2025 TRPA Officer Elections

The 2025 Elections will include candidates for President Elect and Vice Presidentr.  Early Voting will begin 9/15/2025.  Ballot links will be emailed to all professional members on 9/15.  Please check your spam filters and if you believe your dues are current and you do not receive a link, please email candi@trpa.net for assistance.  Early (Online) Voting will be available until 10/6/2025.  After that time, in-person voting will be available at the conference in Kingsport on Tuesday from 4:30-5:30 pm and Wednesday from 8:30-9:30 am in the Innovation Hall.

Candidates:

President Elect

Christi Collins David--Born and raised in Jackson, TN and is a proud product of the JMCSS (Go Hawks!). After graduating high school, she worked at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and attended college, eventually earning both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Social Work from Union University (Go Bulldogs!). Utilizing her degree, she worked in the field of trauma, serving many populations, including: children, adults, families, justice involved individuals, victims of all types of abuse, and those with various mental health concerns and substance use and abuse disorders. After getting married in 2019 to Brandon David, she and her husband made their home in Beech Bluff, TN. They are the proud parents of 4 fur children, Dak and Zeke, their mostly friendly felines, and Yogi and Baloo, their 100lb+ shepradors who are bulls in a china cabinet. Christi now works for the City of Jackson where she first became employed as the Community Engagement Director for the Recreation and Parks Department. In December of 2022 she was promoted to Park Operations Manager and is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector, a Certified Park and Recreation Professional, and a recent graduate of National Recreation and Parks Director’s School

Vice President

A proud Memphis native, Ameerah Jones-Ruben is a dedicated grants professional, educator, and advocate for health, wellness, and equitable access to green spaces. She holds a Master of Science in Education and has extensive experience leading process improvement, nonprofit initiatives, and community-centered programming. Her work spans urban gardening, youth education, blight reduction, and health and wellness advocacy, with a strong record of securing and managing grants to expand impact.

She serves as Finance Lead on the Memphis Parks CAPRA team, sits on the Memphis Heat Prep Board, and has been recognized as a SPAARC Advocate for Change awardee. Her professional affiliations include TRPA, NRPA, the Grants Professionals Association, NAACP, and the University of Memphis Alumni Association.

Beyond her professional commitments, she is a devoted wife and mother who believes in the power of parks, recreation, and green spaces to transform communities.

Seth Rodgers In 2011, I started working with the City of Gatlinburg. I figured why not try Parks and Recreation? It was a good city job that paid the bills. It was after my first TRPA conference that I really fell in love with recreation. After the conference, I knew that this wasn't just a job but a career and I had found the path I wanted to take. I went back to school while working full time and raising four beautiful children. With the help and support of my family I was able to graduate with a degree in Sports Management. I took over as the Program Coordinator for Gatlinburg and learned valuable skills before moving on. I began 2018 with the City of Pigeon Forge and became the Outdoor Programs Manager. It was there that I learned the value of a good team and what it takes to be successful in parks and recreation.  I was given the necessary leadership and direction to take my career to the next level, I became a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional in 2019. While working in Pigeon Forge, I was fortunate enough to be the recipient of TRPA’s 2021 Special Events Award for an innovative Halloween event. I then accepted a job with the City of Oak Ridge as the Recreation Manager and have since been promoted twice and am now the Assistant Director of Recreation and Parks. Ever since I could remember my passion has always been all things sports, health, and fitness. In my time in recreation I have taken pride in pushing individuals to demonstrate innovation and creativity for those things. I always try to inspire others to develop programs that are both fun and educational.