THURSDAY
March 18
8:30-9:45 am
General Session: Increasing Unity in the Outdoor Community and BEYOND
Just because the gates and doors are open doesn’t mean everyone feels invited. And just because everyone is welcome doesn’t mean everyone feels they belong.
Parks and recreation professionals have a responsibility that extends far beyond maintaining public spaces and delivering programs. They help shape communities, create human connections, and influence future generations.
In this powerful, thought-provoking keynote, Earl B. Hunter, Jr., Founder and Visionary of The Unity Folks, challenges leaders to ask: Who are we not reaching, WHY aren’t we reaching them, and what are we willing to do differently?
Through personal experiences, proven strategies, and The Unity Blaze Way: Experience It. Care For It. Share It. Earl introduces a practical approach to turning invitation and welcoming into meaningful action. Combined with his innovative ROI+ framework (Return on Invitation + Unity = Participation & Revenue), this approach demonstrates how intentional UNITY can increase participation, strengthen communities, drive revenue, and create lasting generational impact.
Speaker: Earl B. Hunter, founder & President – The Unity Folks TM
THURSDAY March 18
10:00-11:15 am
Better Together: Building Meaningful Mentor-Mentee Relationships
You’ve heard it a million times before: “Everyone needs a mentor!” But what are you supposed to do once you’re paired with one? In this session, a mentor-mentee duo will share how their relationship grew into a supportive, mutually beneficial partnership (and friendship!). We’ll cover what qualities to look for in a mentor and mentee, how to have honest conversations, and ways to keep the connection growing. Attendees will leave with the confidence to establish their own mentor-mentee pact.
Speaker: Courtney Fox, Director of Parks and Recreation - Lansdale Borough
Taskmaster: Summer Camp Edition
What happens when summer camp training meets the ridiculous creativity of the hit British TV show Taskmaster? This interactive session explores fun, engaging ways to train camp staff while giving them practical tools they can use with campers. Participants will experience icebreakers, creative groupings, effective instruction techniques, mock camp scenarios, and secret challenges designed to build teamwork, creativity, confidence, and camp-ready problem-solving skills.
Speaker: Greg Dunn, Deputy Director of Community Engagement - Hempfield Township, PA
Level Up Your Workforce: The Internship Playbook
This session unlocks the playbook to design and manage internship programs that recruit, engage, and retain top talent all while helping students’ level up their skills and your agency build a future-ready workforce. Internship programs are a vital strategy for building a sustainable talent pipeline in parks and recreation, yet many organizations struggle to design and manage them effectively. This session will showcase how the Fairfax County Park Authority created and scaled an award-winning dynamic internship program that not only provides meaningful work experiences for students but also aligns with agency workforce needs. Attendees will learn practical steps to develop structured internships, including recruiting diverse candidates, setting clear project goals, engaging supervisors, and measuring program impact. Whether you’re launching a program from scratch or looking to enhance an existing one, this session will equip you with proven tools and strategies to turn interns into top talent.
Speaker: Luca Twohie, Talent Acquisition & Employment Manager - Fairfax County Park Authority
Hot Topics in Aquatics
(Full Description Pending: Previously Aquatics Roundtable)
Speaker: Tammy Agesen
Innovation vs. Renovation in Parks and Recreation
Every new era of leadership begins with a spark of ambition. We step into the field of Parks and Recreation because we are big thinkers, relentless go-getters, and at our core kids at heart driven by the desire to build a legacy. It is easy to step through the door on day one with a blueprint to overhaul every program, renovate every park, and revolutionize daily operations.
However, one of the most vital leadership lessons learned in the field is knowing when to take a beat. This session will discuss how balancing innovation, renovation, and collaboration can elevate your agency and serve your community for generations.
Speaker: Brandy Shope, Director of Parks and Recreation - Springettsbury Township
Legal Liability in Park Maintenance
Session description to follow.
Speaker: Rob Lewis
THURSDAY
March 18
1:00-2:15 pm
Managing Athletic Fields with Limited Resources
Managing athletic fields with limited staff, budgets, equipment, and time requires careful prioritization. This session will address common challenges such as mowing, traffic, compaction, irrigation, and turf recovery, with an emphasis on practical management strategies. Field measurements and real-world examples will demonstrate why these practices matter. Attendees will also learn how objective information can help communicate field needs and support requests for equipment, staffing, or changes in field use.
