Pre-Conference Workshops
Get a jumpstart on learning by registering to attend NRPA’s Pre-Conference Workshops (PCWs), held on October 14 and 15. You’ll save money on travel and expenses by attending these half-day and full-day workshops that lead up to NRPA’s Congress and Exposition. Covering such topics as strategic economic planning, agency accreditation, and improving staff performance through motivation techniques, these workshops are a valuable addition to your professional development plans.
Educational Sessions
The NRPA Congress and Exposition provides hundreds of learning opportunities through 11 educational tracks specifically tailored to parks and recreation. Choose a track that best suits your needs, or participate across educational tracks for a well-rounded experience. Tracks include:
1. Citizen/Advocacy
2. Employee/Volunteer Management
3. Environmental Stewardship
4. Healthy Lifestyles
5. Leadership and Management
6. Planning, Design, and Maintenance
7. Professional Development
8. Public Relations/Marketing
9. Recreation Programming
10. Revenue/Customer Service
11. Sports
Most of the tracks have sessions available throughout the entire week to allow attendees to follow one track for the duration of the conference. Some highlights from a few of the tracks are on the following pages. See the full list of preconference workshops and educational sessions, and register to attend, at www. nrpa.org/Congress2012.
Monday, October 15
Session 85: From Victims of Circumstance to Masters of Destiny
8:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.,0.4 CEUs, Fee: $65
Financial pressures have made it imperative that parks departments become more self-sustaining, and the most effective approaches include an organization-wide strategy of sustainable growth supported by elected officials and senior department leadership. This session will provide case studies on Sonoma County Regional Parks’ recent successes in forming local partnerships that are creating new revenue sources, efficiencies, and enthusiasm for the parks and resurrecting an aging park system with unlimited potential.
Participants will take away specific case studies that can help them with the logistics and best practices of public-private partnerships. During the session, small groups will brainstorm, draft, and share a proposal for at least one specific initiative they can use to begin implementing a sustainable approach. This session aims to create a network of parks agencies interested in learning from each other beyond the conference to collaborate on experiences implementing this approach to park management.
Caryl Hart, J.D., Ph.D., Director, Sonoma County, California, Regional Parks, Leon Younger, Founder and President, PROS Consulting
About the speakers—Hart will present her experience implementing the sustainability approach in Sonoma County Regional Parks. Younger will provide the framework for a sustainable parks department, based on many years of working with parks agencies throughout the country, most recently in Sonoma County.
Session 92: Risk Management for Parks and Recreation Professionals
1:15 p.m.–5:30 p.m.,0.4 CEUs, Fee: $65
A park and recreation agency that understands the risks they choose to undertake, how they manage those risks, and plans for the potential outcomes is an agency that has positioned itself to make good decisions, be responsive to the safety of staff and patrons, and effectively use budgeted funds. There are some new trends in the risk management discipline, including the concept of risk as value neutral— neither good nor bad—and the trend toward integrated risk management, called Enterprise Risk Management (ERM).
Participants will learn about resources available to assist with risk management and be able to explain the risks and hazards common to parks and recreation, apply standard strategies for treating these risks and hazards, utilize a step-by-step risk management process, and create the basic components of a risk management plan.
Kathy Capps, CPRE, Grants and Risk Manager, City of Raleigh, North Carolina, Parks and Recreation, Dirk Richwine, Recreation Superintendent, City of Henderson, Nevada, Parks and Recreation
About the speaker—In addition to working full time as the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department’s Risk Manager for three years, Capps’ master’s thesis was designed to explore accident occurrence in outdoor recreation. Capps is also halfway through coursework for a technical certification in risk management, and she played a major role in recovery efforts of the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department after the 2011 tornadoes.
Tuesday, October 16
Session 136: Let’s Get Real About Racism: Cultural Competency for Leaders
2:45 p.m.–6:00 p.m.,0.3 CEUs
With agencies, workplaces, and communities becoming increasingly more diverse, cultural competency and the elimination of cultural and personal bias become correspondingly important issues. New skills and new perspectives will be needed to meet the challenges of a more diverse population, and fears about having to change need to be addressed. Cultural competency is a must if we want to foster inclusivity and cultural sensitivity in our institutions.
To address some of the unspoken issues regarding race, Lee has developed a technique called The Art of Mindful Facilitation—a unique way of relating and observing from an Asian and Buddhist perspective using the concept of “mindful listening.”
