PhD, CTRS

Susan Purrington, Ph.D., CTRS is an innovative educator and researcher in the field of therapeutic recreation. She currently serves as an Associate Teaching Professor at Northern Arizona University and owns two businesses - SuPurr Innovations, LLC and Take Your Time, LLC – and is the Executive Director of welcomed here. Her research interests include generative AI, inclusive customer experiences, professional preparedness, fieldwork, and wearable technology in therapeutic recreation.

Purrington has an extensive background in higher education, having previously held faculty/instructor positions at SUNY Cortland, Douglas College, Indiana University, and California State University, Chico. She has taught a wide range of courses related to recreation, leisure studies, and therapeutic recreation interventions and assessments. Her commitment to teaching excellence is evident through her continual professional development presenting and publishing in the field.

EdD, CTRS, FDRT

Alexis McKenney, Ed.D., CTRS works independently as a writer, educator, and content creator. As an educator she teaches a graduate-level Recreational Therapy classes for SUNY Cortland and UniSR Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele located in Milano, Italy. Prior to working freelance, she worked as the Program Director of the Recreational Therapy program at Temple University from 2017-2022.