Speaker: Ava Veith, Ph.D. student - Penn State
Grow Your Own Workforce: Developing Talent Pipelines in Parks & Recreation
Recruiting the next generation of staff starts with engaging talent early. This session highlights strategies for attracting talent through internships, first-job opportunities, and ambassador programs. Participants will explore proven approaches, discover ways to connect with community partners, and practice techniques for creating a positive candidate experience. Attendees will leave with tools to strengthen their pipeline and build a diverse workforce.
Speaker: Luca Twohie, Talent Acquisition & Employment Manager - Fairfax County Park Authority
Multi-Generational Playgrounds: Designing for Joy and Connection
How can parks and playgrounds foster connection across generations? This interactive session explores how to design inclusive, multigenerational play environments that support people of all ages, abilities, and identities. Through hands-on activities and real-world examples, participants will examine strategies for creating spaces that encourage movement, social interaction, sensory engagement, and belonging. Attendees will leave with practical design tools and programming ideas to create vibrant community spaces that promote health, resilience, and meaningful connections across the lifespan.
Speaker: Mara Kaplan, Owner Let Kids Play, Inclusive Play Design Specialist - Let Kids Play
The Importance of Public Image & Customer Service in Park Maintenance
Session description to follow.
Speaker: Rob Lewis
TITLE TBD
Speaker: Earl Hunter
Charting the Course Fishing & Boating Access and Funding Strategies
A recently completed Pennsylvania Fishing and Boating Access Strategy will be introduced to attendees. At its core, the Access Strategy is designed to serve as a practical toolkit for local governments, non-profit organizations, and community partners seeking to expand public access opportunities for water-based recreation. In addition, the presentation will explore potential funding sources and partnership models that organizations may leverage to support the development of new fishing and boating access projects.
Speaker: Kelly Rossiter, Section Chief Landscapes Partnership & Educational Services - PA DCNR
30 Programs in 75 Minutes
Are you looking for new programs to introduce to your community? Look no further! This session will offer you thirty innovative ideas. We’ll explore programs in the following categories:
• Preschool, featuring the 2023 Virginia Best New Program, Wiggle Worms
• Elementary Aged
• Family
• Adaptive Recreation
These programs are primarily after-school and budget-friendly. Attend this session to leave feeling inspired and prepared for the upcoming programming season!
Speaker: Hannah Lagana, Program Coordinator - South Middleton Township
Bite-Size Sustainability: Easy Wins for Greener Operations
Sustainability is not just a buzzword. As parks and recreation professionals, we have an opportunity to serve as environmental stewards and model the practices we hope to see in our communities. In this session, we’ll cover simple, cost-effective ways to implement greener operations within your department. We’ll discuss the power of partnerships (because we don’t know everything!), facility and maintenance improvements, and technology tools. You’ll leave with ideas that fit your staff capacity, budget, and goals.
Speaker: Courtney Fox, Director of Parks and Recreation - Lansdale Borough
Small Department Roundtable
Session description to follow.
Speaker: Kelly Rebitz
Addressing Community Connectivity in CROS Plans - Implementation Edition
This session will detail Upper Dublin Township’s approach and provide guidance for how communities can address community connectivity as part of their parks, recreation, and open space planning and then actually implement those plans. It will demonstrate that plans need to do more than set goals for their parks, recreation facilities, open space, and trails; they must also consider how users will connect to these places using existing and planned community infrastructure.
Speakers: Derek Dureka, Director - Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation, Kaitlin Mills, Project Manager - HRG
The Six-Question Method for Struggling Staff
Every team has the staff member who keeps coming up. You pull them aside, it holds for a few days, then it comes back. The Six-Question Method is the conversation for that moment. It treats the behavior as an attempt to meet a need, and walks the staff member through six questions that find the need and turn it into a plan the two of you make together. It picks up after everyday coaching and stops before a formal plan. The session ends with a full demonstration.
Speaker: Jarod Wunneburger, Founder, Speaker, & Education Consultant + Former Camp Director - Thrive Point Studio
3 Parks, 1 Girl: The Roving Naturalist
What do you do with a box of furs and three state parks? Join Steph Sherman, Environmental Education Specialist for Tobyhanna, Gouldsboro, and Big Pocono State Parks as she breaks down the art of creating environmental education programs from scratch. She'll walk us through the process of developing outdoor programs with minimal infrastructure, funding and time by examining core lessons from her time in both State Parks and the nonprofit residential camp industry.
Speaker: Stephanie Sherman, Environmental Education Specialist - DCNR State Parks