Her Story
About Stacey Kathleen
Stacey Kathleen Worrell, CPRP, is a Recreation Coordinator II with the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, where she has spent roughly five years planning and delivering special events and community programming. Her path into the field began in 2000 with a City of Mesa internship while she was studying at Arizona State University. There she earned a BS in Recreation Management, along with certificates in events and in hospitality and tourism. She went on to build a municipal career across the City of Mesa, the Town of Fountain Hills, and the City of Scottsdale.
Worrell's work spans every stage of an event, from booking entertainment and coordinating vendors to safety planning, volunteer management, onsite operations, and final cleanup. She holds that community engagement extends to the neighbors of an event as much as to its guests. Her professional leadership includes committee and coordinator roles with the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association, membership in the National Recreation and Park Association, and more than two decades of service with the Fiesta Bowl Parade Executive Committee. Her recognition includes Young Professional of the Year honors from APRA and the NRPA Southwest Professional Branch, as well as a Fiesta Bowl Volunteer of the Month designation.
Outside her municipal role, Worrell is an author with The HillHelen Group, LLC, drawing on her years of memorable event experiences for an upcoming book on parks and recreation. She is committed to encouraging young professionals to see recreation management as a rewarding, lifelong career. Her advice to newcomers is to stay flexible, keep a positive outlook when plans change, build a strong professional network, and get involved.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Stacey Kathleen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to adaptability, resilience, multitasking, and a positive attitude under pressure, along with a genuine enjoyment of community-centered work. Special events rarely go exactly as planned. Weather shifts, vendors have problems, schedules change, and unexpected situations arise mid-event. I've learned to stay calm enough to find the next solution. I also value customer service. Even when someone arrives frustrated or upset, listening and communicating respectfully can completely change the outcome.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The most valuable guidance I received came from relationships rather than a single piece of advice. Professor Marie Allison introduced me to recreation programming while I was studying business at Arizona State University, and that redirected my career. A City of Mesa district administrator then gave me a paid internship and my first hands-on experience. Those early connections taught me that professional relationships matter. One conversation, introduction, class, or internship can reveal a career you never knew existed.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Become comfortable with multitasking and adapting quickly, and stay positive and composed under pressure. Special events require flexibility, and problems are inevitable. The ability to calmly move from one solution to the next is among the most valuable skills you can develop. Join organizations such as APRA and NRPA, where you can learn from professionals who have already faced the challenges you will encounter. Most importantly, get involved. The more you participate, volunteer, and connect with your community, the more opportunities you will find.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The complexity of parks and recreation is both its challenge and its opportunity, because the work touches so many parts of a community. We balance budgets, logistics, safety, entertainment, vendors, resident expectations, accessibility, and customer service, often all at once. Yet parks, programs, and events bring together people who might never otherwise meet, create family traditions, strengthen communities, and improve quality of life. I also see an opportunity to introduce more young professionals to the field. Many people, including me when I started college, don't realize that parks and recreation can be a lifelong career, and I want to help change that.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value community, service, resilience, positivity, professionalism, teamwork, adaptability, and treating people with respect. I believe parks and recreation professionals help shape how people experience their communities. A successful event does more than entertain. It connects neighbors, introduces families to community resources, and gives residents a stronger sense of belonging. I also value staying professional under pressure and focusing on solutions rather than letting a problem determine the outcome.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.