2027 Abrahams-Jones Academy for Leadership Excellence

Jennifer Cirillo, CPRE, Director, Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation

Jennifer Cirillo connects people to outstanding parks as the Director of the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department. Passionate about community building, environmental preservation and recreational equity, she has been a servant leader with Palm Beach County for 20 years. She previously held leadership roles in both the private and non-profit sectors of recreation, healthcare, marketing and media. She once opened a sporting goods consignment sole proprietorship and previously worked providing therapeutic recreation services to patients in a head trauma hospital.

What Jennifer values most in her role as Parks and Recreation Director is making connections to break down access barriers so everyone feels welcome in parks and programs. She also spreads the message of parks and recreation as a critical piece of the preventative healthcare system and the preventative criminal justice system, as well as essential infrastructure for both our resiliency and economy.  

Jennifer was fortunate to be born within walking distance of Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA sparking her passion for natural land stewardship and history at an early age. She holds a M.B.A. in Sports Management from Lynn University, a B.S. in International Business from Florida Atlantic University, and an A.A. in Business Administration from Broward State College where she attended on a full basketball scholarship. She is a Certified Parks and Recreation Executive, a Past President of the Florida Recreation and Park Association. Jennifer is a current Board member of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission and Natural Areas Management Advisory Committee.

Richard E. (Rick) Durr, Jr., CPRP, AICP, PLA, Director, Seminole County Leisure Services

 Rick Durr has been serving in the Seminole County Government since 2012 and is currently Director of the County’s Leisure Services Department. As Director, he manages a staff of over 190 employees within four Divisions with an annual operating and capital budget combined of over $20 Million. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Florida; professionally licensed in the State of Florida as a Landscape Architect; a Certified Planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners; a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional; and a graduate of the Leadership Seminole program.  He was elected in 2022 to the Board of Directors of the Florida Recreation and Parks Association. Prior to his work at Seminole County, Rick spent over nineteen years in private practice with a focus on parks system and trails system planning; and, parks, trails and public facility planning, design and construction.

Becky Gunter, CPRP, Director, Seminole Parks and Recreation

Becky Gunter has served as the City of Seminole Recreation Director since 2013.  Prior to coming to the City, she was with the City of Palm Coast  Recreation Department as Recreation Superintendent, and before that, with the City of Greenacres. Becky has over 20 years of experience in parks and recreation. She oversees a Department that hosts 15 community-wide events, over 350 programs, adult and youth athletics, and so much more throughout the year. Under Becky’s passion and enthusiasm, the Seminole Recreation Department was the first Recreation Department to start an esports program in the southeast. Their esport lounge has hosted watch parties, league play, and tournaments. The small but mighty department of 14 continues to be innovative in providing unique programming to the City of Seminole community. 

Becky is the immediate past president of FRPA and has served on the board for five years. She started as a Vice President and served as President from 2022-2023. Becky has served as an Abrahams-Jones Academy coach for three years and faculty for Emerging Leaders for six years. Becky is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional and served on an FRPA Conference Committee and the FRPA Foundation Board.  She truly loves this profession, and it shows in her excitement.

Erin Paige, CPRP, Recreation Manager, West Palm Beach Parks and Recreation

 Erin C. Paige, has been in the Parks and Recreation profession for over 18 years with the City of West Palm Beach. She is a certified Parks and Recreation Professional, Certified Youth Sports Administrator, a member of the National Recreation and Park Ethnic Minority Society, a past speaker at FRPA annual conference and a graduate of the 2019 Abrahams-Jones Academy. Serving in different many capacities for twenty (20) years; teen recreating and programming is her passion. She currently sits in the seat of Recreation Manager, overseeing all childcare licensed afterschool facilities, camps, no school days and two (3) community centers on the north-end of West Palm Beach. Erin served on the FRPA Strategic Plan-Community Building Pillar for three (3) years and currently serves on the FRPA Membership Committee and the Afterschool Business Partnership Council. She is a former student-athlete and graduate from the University of Central Florida, where she earned a B.A. in Organizational Communication.

Rebecca Schnirman, Director of Financial and Support Services Division, Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation

Rebecca Schnirman is the Director of the Financial and Support Services Division for the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department.  The Financial and Support Services Division provides payroll, budgeting, revenue, business development, customer service, point of sale, purchasing, and financial support for the Department.  She has worked for Palm Beach County for 18 years, and has been in her current position for the past ten years. 

 Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Information Systems from Florida Atlantic University and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Florida Atlantic University. In May 2021, Rebecca earned a certificate of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida. Rebecca is an active member of several organizations including the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), the Florida Government Finance Officers Association (FGFOA), the Palm Beach Chapter of the Florida Government Finance Officers Association (PBCFGFOA), the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA), and the Florida Recreation and Park Association (FRPA).  Rebecca served as President for the Palm Beach Chapter of FGFOA from 2016-2017 and is currently the FGFOA Education & Webinar Committee Chair. Rebecca is a proud graduate of FRPA’s 2016 Joe Abrahams Academy for Leadership and earned her CPRP certification in 2016.  Rebecca is currently serving as Vice President of Finance for FRPA.

Tommy Scott, Director, Charlotte County Community Services

Born in Oklahoma, Tommy was raised in New Zealand before returning to Oklahoma to complete high school and earn a degree in Leisure Management from Oklahoma State University. After college, he worked as the Public Events Coordinator and Manager of Public Relations for the River Parks Authority in Tulsa, OK. After many years in Tulsa, Tommy went to work for Encore Facility Management, managing Multi-use Arena’s around the country, but lastly at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, NM. He wanted to get back into delivering direct public service, so he moved to Boise, ID and became a Recreation Manager for the City of Boise’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Early in 2013, he was hired as the Community Services Director for Charlotte County. The Community Service department includes the divisions of: Parks & Natural Resources, Recreation, Library & History, and Extension Services. The operation of the Charlotte Sports Park, our Spring Training Facility, is under the operational responsibility of Community Services Department. In addition, he also oversees the management company who operations our Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center.

 Additionally, some of his successes and life highlights are:

• Over 25 years as Certified Parks and Recreation Professional though the National Parks and Recreation Association
• 2006 Oklahoma Recreation & Parks Society ‘Young Professional Award’; 2007 Encore Facility Management ‘Newcomer of the year’; 2009 City of Boise ‘Employee of the Year’; 2014 Leadership Charlotte thru Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce; Through the years he has served on many local, state and regional boards
• Venue representative for the 2009 International Special Olympics Winter Games that hosted over 200 athletes with special needs from 23 countries
• Lead department to successfully achieve national accreditation by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies in 2017; lead department to successfully achieve re-accreditation in 2022
• Currently engaged with the Certified Public Manager program offered by Florida State University; and I’m also in the High Performance Leadership program class of 2023
• Married for over 26 years to wife Faith; father of two amazing, caring, and successful children