What personal attributes, skills, or knowledge would you bring to the State Board of Directors if elected?
I bring 25 years of municipal recreation and human services experience to the board. Throughout my career I have been known as team player, mentor, and leader. One of my greatest skills is working with people to motivate them and problem solve. I am quick to listen and slow to speak. My leadership philosophy is to coach staff not dictate. I like to analyze situations, come up with a game plan, and then provide all the resources to those around me to best execute that game plan. As a leader, I strongly believe in never giving a task that I am not willing to do. Even if that means I have to roll up my sleeves and get my suit a little dirty, both literally and figuratively. I like to lead by example. I look to empower those around me by giving them the opportunities to succeed, while also being there for them if they fail. I look to use those failures as learning opportunities for future success.
Ultimately, my goal would be to bring these skills and attributes, to the board, to help guide us through what will now become some uncharted waters, as our industry changes post-pandemic.
Why have you chosen to run for the CPRS State Board of Directors?
CPRS has played a vital role in the development of my career. When I say CPRS, I mean the people of CPRS. I have had wonderful mentors like Pilar Alcivar-McCoy, Marie Knight, Leon Raya, and Chad Clanton. I’ve developed a great network and invested in mentoring many young professionals in D10, and now hope to expand that network statewide. My hope would be to bring my experience and knowledge of the success and challenges faced in Orange County to the State, and also share the resources learned at the State level with those at the local Districts/Sections.
What is the greatest challenge our profession faces and how will you lead to address that challenge?
Our profession’s immediate challenge is succession planning. Many agencies are struggling with keeping staffing at full levels. Parks and Rec jobs are no longer the lucrative entry level jobs they once were. We need to change that narrative. As a profession, we did a great job of letting the community know that we served “People, Parks and Playgrounds”. We were successful at letting our legislators know that “Parks Make Life Better”. Now, it’s time to focus on letting our young workforce know that our profession is more than just a sitcom. As the economy turns and the workforce is more motived, we need to cease the moment with a great marketing plan to capture that workforce.