CONFERENCE SESSION BLOCK 5

Day 2 Thursday, May 15 | 10:45 AM — 12:00 PM

Session 5A | Session 5B | Session 5C | Session 5D | Session 5E | Session 5F | Session 5G

GIS in Parks: Creating Data Driven Decisions

Description: 

Have you ever wished for a way to quickly analyze data and address those pressing questions that arise in our daily operations? Learn how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can help create impactful maps for grant applications, identify where to invest in new or renovated parks, and communicate with the public. Leverage GIS to optimize staff oversight and asset management, including stormwater and natural resources. Develop straight forward, user friendly solutions for operations staff to collect data in the field. Join us as we explore how the City of Kent has not only digitized our workflows but also leveraged GIS to turn data into actionable insights, paving the way for smarter, more efficient management across all park divisions!

Presented by: 

Cassidy Sawyer, GIS Analyst III, City of Kent

Biography: Cassidy received a BS in Environmental Science and a MS is Geospatial Technologies, both from the University of Washington Tacoma. She has been a GIS Analyst for the City of Kent since 2020 and has been building Parks GIS from the ground up to help solve Parks and Recreation questions. Her peers appreciate her ability to gather context and communicate across management levels. This position is a dream job for her as it allows her to be creative and solve problems while also dealing with our environment in different ways.

Margaret Wagner, Natural Resource Coordinator, City of Kent

Biography: Margaret has spent 15 years working at the nexus of scientifically backed land management implementation, public funding, and community engagement. Before Kent, she was with the King County Water and Land Resources Division, Clean Water Services (a public utility district in OR), the Portland Water Bureau, The Nature Conservancy, and Wisconsin DNR. She currently works in the Operations Division of Kent PRCS, helping formalize a natural resources program focused on stewardship of undeveloped spaces and urban forests for the sake of ecological function, environmental engagement, and the community opportunities they provide.

Terry Jungman, District-Wide Capital Improvement Program Manager, Metro Parks Tacoma

Biography: Terry Jungman is a tenured civil servant with nearly 20 years of experience in the field of Parks and Recreation. After spending 15 years working in Austin, TX for the Parks and Recreation Department, Terry moved to the Pacific Northwest where he served as the Planning and Development Manager for Kent Parks from 2019 to 2024.  Most recently, Terry accepted the position of District-wide Capital Improvement Program Manager for Metro Parks Tacoma where he manages a 6-year CIP valued at roughly $140 million. Terry's work has always emphasized data and metrics as a way to better understand the park system and the people who use it. He has helped stand up 2 different GIS-based asset management systems and is working to integrate Placer.AI into the business systems that help run a Parks and Recreation agency.

Learning Objectives

• Convey the benefits of GIS in Parks

• Demonstrate different GIS Solutions to Park Problems

• Utilize GIS to take workflows from paper to something more dynamic

Inclusion of All Sizes: Designing Inclusive Play for Every Budget

Description: 

As designing and integrating inclusive spaces grows in popularity, communities face the challenge of wanting to create meaningful inclusive design in smaller spaces with often limited budgets. There's a misconception that creating inclusive play spaces has to be an expensive and spacious overhaul which doesn't have to be true! Inclusion of All Sizes shares strategies to create a more inclusive park system and where we need to direct our time, energy and effort. Starting with how to find our local ability demographic, we will discuss key resources to inform us of disabilities being served in our local community. Once we know who's coming to play, we can utilize that information to guide us on which equipment to select that will be most impactful, and best solutions for the space, budget, and abilities. Every park doesn't have to have every single inclusive feature, they can answer for different things. In showing real world examples of play spaces and methodology successfully applied by communities across the US, we will see how we can continue to make our park systems impactful for all.

Presented by:

Jill Moore, Inclusive Play Specialist, Landscape Structures

Biography: Jill Moore works with the Landscape Structures team to aid in adding user voice within product development and deliver accredited educational courses across the country. Jill has a specific focus on best design practices for multi-generational spaces, inclusive play environments, and universal design principals. During her lifetime, she has represented Team USA in wheelchair racing, swimming, and basketball on multiple occasions. Through her own lived experience, Jill shares how truly formative play is for all.

Ariel Mansholt OTD, Inclusive Play Associate, Landscape Structures

Biography: Ariel is a current pediatric and adolescent occupational therapist at an outpatient clinic in Kansas and inclusive play associate at Landscape Structures Inc (LSI). Ariel was inspired to pursue a degree in occupational therapy (OT) as she participated in her own Autistic brothers OT growing up as a child. Ariel works with patients and their families aged 18 months-21 years old with a variety of diagnoses. At LSI, Ariel uses her clinical and academic knowledge to help inform the inclusive design process and continue to provide education to designers.

