DECEMBER
December 18, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET | 0.1 CEUs | REGISTER
Navigating Conflict: Conversations that Connect
Velma Knowles, Chief Energy Officer, Leaders Pathway
Difficult conversations, when not handled effectively, or not handled at all, comes with a significant cost. The cost to your business is time and productivity. The cost to relationships in the workplace is a breakdown in trust and engagement. Your organization can’t afford for this to happen. Empower your leaders with the mindset and skillset to engage in tough conversations more effectively. Transform conflict into collaboration and have your tough conversations with less stress and more success.This session will NOT be recorded so you will need to attend live to receive the CEU credit.
About Velma: Velma Knowles is a Gallup Strengths Certified Coach, Human Behavioral Investigator, and Bestselling Author. From helping to build the Conservation Legacy of the Bahamas to leading award-winning membership growth for associations, Velma's passion is helping organizations build a value-driven culture of belonging. On a personal note, when not building cultures where people feel valued, Velma enjoys photographing birds, bike riding and pretending she likes to exercise.
JANUARY
January 9, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET | 0.1 CEUs | REGISTER
Turning the Power On In Empowerment
Kelsey Mears, Assistant Director, Marion County Parks and Recreation
Charles Ryan, CPRP, CPSI, Operations Manager, Marion County Parks and Recreation
Learning how to unlock your team's potential through empowerment and distinct culture change from traditional government. Power and Empowerment are not just buzzwords of the day, but can be an effective leadership strategy to move your team into action. Consider registering for the second part of this topic on January 24.
About Kelsey: Kelsey Mears is the Assistant Director for Marion County Parks & Recreation. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Parks & Recreation Management with an emphasis on community, commercial and tourism. She is a certified parks and recreation professional with 21 years of experience in municipal Parks & Recreation. Throughout her career she has overseen multiple sports facilities, recreation programs, aquatics, event management and has been in administration for over 7 years. Through her years of service and experience Kelsey has developed into an innovative leader that has a passion for developing herself and her team.
About Charles: Charles Ryan is the Operations Manager for the Marion County Parks & Recreation Department where he oversees the operations of 57 unique sites (approximately 2,621 acres). His focus is providing safe recreational opportunities for our community through proper maintenance, conservation, and operations by emphasizing on employee development and public education. Charles was born and raised in Marion County and has worked for the County for over 17 years with 11 of those being in the Parks & Recreation Department. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources with an emphasis on Organizational Development and maintains his Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and his Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certifications.
January 24, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET | 0.1 CEUs | REGISTER
Matrix: Dive into a Developmental Plan
Kelsey Mears, Assistant Director, Marion County Parks and Recreation
Charles Ryan, CPRP, CPSI, Operations Manager, Marion County Parks and Recreation
---Description coming soon----
About Kelsey: Kelsey Mears is the Assistant Director for Marion County Parks & Recreation. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Parks & Recreation Management with an emphasis on community, commercial and tourism. She is a certified parks and recreation professional with 21 years of experience in municipal Parks & Recreation. Throughout her career she has overseen multiple sports facilities, recreation programs, aquatics, event management and has been in administration for over 7 years. Through her years of service and experience Kelsey has developed into an innovative leader that has a passion for developing herself and her team. About Charles: Charles Ryan is the Operations Manager for the Marion County Parks & Recreation Department where he oversees the operations of 57 unique sites (approximately 2,621 acres). His focus is providing safe recreational opportunities for our community through proper maintenance, conservation, and operations by emphasizing on employee development and public education. Charles was born and raised in Marion County and has worked for the County for over 17 years with 11 of those being in the Parks & Recreation Department. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources with an emphasis on Organizational Development and maintains his Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and his Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certifications.
FEBRUARY
February 4, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET | 0.1 CEUs | REGISTER
Breaking Disability Stigmas in Recreation Programs
Thera Johnson, Recreation Therapist, Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces
Alex De La Campa, Recreation and Inclusion Specialist, Miami-Dade Co Parks, Recreation & Open Spaces
Disability stigmas are negative thoughts and actions that create barriers for inclusive recreation for all. This session will help attendees understand how our thoughts, actions and understanding of disability affect our interactions with people of varying disabilities. Learning how to develop positive interactions others’ emotional intelligence will also yield improved social cohesiveness and satisfaction among employees or clients served.
About Thera: Thera Johnson is a graduate of Florida International University Recreation Therapy Bachelor’s degree program. As a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) Thera began her career at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center working within an Acute Rehabilitation Facility with patients recovering from various disabling conditions with whom she provided physical, cognitive, and social recreational therapeutic interventions as well as community reintegration activities. Throughout her clinical employment Thera was enrolled full time at the University of West Florida where she earned her Masters degree in Public Administration. In 2013 Thera made a career decision to return to her first love, community based Recreational Therapy and has been employed with Miami Dade Parks and Recreation Therapeutic Recreation and Inclusion department.
