Patricia "Pattie" Roberts, CPRP
Deputy Director
Port St Lucie Parks and Recreation
All response items below have been submitted and communicated exactly as they were written by the nominee.
"My desire to serve is based on three values - Service, Passion and Advocacy. In Service, I will re-pay FRPA membership for the myriad benefits I have reaped. Passion is a necessary force in all that we do in parks and recreation. It drives us to be the best of the best for our communities. Advocacy motivates my desire to serve. Legends such as Dr. David Barth and Michelle Park have influenced my desire to expand my horizons of service."
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Pattie Roberts went on to graduate from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. It was at ASU that Pattie met her future husband, Terry, with whom she has been married for almost 42 years.
Pattie’s career has been in both the private and public sectors, serving in various positions of Administration. A voracious reader and “lover of the English word,” Pattie has served for almost 16 years with the City of Port St. Lucie Parks & Recreation Department (PSLPRD), ultimately reaching her current position of Deputy Director-Administration.
In her current role since 2016, while her duties are comprised of a plethora of varying responsibilities, the one in which Pattie is most proud is that of CAPRA Coordinator. With PSLPRD having successfully achieved CAPRA accreditation in 2021, Pattie has quickly become a true champion of the CAPRA process and she spearheads a great team of professionals at PSLPRD who are seeking CAPRA re-accreditation in 2026.
Pattie’s son Danny Roberts died in 2018 due to mental health and substance misuse. That catastrophic loss has shaped Pattie’s service in parks and recreation as she is a staunch advocate that mental health services are integral in our roles as parks and recreation professionals.
What does the field of Parks, Recreation, Conservation, Cultural Affairs, Arts, Leisure Services, etc., mean to you?
Our profession is the one who manages, plans, and maintains places for social engagement, physical activity, play, access to nature, alternative transportation (trails) and other quality of life amenities in our community. Historically, public parks and recreation began as a social service and problem solver. Government then provided for those who were unable to provide for themselves. Tax revenues were traditionally used as primary revenue source. Through evolution, our profession, public parks and recreation agencies, are now employing corporate or business best practice models to help sustain systems.
What motivates you to be a Parks and Recreation professional?
For me, I find meaning and inspiration as a parks and recreation professional through our inherent ability to impact the lives of our community. Whether it’s by providing a quality park, meandering trail to blaze among nature, a fitness program to boost physical and mental health, a senior/tot/teen/adult recreation program to offer social health benefits, or a round of play at a municipal golf course, I have the privilege and honor to seeing how what we do “touches the lives” of those in our community.
Why are you interested in serving FRPA as a member of the FRPA Board of Directors?
As a park and recreation professional entering my 16th year of service, I have been attending conferences since 2012. More importantly, though, is the fact that FRPA is very much more than Annual Conferences. Through my
evolution as a parks and recreation professional, I have been afforded many opportunities to become much more involved in FRPA. The Association offers a plethora of chances for involvement, to enrich our profession, growth in leadership skills, and service to our community. Being a member of FRPA is so much more than professional development, though. Being a part of the Association has taught me that nothing is gained by living on an island. The most important benefit I have gained through my years with FRPA is the network I now have of quintessential colleagues, with whom I can turn to should I have a need. My reason for serving FRPA as a member of their Board of Directors is simply one small way in which I can humbly attempt to give back for all that the Association has given me.
What makes you uniquely qualified to serve as a member of the FRPA Board of Directors?
As a CAPRA accredited agency, my department is a long-time adopter and crafter of Strategic Planning. Beginning with our department’s first-ever Strategic Plan in 2018 (as facilitated by legendary park and recreation
professional, Dr. David Barth), we aligned our department’s Strategic Plan with that of our overall City’s Strategic Plan, with ours focused on five goals, with their supporting objectives and initiatives. Twice annually, we meet as a CAPRA team, to craft and refine our Strategic Plan.
Having become a Certified Park & Recreation Professional this year, I feel that education and experience will provide me with opportunities to bring further expertise to the profession while serving on the Board. I am also a graduate of the 2023 FRPA Abrahams-Jones Academy, in which I was honored and privileged to participate. Throughout the extensive two-week duration of professional leadership development training with the Academy, my experiences there lend themselves as a great foundation to serving on the Board.
