Dr. Myron F. Floyd has been selected as head of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) at NC State University.
Dr. Floyd, has been the Director of Graduate Programs for PRTM since 2010 and a faculty member since 2005. Prior to coming to NC State, Floyd was the Director of the Center for Tourism Research and Development at the University of Florida and Coordinator of Graduate Studies.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Park Administration and a Master of Science in Recreation and Tourism Management from Clemson University and a PhD in Recreation and Resources Development with a specialization in Natural Resource Sociology from Texas A&M University. He is a Fellow in the Academy of Leisure Sciences (2005). In 2008, he received the National Recreation and Park Association’s highest research honor, the Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award.
Over the last two decades, Dr. Floyd’s research has focused on racial and ethnic inequality in provision of parks, open space, and public recreation services.
Since 2005 his research program has focused almost exclusively on understanding the capacity of neighborhood parks and green space to promote physical activity and reduce health disparities. He has served as PI or co-investigator on numerous large multidisciplinary research teams funded by governmental and non-governmental organizations, including the USDA Forest Service, USDI Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, USDOD Army Corps of Engineers, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJ).
Dr. Floyd is a frequent speaker on the topic of parks and health at national and international conferences and symposia. He is co-author of Race, Ethnicity, and Leisure: Perspectives on Research, Theory and Practice from Human Kinetics, as well as, 65 peer-reviewed journal articles, 22 peer reviewed monographs and proceedings papers, 15 book chapters and more than 100 presentation papers and abstracts.
Dr. Floyd’s has made significant contributions to his field serving as an Advisory Board Member for the National Policy & Legal Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity and on the Science Committee for the National Park Service’s Healthy Parks Healthy People Initiative.
In February 2014, Dr. Floyd was appointed to the Forestry Research Advisory Council (FRAC) by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. With a council of 11 distinguished members, he will present recommendations and advice to the Secretary on issues concerning forestry and natural resources.
Dean Mary Watzin of NC State’s College of Natural Resources had this to say when announcing the appointment, “Myron Floyd is a nationally renowned leader in natural resource sociology and outdoor recreation, with more than 25 years of experience in land grant universities. He brings maturity, imagination, and an interdisciplinary perspective that will help PRTM and our College continue our ascent to the next level of excellence. I am delighted that he is willing to take on this new challenge and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”
Originally from Loris, South Carolina, Dr. Floyd lives in Apex with his wife, Johnetta Holland. They have two sons – William, who will be a freshman at East Carolina University in the fall and Jonathan, a sophomore at Middle Creek High School.
Dr. Floyd will assume the duties of department head on July 1, 2014.