Meet your staff …

Each month this year, the magazine will be introducing NRPA staff who work to serve the members of the association. This feature will be located in the NRPA In Action section, and we hope it will help familiarize members with the people behind the scenes, working to make NRPA better. This month, meet the staff of Parks & Recreation magazine:

Working as an associate editor for the publication, Maya Avrasin has been a full-time staff member for one year. After working at B'nai B'rith magazine for six months, she came to Parks & Recreation looking for a new adventure. In fact, Avrasin enjoys challenges so much, she keeps a list of extreme sports she'd like to try, such as bungee jumping, sky diving and hang gliding. In April of this year, she will head to Hawaii to cross off her last extreme adventure from the list--cliff diving. Hailing from New York, Avrasin also enjoys home renovation, outdoor activities and gourmet cooking.

As a busy advertising director, Tracey Ellis can usually be found on the phone at her desk in the office, dealing with advertisers, advertising reps or clients. An avid animal lover, Ellis is the proud mother to two cats, Sissy and Sofie, as well as a dog named Sam, who she enjoys hiking with through the many parks of western Virginia. She's a native of Loudoun County, Va., and enjoys watching movies in her spare time such as her favorite flick, Sense and Sensibility.

Jack Lefkowitz, art director for Parks & Recreation, is the senior staffer of the group, having worked on the magazine since 1990. Although originally from New York, Letkowitz now lives on a farm in Ashburn, Va., with several cats, two dogs and a variety of other creatures like deer, squirrels and mice who roam his large property. In his spare time, he also runs rescue duty for the volunteer fire department and is qualified as an EMS technician.

As the editor of Parks & Recreation, Rachel Roberts writes a monthly column called From the Editor in every issue. Although she grew up in Maryland, she recently just moved back to the area from New Jersey, where she worked for Disney Adventures magazine in New York City. A self-declared entertainment junkie, Roberts enjoys watching movies and TV, as well as reading magazines and books (especially Harry Potter).