I am a CAPRA CRT Volunteer and anticipate my first assignment as a trained CAPRA Volunteer in early 2024. This training/experience has enabled me to understand many facets of accreditation to assist me in helping others become accredited/re-accredited.
Additionally, I have also been a participant in the FRPA Agency Summits for the past several years, where I’ve been afforded the opportunity to learn about trends and practices among other leading agencies. More
importantly, the Summits I’ve attended have also given me the opportunity to meet with my fellow park and recreation colleagues where we share successes and challenges facing us in our profession.
I also offer as qualifications to serve on the FRPA Board my experience the past several years as a Mentor in FRPA’s very successful POD program. I’ve enjoyed each experience participating in the POD groups, as I learn more about my younger colleagues than I feel I share with them. Many of the relationships I’ve formed with the mentees are still ongoing, in that either I or they reach out to connect on pressing issues/concerns either of us are experiencing. The relationships I’ve formed with the previous POD groups have proven extremely beneficial, and some of us “meet up” at conference.
I would further offer that my experiences at previous FRPA Staff Retreats prepared me to be in an optimal position to serve on the FRPA Board. The most recent 2023 Staff Retreat was, for me, a very rewarding, yet challenging opportunity, as we worked diligently toward crafting what I consider what I consider an extremely aggressive, robust and bold Strategic Plan for the Association. Activating the profession, the professionals, and FRPA Influence and Credibility, while lofty in nature, are necessary and critical components of a relevant and forward-thinking Strategic Plan. While at times the creation of the Strategic Plan provided moments of dismay as the cohesive team of professionals assembled work to finalize the Plan, I was and am still in awe of all that we accomplished during those few days. I look forward to serving, in whatever capacity, but minimally for sure as the Chairperson for the Membership Committee, to move this Strategic Plan forward in the coming years for our Association.
What tools/resources do you utilize to stay on the cutting edge in the Parks, Recreation and Leisure profession, and where would you look to gain insight into what lies ahead as far as challenges and changes in the next five years?
As a voracious reader, I scour any and all profession-related articles in the field of parks and recreation. I am an active member of NRPA’s Leadership Development Network; attend many of NRPA’s virtual education offerings, serve as a Mentor for NRPA/AAPRA (for the past few years); I’ve written articles for the FRPA Journal (and am a regular reader of each edition); am the creator of and facilitate each of our department’s innovative CAPRA Co-Lab, where we secure presenters whose expertise lies within respective Sections of the CAPRA Standards. The Co-Lab is cutting-edge, in that presenters share with us, in person, their expertise in, for instance Section 9, Risk Management (Attorney Shawn DeRosa will present on this Section). The past Co-Lab in October brought Mr. Art Thatcher with Berry Dunn to share his expertise on Trends in Recreation. Previous Co-Labs this year brought us Ms. Carolina Vester with Coral Gables, as she shared her expertise in Section 8 with Emergency Action Guidelines. The Co-Labs have brought much needed current and future thinking for both my team and I as we continue to evolve this great profession of parks and recreation.
Detail your involvement with FRPA over the past 3 – 5 years.
While I feel I’ve shared my involvement with FRPA over the past 3-5 years in the previous question regarding qualifications to serve on the FRPA Board, I would offer the following additions: For the past two fiscal years, I have served as the Chair of FRPA’s Health Pillar Committee. In early 2023, our agency was the host of FRPA’s Park Management Institute, which was an enriching experience as we scheduled and hosted a variety of presenters to share expertise in many facets of parks operations. I’ve also served on the Editorial Committee as we reviewed books in the profession and provided/published a Book Review in the FRPA Journal. I have also appeared on FRPA’s Park Spark PODcast series.
