Bridget Nemeth
Director of Recreation
and Wellness,
Old Dominion University
Summit Series Session: From
the Director’s Lens
Bridget began her campus recreation career as a
student trip leader and outdoor rental center attendant at the University of Maryland, College Park. She
completed her bachelor’s in Secondary Education
and continued her passion for education and the
outdoors as she completed her master’s in Recreation
Administration at Texas State University. She served
as the Graduate Assistant for Outdoor Recreation at
Texas State and received the Student Affairs Graduate
Research Assistant of the Year award and the AORE
Bill March Student Achievement Award. Other career
roles including campus activities and corporate
meeting and event planning shaped her professional
skills and led to her original passion of education
and outdoor recreation by serving as the Coordinator
of the Outdoor Adventure Program at ODU. She
started a new outdoor program there, including a
rental center with an extensive equipment inventory,
a 24-foot climbing wall, a domestic and international
trip program, a university bike shop, and a bike
share program. Bridget has also served as an adjunct
faculty member in the Park, Recreation and Tourism
Studies Department at ODU, teaching Outdoor
Leadership and Environmental Education for the last
four years.
rebranding the department to support “Live Well,
Learn Well.” She loves spending time on her bike, at
the beach, and with her husband and son.
“Aha” career moment: I was standing at the edge of
the Florida Everglades overlooking the Florida Bay,
co-leading a multi-day sea kayaking trip during my
junior year of undergrad, and said to myself, “Why
won’t I want to do this for the rest of my life?”
Formative outdoor experience: My uncle took
me white-water kayaking the summer before my
freshman year of college. This was the first “big” outdoor recreation experience I’d had up to this point,
and it set a path I never would have imagined.
Recent high point: We just held the pre-construction meeting for a challenge course that has been
a dream for over five years, and it’s now going to
happen!
Favorite place on Earth: Wakra Pukara, Peru, a
beautiful, ancient Inca site thought to be used for
astronomical observations and agricultural rituals. It
is located above the Apurimac River valley, which
is the headwaters of the Amazon River and is towered by a large rock outcrop, creating an impressive
landscape. Its awe is heightened with the visit of a
condor, if you’re lucky!
Favorite indoor place: sitting by my wood-burning
stove, surrounded by my family and three dogs
Best book read recently: Our Kids: The American
Dream in Crisis, by Robert D. Putnam
Since becoming director, she has had the opportunity
to lead initiatives such as the planning and construction of a low-ropes challenge course, collaborative
academic programs, entrepreneurial initiatives, and
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AORE Outdoor Insider | Fall 2015