Christopher R. Edginton is the R.J. McElroy Professor of Youth Leadership Studies; School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services University of Northern Iowa. He has held direct leadership, supervisory and administrative positions in the recreation, parks and leisure services field. From 1991-2010, he served as professor and director of the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services. In 1985, he founded the nationally award-winning Camp Adventure™ Child & Youth Services program. Since its inception, the program has provided contracted services for children and youth worldwide. From 2004-2014, he served as secretary general of the World Leisure Organization, a nongovernmental organization operating in consultative status with The United Nations. He is the cofounder of the Global Forum for Physical Education Pedagogy (GoFPEP), a worldwide social movement aimed at rethinking, reframing, and refocusing physical education pedagogy and the training of health and physical education teachers. Dr. Edginton has been identified as the leading proponent of the application of contemporary management concepts in the park and recreation field.

Dr. Edginton has published nearly 300 articles and over 30 books focused on the topics of leisure programming, leadership, management and youth work. His co‑authored books include: Productive Management of Leisure Service Organizations: A Behavioral Approach; Recreation and Leisure Programming: A Guide for the Professional; The Recreation and Leisure Service Delivery System; Commercial Leisure Services: Managing for Profit, Service, and Personal Satisfaction; Leisure Programming: A Service-Centered and Benefits Approach; Youth Programs: Promoting Quality Services; Leisure and Life Satisfaction: Foundational Perspectives; Enhancing the Livability of Iowa Communities: The Role of Recreation, Natural Resource Development and Tourism; Managing Recreation, Park, and Leisure Services; Leisure: Basic Concepts; Papers of the American Academy; Leadership for Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services; Youth Work: Emerging Perspectives in Youth Development, Leisure and Transformation; and Managing for Excellence: Programs of Distinction for Children and Youth. ‘