Craig Colistra, Ph.D.

Craig Colistra, Ph.D., has been working in the public and nonprofit sectors for nearly two decades. Currently, he is a program officer for a community foundation that awards over $2M annually to government and nonprofit organizations delivering programs and services that support health equity. In addition to managing grants, Craig is responsible for conducting research on community health needs to drive strategic investments and delivering capacity building training to the nonprofit sector. Previously, he worked in the public sector, managing parks and recreation facilities and delivering interventions to support community health and wellness.

Craig earned a Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management from Clemson University. He holds a M.S. in Recreation and Leisure Services and Facilities Administration from East Carolina University and a B.S. in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from West Virginia University. He earned a certificate in nonprofit management from the Nonprofit Center at La Salle University.

PNP 5901 Introduction to Non-Profit Management/span>

Colistra, C.M., VanBrakle, J., Zwerver, S., & Pearson, S. (2022). Outdoor Recreation Access and Need for Healthier Communities. Oral presentation at the Pennsylvania Health Equity Summit, Pittsburgh, PA.

Colistra, C. M. & Lane, M. (2019). The value of evaluation in parks and recreation management. Oral presentation at the Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society, State College, PA.

Colistra, C. M., Schmalz, D. L., & Glover, T. D. (2016). Implications of social relationships on health in a community center. Oral presentation at the National Recreation and Park Association Congress and Exposition. NRPA Research Sessions, St. Louis, MO.

Colistra, C. M., Arthur-Banning, S. G, & Barcelona, R. J. (2014). Integrative review of sport research in selected U.S. recreation journals. Oral presentation at the National Recreation and Park Association Congress and Exposition, Leisure Research Symposium, Charlotte, NC.

Colistra, C. M., Schmalz, D. L., & Evans, K. E. (2013). Using online social media to cope with threatened social identity. Poster presentation at the National Recreation and Park Association Congress and Exposition, Leisure Research Symposium, Houston, TX.

Colistra, C. M. (2010). Improving the effectiveness of employee performance evaluations. Oral presentation at the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association Conference, Raleigh, NC.

Colistra, C. M. (2007). Meeting the chief’s wilderness management challenge: Establishing campsite baseline inventories for determining future management direction southeastern National Forest Wilderness Areas. Poster presentation at the Southeastern Recreation Research Symposium, Asheville, NC.

Colistra, C. M. (2006). Using geospatial technologies to determine acceptable monitoring standards for wilderness campsite conditions at Linville Gorge Wilderness. Poster presentation at the Southeastern Recreation Research Symposium, Wilmington, NC.

Colistra, C. M., & Flood, J. P. (2005). Evaluating the effectiveness of wilderness campsite monitoring at Linville Gorge Wilderness. Oral presentation at the Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium, Bolton Landing, NY.

Colistra, C. M., Bixler, R., & Schmalz, D. L. (2019). Exploring factors that contribute to relationship building in a community center. Journal of Leisure Research, 50(1), 1-17.

Colistra, C., Schmalz, D., & Glover, T. (2017). The meaning of relationship building in the context of a community center and its implications. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 35(2), 37-50.

Schmalz, D. L., & Colistra, C. M. (2016). Obesity stigma as a barrier to healthy eating behavior. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, 31(1), 86-94.

Arthur-Banning, S. G., Colistra, C. M., Orem, G. L., & Barcelona, R. J. (2015). An integrative review of sport research in selected United States recreation journals. Applied Recreational Research and Programming Annual, 5, 22-59.

Schmalz, D. L., Colistra, C. M., & Evans, K. E. (2014). Social media sites as a means of coping with a threatened social identity. Leisure Sciences, 37(1), 20-38.

Schmalz, D. L., Sharp, J. L., & Colistra, C. M. (2014). Implications of weight stigma, attitude, and body mass index on nutrition competence. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, 29(1), 3-9.

Flood, J. P., & Colistra, C. M. (2005). Changes in the aftermath of natural disaster. International Journal of Wilderness, 11(3), 39-41.