About Alex: Alex De La Campa is a graduate of Florida International University’s Recreation and Sport Management, Recreational Therapy Bachelor’s degree program and a candidate for the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) designation. As a student Alex completed his Recreational Therapy 560 hour internship in the Therapeutic Recreation & Inclusion Division within Miami Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces ( MDPROS-TRI) and became an employee in 2019. He initially worked with adults who have various disabilities at the MDPROS-TRI Leisure Access Center Adult Day Training program and provided different community based therapeutic recreation opportunities focusing on educational, recreational, and social domains. In 2022 Alex was promoted to the Recreation & Inclusion Specialist position. He currently supervises the afterschool program for children with disabilities, provides different Adaptive Sports opportunities for Veterans with special needs, and is the Assistant Coach for the Miami Heat Wheels Wheelchair Basketball team.
February 13, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET | 0.1 CEUs | REGISTER
Big Project….Big Planning
Kelly Boatwright, Acting Assistant Director, Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation
Jennifer Davis, Director, Port St. Lucie Community Redevelopment Agency
What happens when a Parks and Recreation Department teams up with their Community Redevelopment Agency to help the City put the “Port” in Port St. Lucie? Learn how the vision for a riverfront destination along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River was developed and is coming to life, creating recreational and business opportunities while developing a sense of place for this very unique area of the City.
About Kelly: Kelly Boatwright has been working for the City of Port St. Lucie Parks & Recreation Department (PSLPRD) for seven years and is currently the Acting Assistant Director. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism in 2008 and became a Certified Park and Recreation Professional in 2018. She is a graduate of the 2023 FRPA Abrahams Jones Academy and was selected as the 2023 FRPA Golden Shovel-Parks Profession Award recipient. Kelly has been afforded the opportunity to collaborate on many projects for the City of Port St Lucie including the PSLPRD 10-Year Master Plan and a diverse portfolio of park and trail construction projects.
About Jennifer: Jennifer Davis the Director for the City of Port St. Lucie’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). As a seasoned public administrator with over two decades of senior leadership experience at both local and state levels, Jennifer is proficient in executing all facets of governmental business operations including short- and long-term planning initiatives, departmental and agency-wide budgeting and policy, project management team oversight, and process improvement. She is responsible for implementing initiatives that support the City Council’s and CRA Board’s strategic goals and objectives. In addition to The Port District, Jennifer is currently working to redevelop City Center on the east side of town, a 70+- acre mixed used redevelopment project, as well as continuing to grow the Southern Grove Jobs Corridor along I-95.
February 26, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET | 0.1 CEUs | REGISTER
Leadership in Action – Integrating Leadership, Equity, Accessibility and Diversity
Jacob Baker, Recreation Manager, Ocala Parks and Recreation
This session will go beyond the buzzwords to discuss L.E.A.D principles and how they can be integrated into any management style or organization. The focus of this interactive presentation will be practical implementation and understanding relevant challenges, opportunities and starting points.
About Jacob: From the front desk to the field, Jacob has been involved in almost every aspect of recreation. Formerly in education and childcare, Jacob fell in love with recreation in 2012 for what he thought was a temporary job at a municipal aquatic center. He was recently promoted to Recreation Manager. Previous he supervised the E.D. Croskey Recreation Center as well as the operations of the Mary Sue Rich Community Center, located in the sprawling metropolis of Ocala. As someone who’s directly benefitted from a culturally rich and multifaceted background, he’s aware of the challenges and opportunities faced by parks and recreation professionals as well as our clients.
MARCH
March 4, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 PM ET | 0.1 CEUs | REGISTER
Market your TR Program as a RT!
Alyssa Elsner, CTRS, Education & Community Outreach Coordinator, St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation
Meagan Young, CTRS, Health Program Supervisor, St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation
Use the skills you have right in your RT toolbox to help develop a comprehensive marketing plan for your Therapeutic Recreation program and better market yourself as an RT! In this session you will learn how to develop a comprehensive program plan to better market your TR program, develop a Therapeutic Recreation Goal Guide, and learn more about SEO and digital marketing along the way!
About Alyssa: Alyssa Elsner is formally an Exceptional Student Education Teacher turned Recreation Therapist after some soul searching on how she could better serve her community and award her life a little more work life balance in the name of self-care. Who doesn’t love some self-care? Now she practices what she preaches to my students and really learned how to take care of her well! One of the favorite parts of her job now of being a Recreation Therapist is the opportunity to serve her community in those same self-care ways that helped her transition from teaching and really improve her quality of life through hobbies, leisure, and so much recreation!
About Meagan: Meagan Young is a Certificated Therapeutic Recreation Therapist (CTRS) and holds a Bachelors in Recreation specializing in Therapeutic Recreation and Outdoor Recreation Management. Meagan has over 10 years of experience working in multiple service areas including therapeutic recreation, community recreation, and mental health & addiction services. Meagan is passionate about improving well-being outcomes and reducing health inequities through the strategic use of community led evidence-based programming and collaborative partnerships.