2022 ATRA Annual Conference IN-PERSON Intensives and Workshops Proposal

Ph.D., LRT, CTRS, FDRT

Jennifer Hinton took her first class as a therapeutic recreation major in 1987. She obtained a bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in recreational therapy, with her terminal degree obtained at Clemson University in 2000. She has been a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist for over 30 years and has spent most of her career as an educator. She is currently a Professor and Program Director in the Recreational Therapy Program at Western Carolina University.
Hinton is also a licensed recreational therapist in North Carolina, a distinguished fellow in the National Academy of Recreational Therapists, and an accomplished speaker with over 80 presentation and co-presentations at the state, regional, and national levels. Hinton has served the profession in multiple capacities. Currently she leads the Quality Internships Subcommittee for the American Therapeutic Recreation Association. Past leadership positions include Member at Large for the Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education and Chair of the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification Board of Directors.
Hinton has received multiple teaching and service awards, including specific recognition for curricula and service learning. She passionately serves her community in rural Jackson County, NC where she resides with her family. This small haven in the mountains of Southern Appalachia immerses her in many interests including hiking, investigating nature’s small miracles, and growing things. She is a fan of all types of outdoor exploring that allow one to get lost in the forest or in destinations far away and off regular beaten paths.

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Ph.D., CTRS

Jared Allsop, Ph.D., CTRS – is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health and Wellness Design, in the School of Public Health at Indiana University. Dr. Allsop has twice received the Trustees Teaching Award and is a certified therapeutic recreational specialist. Dr. Allsop has been at Indiana University since 2012 where he has cultivated his passion for teaching and best practices for recreational therapy education. The foundation of his teaching philosophy is firmly planted in his passion and commitment to the field of recreational therapy and to the education of future recreational therapists. His teaching philosophy stems from his experience in a variety of teaching settings including as a clinical professor in recreational therapy at Indiana University, and as an academic supervisor to over 350 student interns. He is also currently serving as the secretary of the Committee on Accreditation of Recreational Therapy Education national board and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Health and Wellness Design.

Ed.D., CTRS

Dr. Rachel Smith is an Instructional Assistant Professor and Senior Internship Coordinator of Therapeutic Recreation in Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University. She earned her B.S. degree in Psychology and M.S. in Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration both from Western Illinois University. She earned her Ed.D. from Illinois State University in Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Smith teaches Therapeutic Recreation and Tourism courses. Her research is varied and includes universal design, specific facilitation techniques in recreational therapy, equity in higher education, and the Cruise Line Industry. She has published books, chapters, and articles and often presents at conferences locally and nationally.

Smith is a longtime Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (1995), member of Rho Phi Lambda, and recipient of the Illinois Therapeutic Recreation Innovators Award. Smith is an active member of professional organizations serving on boards for Illinois Recreational Therapy Association (ILRTA), American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA), and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). She is a lifelong learner, loves taking cruises, and volunteers for Healing Rides, an adaptive bicycle program in her community.

Ph.D., TRS, CTRS

Steve is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies at the University of Utah. His current responsibilities include teaching Recreational Therapy undergraduate and graduate courses. Steve contributed to the development and implementation of the Recreational Therapy (RT) degree program in the fall of 2016. In the RT program, he served as the Clinical Education Coordinator and Coordinator of Cooperative Education in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism.
In the role of internship coordinator, Steve mentored students as they prepared to begin their internships, contacted and secured placements for all areas of TR/RT and PRT, and supervised students while they completed their internships. Steve and his long-time colleague developed and conducted the Best Practice Internship Workshop for RT practitioners to develop and improve their agency's internship programs.
Steve serves on several universities, college, and academic committees, including Chair of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Leadership Award, Co-chair U of U Black Faculty and Staff Association, Co-chair College of Health Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and a member of the Office of Health and Inclusion Committee for University of Utah Health Sciences. Steve's academic and social justice work includes addressing healthcare disparities and equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education among underrepresented groups and individuals.
Steve is licensed as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (TRS) in the State of Utah and certified nationally by the National Council on Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC).

MS, LRT, CTRS, CDP

Ms. Joan L. Sutton is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Fieldwork Supervisor for the Department of Community and Therapeutic Recreation at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG). She has an undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and holds a master’s degree in Recreational Therapy Administration from East Carolina University. She is a Licensed Recreational Therapist, a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, and a Certified Dementia Practitioner.

Ms. Sutton currently serves as the Chair for the North Carolina Board of Recreational Therapy Licensure (NCBRTL). In addition, she serves as a member of NCBRTL’s internship task force and has developed and presented internship supervision training. Ms. Sutton is a member of ATRA’s Quality Internship Subcommittee and has created specific internship training content focusing on motivations, teaching styles, and learning stages.

Before her employment with UNCG, she worked as a Recreational Therapy Supervisor in a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). There she was responsible for creating and managing recreational therapy and general recreation programming to enhance person-centered care in older adults. Ms. Sutton supervised recreational therapists, music therapists, activities professionals, and fitness and entertainment contractors in this role. She developed a large group of community volunteers forming new initiatives with UNC Charlotte, Therapy Dogs International, and the Center for Civic Engagement at Davidson College. She established her facility as an internship site partnering with many colleges and universities. Ms. Sutton was an active member of the International Council of Active Aging (ICAA) and has obtained her Leadership in Wellness Management Certificate.

MS, CTRS

Eric is a passionate recreational therapist with over 10 years of serving the adolescent behavioral health population. A practitioner at heart, he has recently began bringing therapeutic recreation courses to students in Alaska at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. After receiving his BS in Recreation Management with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation from BYU-Idaho, he obtained his CTRS and began working in Salt Lake City, Utah where he spent 10 years at Primary Children’s Behavioral Health. While working in Utah, he worked through Indiana University’s online MS program in TR, completing that in 2017. Now that he is in Alaska, when he isn’t leading experiential education groups with youth, you can find him hiking with his dogs or keeping up with the latest research on the health benefits of the outdoors.