and is a member of The Ethnic Minority Society of NRPA, Maryland Recreation and Parks Association, Americans for the Arts, Maryland Association of Counties and The National Forum of Black Public Administrator's Maryland and Central Virginia chapters.

Her induction into The American Academy for Park & Recreation Administration has been one of her long awaited professional goals.  She most recently served on the Board of Directors of the Academy.  She is also the co-chair of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee of the Academy whose work included creating a JEDI pledge for all members to sign.  Locally, she is the most recent Past President for Maryland Recreation and Parks Association (MRPA).She’s a true advocate for and passionate believer in innovation of all forms; especially the ways in which it can shape our communities and the lives of our residents. Roslyn has served as keynote both nationally and internationally.  These days, Roslyn is particularly focused on the intersection of diversity and innovation as we look for ways to adapt to and to continue to enjoy an ever changing world. Roslyn graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park and in her free time enjoys making fused glass jewelry and silversmithing.