Learning Objectives

• Articulate a system for obtaining the ability demographic of your own local community utilizing local resources, geographical information, and key individuals to connect with.

• Articulate how to utilize ability demographic information to select play equipment with the most impact to support physical, sensory, cognitive, and social.

• Review case studies and resources to apply best practices in selecting equipment to fit both space and budget, as well as best practices to create an inclusive park system.

Where the Street Ends! Finding and Leveraging Hidden Parks

Description: 

Born from Seattle's uniqueness but applicable anywhere, our cities are filled with hidden treasures—street ends that often go unnoticed or are encroached upon. These mini nuggets of public space are especially common in the Northwest, where waterways weave through communities. Seattle's abundance of street ends is unparalleled, created by its waterways dividing streets yet connecting them into a cohesive whole. This session, led by public and private sector speakers, including a recent graduate who studied this topic in 2023, explores Seattle's Street Ends Program (run by SDOT) as a source of inspiration for any city. It covers the program's structure, the unique opportunities of street ends, their ecological importance, and potential interventions to enhance them. Attendees will leave with actionable lessons to reimagine and revitalize these overlooked spaces in their own communities.

Presented by: 

Guy Michaelsen FASLA, Principal, Berger Partnership Landscape Architects

Biography: A landscape architect and urban designer at Berger Partnership working extensively in the public realm, including parks, trail corridors, streetscapes, and commercial public spaces. His recent work includes reimagining Riverfront Park in Spokane, Microsoft's 79-acre campus modernization, and the Wilburton framework plan for Bellevues East Rail corridor. He has a passion for inspiring others to imagine what can be, challenging the typical through entertaining presentations about the design of public places while challenging the role and opportunities for urban landscapes. Guy is a strong believer in finding and creating awesomeness that elevates the communities he is lucky enough to work in.

Lily Daniels, Landscape Designer, Berger Partnership

Biography: A native of Washington, recently earned her master's in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington and holds a bachelor's in Geography and Environmental Studies from UCLA. Her research emphasizes combining public waterfront access with ecological restoration to benefit both humans and wildlife. As a new Landscape Designer at Berger Partnership, she aims to apply her research to create more holistic environments and foster a connection between humans and nature.

Omar Akkari, Seattle Street Ends Manager, Seattle Department of Transportation

Biography: Received his dual masters degrees in environmental science and city planning and his bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from The Ohio State University. He currently works for the City of Seattle's Transportation Department managing public shorelines where streets meet the water. In his free time, he enjoys building things, making fantastical costumes, and exploring the wonders of the PNW with his wife and dogs.

Learning Objectives

• Identify these "hidden spaces' in your city

• Understand the challenges of Right - of - way (streets) serving as mini parks serving as mini parks to the community, yet uniquely managed by a transportation agency.

• Understanding of how these spaces can add to your Level of service for park access and experience 

Student Conservation Corps: Youth Employment for Neurodiverse Teens

Description: 

In its 13th season, Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation District's Student Conservation Corps (SCOCO) is an employment learning opportunity for high school age teens, incorporating outdoor education and hands-on learning in conservation work. Neurodiverse Student Conservation Corps began in 2024, serving a need identified by Park District staff and educators with the Bainbridge Island School District's Special Services department. SCOCO members work to control invasive plant species in Bainbridge Island parks and open spaces in a supportive work environment where they learn skills necessary to pursue a career in conservation related fields. Join program leads, Cody Ogren and Morgan Houk, to learn about how SCOCO became an integral part of Bainbridge Island Metro Park's Natural Resources workforce, the logistics of hiring and managing nearly 50 teens throughout the summer, and additional considerations for working with neurodivergent young adults.  Attendees will leave with an understanding of concrete learning objectives, but also feeling inspired to create inclusive outdoor opportunities for their community's young people.

Presented by: 

Cody Ogren, Adaptive and Accessibility Coordinator, Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation District

Biography: Cody Ogren earned his degree in Special Education from Central Washington University, continuing to teach Special Education in Yakima for two years. After moving back to his childhood home on Bainbridge Island, Cody worked as an in-home caregiver and program leader at Vitalize Kitsap, providing critical support to many neurodivergent adults in our community.   As Adaptive and Accessibility Coordinator for Bainbridge Island Metro Parks, Cody is putting his immense skill set to work creating inclusive programming of neurodivergent members in our community.  Cody’s love of camping and spending time outdoors helped inspire his involvement in Neurodiverse Student Conservation Corps.

