By Lookout Staff

March 27, 2012 -- Phil Brock, who chairs the Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commission, was installed Thursday as the new President of the California Association of Park and Recreation Commissioners and Board Members.

A tireless advocate of recreational facilities, Brock has served on the Santa Monica commission since October 2003. Prior to his appointment, he served as Chair of the Sports Advisory Committee for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

Brock, who is president and founder of the Studio Talent Group and national president of the Talent Managers Association, also has served as president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica Council.

Brock was sworn in to the State post Thursday at the California Park & Recreation Society Conference by Mayor Richard Bloom.

Also at the conference, Barbara Stinchfield, who retired in December as Santa Monica's director of Community & Cultural Services (CCS), was honored with the Outstanding Park & Recreation Professional Award.

A leading force in shaping Santa Monica's public spaces, Stinchfield headed one of the City's largest and most visible departments, managing an operating budget of $47 million and overseeing approximately 400 full- and part-time employees.

The department is charged with running recreational facilities, culture and arts programs, human services, funding for nonprofit grant programs, and public landscape.