Barry Tindall is a consultant and national advocate for public parks and recreation. He retired July 1, 2005 as director of Public Policy and International Liaison for the National Recreation and Park Association headquartered in Metropolitan Washington, D.C. He joined the association in 1967 as a coordinator of special projects and was appointed to the policy position in 1975. During his NRPA career he was a national advocate for capital investments, progressive public policies, and programs to enhance resource conservation and recreation access for all. As policy director, he represented NRPA before the Congress of the United States and federal executive agencies.

Mr. Tindall directed research on issues in parks and recreation to help guide NRPA national policy initiatives. Often with support of the National Recreation Foundation, he directed and served as executive editor of a number of studies designed to better communicate the values of recreation and park resources and services and their impact on society.

While on leave from NRPA in 1974-1975 he was a consultant on natural area policy to The Nature Conservancy where he coordinated a national assessment leading to the report, The Preservation of Natural Diversity: A Survey and Recommendations (1975), and to the U.S. National Park Service on public policy and organization. Also on leave in 1985, he was associate director for State and Local Systems of the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors. During this public service he served as the commission's liaison to governors and other state officials, helped organize public hearings and directed research and publication of Recreation on Private Land, Issues and Opportunities (1986).

He was project director and editorial advisor for the book Islands of Hope: Parks and Recreation in Environmental Crisis (William E. Brown, author, 1970). He was NRPA director of a joint NRPA-Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment pilot study (1993-1995) to assess collaboration between local public health and recreation agencies in Colorado. In 2000 he organized the National Recreation Foundation/NRPA International Symposium on Youth in High Risk Environments and directed development of the report, International Perspectives on Recreation and Youth: Making a Difference.

In 2003-2004, he directed a NRF/NRPA assessment of community security in local public recreation and park systems and was executive editor of the report, Community Preparedness, Best Practices and Guidelines for Parks and Recreation in Emergency Situations (Erica Shane Hamilton, editor).

Tindall coordinated NRPA international activities, including U.S. local agency participation in the International Livable Communities program. He was NRPA liaison to the International Federation for Parks and Recreation, and developed a series of bilateral international exchange protocols with national organizations in Australia, Canada, Colombia, England, Japan and New Zealand.

His work has been recognized by several organizations and public agencies. In 1992 he received the U.S. Department of the Interior's Public Service Award for exemplary contributions to that agency. In 2002, Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams presented him a Park Heroes Award in recognition of his support of public parks in the nation's capital.

Prior to beginning his academic work and professional career, he was a member and crew chief of U.S. Air Force crash rescue units at Eglin AFB, Florida and the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Station, Woodbridge, England.

Mr. Tindall holds an Associate in Applied Science degree in forestry from Paul Smith's College of Arts and Science, "The College of the Adirondacks" (New York); a Bachelor of Science in Park and Recreation Administration from North Carolina State University; and a Master of Arts in Government (urban and regional planning) from The George Washington University. In 2003 he earned certificates of Accomplishment in Landscape Design and Horticulture from The Graduate School, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

He is active in local civic and other groups, including the Mt. Daniel-Ellison Heights Citizens Association and the Metropolitan Washington Raptor Society. Barry and his wife, Sara, reside in Falls Church, Virginia.

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