Education
Ph.D. in Leisure Behavior (minor in Telecommunications), Indiana University
M.A. in Recreation Administration – Event Management, California State University, Chico
B.S. in Recreation Administration – Therapeutic Recreation, California State University, Chico
A.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Butte College
Scholarly Contributions
Dr. Purrington’s scholarship centers on three areas: (1) generative artificial intelligence (AI) in recreational therapy practice and education, (2) fieldwork and internship quality in recreational therapy (RT) academic programs, and (3) inclusion, stigma, and technology in leisure. She has authored peer-reviewed articles and an invited paper in the Therapeutic Recreation Journal and other journals, with additional manuscripts in review, and has delivered more than 70 professional presentations, including international keynotes in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. She is a long-standing manuscript reviewer for the Therapeutic Recreation Journal, Leisure Studies, and World Leisure Journal.
Featured Publications
Purrington, S. (2026). Integrating AI into recreational therapy practice [Invited paper]. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 60(2), 238–246. https://doi.org/10.18666/TRJ-2026-V60-I2-13457 Purrington, S.,
Hawkins, B.L., Whitely, K.L., Luvaas, E., Vargas, G.B., & Bentley-Gottel, E. (2023). How RT/TR academic programs structure the NCTRC-eligible internship into their curricula. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 57(3), 246–255. https://doi.org/10.18666/TRJ-2023-V57-I3-11998
Hawkins, B.L., Whitely, K.L., Purrington, S., Vargas, G.B., Luvaas, E., & Bentley-Gottel, E. (2023). Towards a better understanding of fieldwork in RT/TR academic programs. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 57(3), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.18666/TRJ-2023-V57-I3-12000
Leadership & Professional Service
Dr. Purrington chairs the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) AI Task Force and serves on ATRA’s Higher Education Committee and its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee. She served on ATRA’s Evidence-based Practice Committee, and was an advisory committee member for Idyll Arbor. Beyond RT associations, she co-chaired the City of Flagstaff Commission on Inclusion and Adaptive Living, founded the nonprofit welcomed here, co-founded the Liberal Arts Collaborative for Emerging Tech, and served as an EDUCAUSE Horizon Report panelist. She has been an ATRA member since 2014.
Professional Awards & Recognition
Dr. Purrington is a recognized educator and leader in RT education and AI. She was selected as the Harold F. Wiley Generative AI Teaching and Learning Fellow at Connecticut College and has delivered invited keynotes for RT associations in Utah, New York, New Zealand, and Australia. Her work has been featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education and University Business. At Northern Arizona University, she led the Graduate Certificate in Recreational Therapy, developing its core courses and a faculty-led global RT study abroad course. She has taught recreation and RT courses in the United States and Canada since 2008.