I have also presented/attended meetings with FRPA’s Young Professionals group, to share my experiences as a “seasoned” park and recreation professional. I am also a regular attendee at FRPA’s Chats for Directors/Assistant Directors, where I learn and share about current topics being experienced in our profession. Moreover, for the past few years, I have presented several education sessions at FRPA Annual Conferences (i.e., HealthyU: A Series of Conversations, Fully Integrating CAPRA Accreditation you’re your Culture, and How to Welcome New Employees into your Agency. Additionally, my agency is the proud recipient, for the past four consecutive years, of an FRPA Award. Starting in 2020 through 2023, we have been recognized by FRPA in categories such as Innovation in Health Award, Public Relations Campaign, and in 2023, dually awarded with both the Agency Excellence in Health Award and FRPA’s Park Professional Award for Kelly Boatwright.
Detail your leadership involvement with Associations/Community or Civic Organizations outside of FRPA over the past 3 – 5 years.
For the past four years, I have served on the Treasure Coast Opioid Task Force. This is a group of professionals within our community who are dedicated toward making a difference in education, raising awareness and removing the stigma associated with Opioid Misuse Disorder. Ultimately, the Task Force’s Mission is to improve the devastating impacts of the current opioid public health emergency plaguing our communities. From 2021 through 2022, I also served as the TCOTF as its Chairperson, which involved facilitating meetings, scheduling presenters, etc. I also created a Steering Committee for the Task Force, where we then worked to develop a robust Mission, Vision and Value Statement for the Task Force. We also drafted a Strategic Plan for the Task Force, which was later shared with the current Chairperson.
Please explain your understanding of the responsibilities of being a Board member of a non-profit organization.
As an FRPA Board member, ultimately reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, would hold me accountable to conducting FRPA business in accordance with their Articles of Incorporation and ByLaws. As Vice President, if so elected, I understand I would assist and facilitate in the development of goal sand objectives for any Committee/Task Force assigned to my position; would review agenda items submitted by Chairs of Committees/Task Forces assigned to my position; communicate policies and procedures to Chairs of Committees/Task Forces assigned to my position, ensuring that policies are adhered to and deadlines are met; actively participate in the recruitment and retention of membership in the Association to include attending functions of the Association, addressing the membership when called upon by the President; attend educational workshops in my area or others as requested by the President, and promote FRPA membership benefits while there; remain current on legislative and advocacy efforts so that I may represent FRPA in meetings with elected officials when requested by the President or CEO; maintain and uphold policies of the Association; submit a written report for each Board Meeting by an established deadline.
What do you think is the most important role of the Board of Directors of FRPA specifically, and what would you think is the most difficult responsibility facing Board members?
The most important role of the FRPA Board of Directors is to represent the Association’s membership fairly and impartially, so that all parks and recreation professionals’ voices are heard. This is challenging as it is critical, then, that Board Members understand the needs of the membership, so that the Board can advocate on their behalf when making decisions that impact our profession. The most difficult responsibility facing Board members is how to balance their already heavy workload with the needs of the Association. Balance is critical to maintaining a healthy work/life balance, and being volunteer Board Members involves a dedication of oneself toward the improvement of others.
What do you envision as the primary function of the position you are seeking and what skills do you have that would most benefit the Association (and ultimately the membership) if elected to the position?
The primary function for which I’m seeking is to be of service to the Association, in providing fair and just representation on behalf of those I represent. One example of my experience in doing so has been in my own department, as the agency’s primary CAPRA Coordinator.
Representing the entire CAPRA accreditation and re-accreditation teams, for all 10 Sections of CAPRA, can often be daunting, as each Section varies greatly, and the needs and wants of our CAPRA team are diverse. In serving as CAPRA Coordinator, I must remove my “bias” and apply knowledge and guidance to all Sections, regardless of whether that applicable Section is in my “wheel-house.”
What challenges do you see on the horizon for the profession, and how would you see that impacting the Association?
The biggest challenge on the horizon for the profession will continue to be how to recruit top talent into our agencies. The current and anticipated workforce is fraught with challenges, i.e., generational differences with respect to work/life balance, etc. It is critical that we work to expand our “pool” of talent by recruiting diversity into our membership.
What do you believe to be the greatest opportunity for revenue growth/development for the Association?
We must put a value on what we do and what we provide our communities. In today’s world of inflation, that value has increased dramatically, and our Florida communities must be educated on what the value is of our services, parks and facilities. With the support of elected officials, a gradual approach to value management can be obtained in the coming years.
