Session: Essential Tools: Ensuring Relevance
Track: Resource & Revenue Development

9:00 am - 12:00pm
Speaker: Chris Nunes, The Woodland Township

Description: The challenges of today are multi‐faceted and can range from social ills to business models. Do we attempt to solve them all or identify what problems our agency’s effectively address? What is most important is to understand how to be relevant, thus making parks and recreation a critical success factor to the success of a community. Along the way identification and development of critical advocates to ensure your success is needed. This session will address how to evaluate where you are, the identification of critical advocates, and the implementation of a plan for relevance.

Speaker Bio: Chris Nunes

Chris Nunes oversees 75 full-time and 350 part-time staff, a $16 million operational budget and 127 parks, 15 swimming pools and aquatic facilities and 190 miles of trails as the Director of Parks and Recreation for The Woodlands Township, in The Woodlands, Texas. In this position, Chris implemented cost recovery strategies, developed business/operational plans for facilities and increased programming 200% with no additional staff.
In 2012, Chris was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Parks and Recreation Administrators. Chris holds a Bachelor's Degree in Recreation Management and a Master's Degree in Sports Management from Springfield College in Massachusetts and a Doctorate in Parks and Recreation Administration from the University of New Mexico. He speaks around the country on topics including: business plans, contracting, creative programming, marketing, external funding, communication, leadership and succession planning.