Old Town director receives fellowship

OLD TOWN – Old Town Parks and Recreation Director Jeffery D. Bryant of Brewer has received the Young Professional Fellowship from the National Recreation and Parks Association.

Bryant was one of eight in the United States and Canada chosen to represent the Northeastern Region at the association’s national congress in St. Louis.

The Northeast Region comprises several New England states and provinces in Canada. His responsibilities will be to meet with association leadership and staff to review congress plans. He also will attend congress sessions and trustee and branch meetings with an assigned mentor. He will be involved in networking and develop professional contacts among association officers, trustees and other professionals from around the nation.

The national congress in St. Louis will convene Oct. 21-25. The National Recreation and Parks Association will sponsor Bryant’s registration as part of the national fellowship. The Maine Recreation and Parks Association has awarded Bryant a scholarship to assist with other conference expenses.

In April, the association named Bryant 2003 Outstanding Young Professional of the Year. He received the award at the spring conference banquet at the Samoset Resort in Rockport. The award recognizes contributions to the community and to the parks and recreation field.

Bryant is in his fourth year as director in Old Town. Recently, he was certified as a parks and recreation professional by the national association and certified as a pool operator by the National Swimming Pool Association. He has begun a third year on the Maine Recreation Parks Association executive board.