One of the greatest challenges facing FRPA is the delivery of innovative and applicable professional development opportunities. What approach would you employ towards identifying potential training opportunities and how would you determine their overall effectiveness in meeting the needs of the membership? What strategy would you utilize for the development and implementation of these development opportunities?
Our profession has a plethora of expertise available to provide trainings. I discovered that two years ago, when we created our CAPRA Co-Lab program. I engage and secure the services of both national and state professionals in our field of park and recreation, to come address CAPRA-specific Section standards. Often, these professionals do not charge fees to do so; rather, we reimburse for travel/per diem, etc. The same approach could be had for bringing top-notch talent to the membership, which could align with NRPA’s LDN speaker bureau or the FRPA Speaker Bureau tasked to us in the new FRPA Strategic Plan.
Through the CAPRA Co-Lab, involvement with City Alliance, NRPA and FRPA, I would continue to network and reach out to qualified “subject matter experts” to bring a wide array of talent for trainings to our membership
FRPA has foundational pillars that include - Health, Community Building, Environmental Sustainability and Resiliency, and Economic Impact/Development. Please describe the significance of these pillars, and how you utilize those to tell the story of parks and recreation.
The significance of each of the four pillars is tremendous and far-reaching. For Health, as a previous Chair of that Pillar Committee, the opportunity to enhance and improve the physical, mental and social health of not just our own membership, but those we serve, is at the very core of what we do in our profession. Community Building is so often closely “meshed” with Health, in that a health community is one that has achieved the trifecta of health – mental, social and physical health. Environmental Sustainability is the pillar that works to improve our very environ – and ensure that our natural habitats, preserves and open green spaces are here for generations to come to enjoy. Lastly, the Economic Impact/Development Pillar speaks to the very value of our profession – what is the true cost of our services, parks and facilities, and how do they improve the quality of life for our residents.
The current FRPA strategic plan includes three categories of work which include: Activating FRPA's Influence and Credibility, Activating our Profession, and Activation our Professionals. Please elaborate on your understanding of these categories and how you would engage in each area.
Having been a part of the exciting and dynamic team that inspired the current Strategic Plan, for Activating FRPA’s Influence and Credibility, establishing a subject matter expert collective/bureau, increasing legislative presence through active member engagement, and collaborating with allied organizations to expand and sustain our influence and credibility, are all Success Strategies that, once accomplished, will provide our Association with strategic
and futuristic success. Activating our Profession, speaks to the fact that FRPA is the hub and guiding force for leading, connecting, educating and advocating for today and tomorrow. Success Strategies include expanding and diversifying training opportunities, connecting more parks and recreation and allied professions; and fostering an atmosphere to create local connections. Activating our Professionals speaks to FRPA providing career pipelines for parks and recreation professions. We will do so by adopting the Success Strategies of creating career maps for segments of the parks and recreation field and supporting those through training and development opportunities; developing a Welcome Program for new parks and recreation professionals; and partnering with educational institutions to promote workforce pipeline for parks and recreation field.
Please describe how you would actively promote the use of the FRPA Impact Calculator, and the importance of telling the story of parks and recreation to the FRPA membership as well as external audiences. Promoting the use of the Impact Calculator is a story best told by demonstrating the app; simply by highlighting one park or facility in a community, and demonstrating the data that “spews” from the app, clearly shows
others the importance of this tool, and how its continued use can be beneficial when justifying budgets, soliciting public engagement, and so many other uses.
FRPA is intentionally focusing on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Please describe how you will support the Association's commitment to diversity, and encourage members from diverse populations to engage with the Association.
Intentional focus is key to the success of adopting a diverse, equitable, inclusive and “sense of belonging” among the Association. A singular focus of mine has been to intentionally focus on recruiting older professionals into the Association. Often, the older professionals feel they have aged out when it comes to value to the profession. One often hears “I’ve already done that years ago, what new could I bring to that initiative?” When, in all likelihood, their input continues to have value and a real place toward improving our profession. Older professionals often don’t think their participation on Committees or attendance at Conference would be of value to themselves or their fellow colleagues; rather their life experiences and most especially the evolution of parks and recreation programming can be of extreme value to our Association as we grow.