By Iheoma Uzomba

Every association has a president, but the executive director is a little different. Think of them as the person with their hands on the steering wheel, keeping the day-to-day moving forward. When ARPA hired its very first executive director, Al McRoberts, in 1979, it signaled that recreation and parks in Alberta had grown up. The profession was ready for steady, full-time leadership. From then on, the executive director became the engine behind programs, budgets, and relationships.

In 1981, Bob Weller took over as executive director and expanded the role. Weller, always the Builder, thought big. He worried about how recreation careers were evolving beyond the singular role of “recreation director,” but now branching into aquatics, youth, facilities, and specialized work with different populations. “A career is a career is a career,” he wrote in the Mar/Apr ’86 newsletter, returning again and again to the importance of collaboration with universities, municipalities, and government. By the time he wrapped up five years later, Weller had poured the foundation for ARPA’s future growth.

The next decade brought steady progress under executive directors Dale Warwick, Mike Hanna, and Paul Servos. Then in 2000, Rick Curtis stepped in and helped ARPA see itself as part of something bigger. Over eleven years, Curtis shifted the focus from programs to province-wide impact. He oversaw a labour-market analysis of Alberta’s leisure sector, rolled out a provincial professional-development plan, and refreshed the Careers in Recreation guide for schools. Curtis was the strategist: more likely to be deep in research, frameworks, and partnerships than at a ribbon-cutting. 

After Bill Wells’ tenure, the role eventually landed with Steve Allan. By then, Allan was no stranger—he’d been with ARPA since the mid-1990s, starting as an intern and later taking on the Finance & Operations Manager role. Through one of the Association’s biggest shake-ups, he was one of the few constants, quietly keeping everything afloat. So when he became executive director in 2019, ARPA got a leader who was steady and reliable.

Allan is known for his calm, soft-spoken, methodical style. Staff will tell you he’s always in the right place at the right time, whether as Mentor Steve, Deadliner Steve, or even Tech-support Steve. You’ll usually find him at ARPA’s Edmonton office, collared shirt or T-shirt on, headphones at the ready as he shifts between calls and strategy sessions. Under Allan’s leadership, ARPA in 2025 has doubled down on two things that matter most: relevance and stability.