HomeMy WebLinkAboutTilsnerMRPAaward
Contact: Jordan Gilgenbach, Communications Coordinator
952-826-0396 • jgilgenbach@ci.edina.mn.us • www.CityofEdina.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Park & Recreation Employee To Receive Prestigious Award
Edina, Minn., Dec. 20, 2011 – A City of Edina Park & Recreation employee will receive the
highest award given by the Minnesota Recreation and Parks Association (MRPA) at its annual
meeting.
Donna Tilsner, Recreation Supervisor, will join the likes of former City of Edina Park &
Recreation employees Ken Rosland, Bob Kojetin and Rick Jacobson and current Park &
Recreation Director John Keprios as the recipient of the Clifton E. French Distinguished
Service Award.
The Clifton E. French Distinguished Service Award is the highest professional award given by
MRPA to its members. Recipients have more than 20 years’ experience in the field and
“provided long and outstanding service to the parks and recreation field and to the MRPA.”
“It’s just really humbling,” Tilsner said of the award. She said she could not have done anything
without the help and support of her coworkers, committee members and employers.
Tilsner is a 34-year veteran of the Park & Recreation field, 11 of which have been with the City
of Edina. She previously worked for the City of Eagan and the Hopkins/Minnetonka joint Park &
Recreation department. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota-
Twin Cities and currently serves as adjunct instructor and mentor there for the Recreation,
Park and Leisure Studies Department and students.
The award will be presented at the MRPA Annual Meeting and Award Luncheon on Jan. 12 in
Brooklyn Park. The meeting also serves as a kick-off a yearlong celebration of MRPA’s 75th year.
At the same meeting, Tilsner will be announced as and sworn in as a member of the MRPA
Board of Directors, representing the west metro. Her two-year term will begin Jan. 12. Tilsner
also served on the MRPA board in the 1980s.
“I plan to bring fresh ideas to the MRPA to ensure our practices are current, make sure we
remain a viable organization and help shape the future of MRPA,” Tilsner said.
For more information, contact the Park & Recreation Department at 952-826-0367.
-30-