Morgan Houk, Natural Resources Program Manager, Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation District

Biography: With 15 years' experience working with the public in conservation, outdoor recreation, and service learning, Morgan Houk brings her educational background in social entrepreneurship and wildlife ecology to her role with Bainbridge Island Metro Parks as Natural Resources Program Manager.  Morgan is pursuing her Masters in Natural Resource Management from Oregon State University with a focus on urban forestry and invasive species management.   One of Morgan’s many duties within the Natural Resources team includes managing Student Conservation Corps, coordinating projects and conservation priorities, hiring leadership staff and crews, and the all-important dump truck runs!

Learning Objectives

• Evaluate whether offering a youth employment opportunity within their operations/maintenance staff is a good fit for their organization.

• Understand the first steps necessary to start their organization's own conservation corps.

• Identify necessary resources to integrate the needs of neurodivergent young people into parks programming.

Aquatic Safety Plan: Mitigating Risks and Ensuring Safety

Description: 

Empower your staff to become champions of safety in the aquatics industry by delving into the cornerstones of safety plans and equipping them with the knowledge and tools to grasp the various types and benefits of safety plans, understand their critical role in protecting patrons, master the art of safety assessment, identify potential hazards before they become incidents, navigate the process of crafting and implementing a watertight safety plan that meets all regulatory requirements, and develop the skills for ongoing evaluation and improvement to keep their safety plan dynamic and effective.

Presented by: 

Johnathan Nies, ARC LGIT EMT-B CPRP, Project Director, Counsilman-Hunsaker

Biography: Aisha Panas is the Deputy General Manager for Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, where she leads the Park Services Division for a community of over 270,000 people. Aisha has more than 24 years of experience in planning, parks, and recreation services and provides oversight of the full lifecycle of park district spaces - from acquisition and planning to design and development to maintenance of district amenities. Aisha is a Self-Empowered Trained Facilitator for the Leadership Challenge. She chairs the Oregon Recreation and Park Association's (ORPA) Legislative Committee. While serving ORPA, she developed the association's first Leadership Academy.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the importance of aquatic safety plans in preventing incidents like slips, falls, drowning, and chemical exposure.

• Understand the regulatory requirements for safety plans in aquatics facilities.

• Understand the role of safety plans in minimizing liability for aquatic facilities.

Creating Connection through Emotional Intelligence Principles

Description: 

What if you could approach even the most challenging conversations with greater understanding, empathy, collaboration and connection? Discover how principles of emotional intelligence can help you navigate challenging conversations and improve work interactions. This interactive session explores how emotional intelligence principles and strategies empower you to resolve conflicts and deepen connections in the workplace and personal relationships. Through guided discussion and practical exercises, you will learn strategies for discovering your values, intertwining empathy into your conversations, balancing conversations to meet the needs of both you and the other person, and enhancing your self and social awareness. Walk away from this session with actionable tools that enable you to connect with your authentic self, to connect with others. This awareness of yourself and your interactions creates a positive ripple throughout your workplace and life.

Presented by: 

Katie Anderson, Inclusion and Grants Coordinator, Spokane Parks and Recreation

Biography: Katie is an Associate Diversity Coach who brings a grounded approach to DEI work by weaving emotional intelligence (EQ) into everything she does. She served 22 years in the Air National Guard, including seven as a Human Resource Advisor, leading efforts in cultural change and teaching about bias and EQ. Now, she is creating an inclusion program for Spokane Parks and Recreation, fostering connection and belonging. As co-founder of DEI Company, Inclusion Culture Inc., Katie empowers teams through inclusive principles and authentic conversations. Katie is also a life coach and wellness advocate, she guides individuals on their growth and wellness journeys.

Learning Objectives

• Learn self and social awareness principles and strategies that will bring empathy in the workplace and enhance personal relationships.

• Experience how to balance intent vs. impact during conversations, while bringing curiosity and compassion to daily interactions.

• Using emotional intelligence principles to become more self-aware to understand yourself and connect with others.

Evaluating Your Recreation and Event Management Programs Through a Risk Management Lens (Part 1)

Description: 

Part one emphasizes special events that attract more people to parks and bring with them different activities, entertainment, and possible risks. With such a wide variety of special event programs, learn how to analyze and evaluate events for risk factors and take steps to reduce liability. This discussion will include a review of different event types and vendors; as well as the coordination, planning, preparation, permitting and emergency response; all with optimal event staffing. This session will help ensure participants become comfortable identifying insurance requirements and event insurance must-haves through risk management tools and takeaways.

Presented by: 

Washington Cities Insurance Authority Speaker 

Learning Objectives

• Participants will learn to identify the risk exposures and controls associated with special event programs and activities parks professionals may encounter.

• Participants will be taught to proactively identify risks, as well as recognize loss prevention and loss control measures that help mitigate potential loss within the entity’s recreation programs and special events activities.

• Participants will gain the skills to effectively assess and manage vendor-related risks and ensure that event contracts and agreements align with risk management principles