September 25 & 26, 2024

Killington Grand Resort Hotel

We are excited to welcome parks and recreation professionals from around Vermont at the 80th VT Conference on Recreation! We are thrilled to be partnering with Vermont Trails & Greenways Council (VTGC) to offer a Trails Symposium in tandem with our long-running conference. The Trails Symposium adds an outdoor recreation angle to the traditional municipal parks and recreation focus of the conference. VRPA's event is a great place for networking, sharing ideas, learning about current trends, and getting a pulse on what is happening throughout the state. This two-day conference and trails symposium boasts over 27 educational sessions, networking events, an awards luncheon, and an exhibit hall. This is a don't miss annual event for parks and recreation professionals and service providers alike!

2024 Keynote Speaker:

Kelly Brush was born and raised in Charlotte, VT. She attended the Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield for high school before enrolling at Middlebury College. During her time at Middlebury, Kelly was an accomplished ski racer and a member of the alpine ski team. In February 2006, while racing for Middlebury, Kelly fell, striking a lift tower, sustaining a spinal cord injury (SCI) and leaving her paralyzed from the chest down. 

Determined not to let her SCI define her, Kelly went on to graduate from Middlebury in 2008, and completed graduate school at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in 2013, becoming a Nurse Practitioner. Kelly also started the Kelly Brush Foundation shortly after her injury to empower others with SCI to lead active and engaged lives through sport and recreation. The KBF is now a national leader in adaptive sports and recreation for the spinal cord injury community.

Today Kelly lives in Charlotte, VT with her husband and two daughters. She works as the founder of the Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF) and worked for 10 years as a pediatric nurse practitioner. And she is the ultimate weekend warrior, always finding a way to be outside and active with her family.