Lee Mun Wah, Executive Director, StirFry Seminars & Consulting
About the speaker—Lee is an internationally renowned Chinese- American documentary filmmaker, author, educator, community therapist, and diversity trainer. For more than 25 years, he was a resource specialist and counselor in the San Francisco Unified School District. Lee is now the executive director of StirFry Seminars & Consulting, a diversity training company that provides educational tools and workshops on issues pertaining to cross-cultural communication and awareness, mindful facilitation, and conflict mediation techniques.
Wednesday, October 17
Session 206: How to Negotiate and Write Smart Contracts for Parks and Recreation
9:00 a.m.–10:15 a.m.,0.1 CEUs
With the unprecedented decline in revenue sources and the future unclear as to the economic recovery, municipal governments find themselves understaffed and unable to meet all the needs of their constituents. For park and recreation agencies to protect their infrastructure and to continue providing the well-documented benefits of services, outsourcing of maintenance, operational, and service-oriented functions is becoming a norm of conducting business. Fortunately, agencies can supplement these functions through innovative partnerships. When entering into these partnerships, however, the risks for public agencies must be protected and thus solid contract development and then management of these contracts are key to a successful operation.
An e-book is planned that will expand upon the session presentation and provide users with steps to develop and manage contracts. Attendees will be able to:
■ Understand their agency’s objective before issuing solicitation documents and drafting a contract
■ Explain how to create a well-written solicitation document (RFPs, etc.) that will transfer to a solid contract and result in clear outcomes for efficient contract management
■ Create a list of components of a strong contract that protects the public interest organization, through risk mitigation and fiscal savings (contract terms)
■ Discuss negotiation tips for contract agreements and processes to adopt for sound contract management.
Paul Kuglitsch, Contract Services Officer, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Culture, Meaghan Ellsworth, Managing Partner, AssistGov
About the speakers—Ellsworth has worked in small towns of less the 10,000 residents to major municipal governments exceeding 240,000 residents, soliciting contractual services, crafting new contracts, and managing contracts to ensure compliance, and sustain mutually beneficial partnerships. Kuglitsch works full time to contract lifecycle management, outline contract terms, mitigate risks, ensure compliance, and sustain mutually beneficial partnerships.
Session 259: Learnings From a Closer Look at the Re-Imagination Journey
4:45 p.m.–6:00 p.m.,0.1 CEUs
Attendees will learn more about the Disney leadership/management practices that deliver magic every single day, with all guests at the sports complex. It will challenge the participant to pick up a few nuggets and bring that magic home with them. Although Disney is a rather large enterprise, if you break it down, it comes down to solid fundamental strategic planning and execution focused on the guest experience. Strategy, execution, and the visiting guest (or athlete) applies very well to this space.
Alex Vergara, Sports Marketing and Technology Director, Disney Sports Attractions, Neelay Bhatt, Vice President, PROS Consulting
About the speakers—As a Walt Disney World cast member for nearly 17 years, Vergara has been part of the executive leadership team of the business since its launch. Through the years of introducing a new destination facility into the industry, they have always focused on innovation. Their ESPN Wide World of Sports re-imagination effort was a milestone moment since it combined the best of both Disney and ESPN brands into a unique sports experience. Vergara led the project management efforts that integrated more than 40 functional divisions of both units and says it was a great fun. “I came to work every day, and still do, thinking, ‘What’s next?’ when it came to our business.”
Thursday, October 18
Session 326: Parks: A Prescription for Health
9:45 a.m.–11:00 a.m.,0.1 CEUs
Rx Play is a collaboration between medical providers and recreation providers, designed to use existing systems and requiring only very small additions to current practices. This type of intervention is easy to implement, expand, and replicate without significant additional funding. The widespread problem of physical inactivity and the dramatic increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity underscores the need for programs and policies to effectively promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior in children and adolescents. This program helps these individuals make that leap from receiving advice to taking positive action through warm handoff and outreach, bringing together community needs and resources. It appears that the program’s strongest market niche is low-income families (those with higher incomes often choose other strategies for getting their children physically active). As a result, there is a need for scholarship funding (for program enrollment) to support the program. In addition, since many families contacted are Hispanic, there is a need for bilingual (Spanish) park staff to make outreach calls. Attendees will leave with all necessary administrative materials to start their own Rx Play prescription program in their jurisdiction.
Terry Bergerson, Outdoor Recreation Planner, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Jean Rystrom, Department Administrator for Medicaid Care Delivery, Kaiser Permanente, Northwest
About the speakers—Bergerson and Rystrom co-led the creation and development of the Portland Rx Play Program.