Education
GP RED’s national faculty are available to deliver:
- Education workshops designed to advance your leadership skills
- Professionally facilitated think tanks and retreats to shift your thinking and positioning
- Youth engagement activities to discover the youth voice in your community
- Leadership coaching with national experts in community planning
Please review our Education Portfolio and faculty list to determine if we can help you with your training and education needs.
Workshops
GP RED offers trends-based practical guidance and training to parks and recreation agency leaders and support staff in financial sustainability, building healthy communities, Complete Streets, organizational excellence, agency positioning and high-level service delivery.
Today’s parks and recreation leaders need to be progressive thinkers focused on continuous improvement. Major
shifts in the role of parks, recreation, and land management professionals in building healthy communities and
championing the sustainability movement call for innovative approaches and high-level collaboration skills.
GP RED’s Speakers’ Bureau is prepared to deliver the information you need to:
• Advance your leadership skills
• Shift your thinking and positioning in the field
• Measure and communicate your agency’s effectiveness to policy makers and your community
1. Strategic Leadership
- Leading In Lean Times – The Six E’s Approach to Park and Recreation Management
- Succession Planning – Leading to Change or Changing to Lead
- Keys To Relevance – Repositioning for Parks and Recreation Agencies
- Getting Them To Listen – Community Engagement and Needs Assessment
- Financial Sustainability, Revenue Management, Pricing Strategies
- Authentic Leadership & Team Building – Exploring Effective Work Groups
- Building Cultural Competency in Your Agency
- Living The Brand – Promising Our Customers An Experience
- A Holistic Approach to Community Connectivity
- Alternative Funding and Grants
2. Building Healthy Communities
- Healthy Communities Surveillance & Management Toolkit Project
- Trail & Greenway Design Standards – What Works & What Doesn’t
- Safe Routes To Play – A Child Centered Transportation Initiative
- Creating Healthy Communities Through Walkability Analysis
- Parks & Recreation – A Solution for Public Health Issues
- Health Impacts of an Active Transportation System
- Complete Streets – Creating & Implementing Policies to Insure Safe Travel for All
- Whole Measures For Parks & Recreation – Values Based Community Visioning
3. Measuring What Matters
- Research To Practice – Gathering Input From A Diverse Public
- Measuring Quality of Life in Your Community
- Preserving Essential Services & Creating Financial Sustainability
- Economic Impacts of Trails & Greenways
- Creating Healthy Communities Through Level of Service Assessment
- Innovations in Trails & Land Inventory Analysis
- Services Assessment & Cost Recovery Methodologies
- Inclusion Policies & Clinical TR Services – Deciding What Your Agency Needs
- Understanding the Value of Health Impact Assessments
- Youth Engagement Strategies for Active Transportation & Recreation
“Teresa’s presentations are engaging and full of valuable information than can be applied to any department or community. Her presentations definitely need to be added to your MUST attend list!”
Juliene R. HefterGP RED
Think Tank
Since 2008, GP RED Think Tanks have provided an opportunity to engage with national thought leaders in the fields of parks, recreation, conservation, trails, land management, public health, tourism, alternative transportation, and the related associations and educators that support and serve them.
GP RED’s involvement with non-profit associations, academics, and practitioners in a variety of fields reveals gaps in trans-disciplinary sharing. Professionals in the fields of public parks and recreation, public health, transportation, academia, and professional planning practice struggle to integrate their work due, in part, to lack of a common language. The purpose of the Think Tank is to improve multi-sector communication and information sharing.
Faculty
GP RED’s Faculty includes representatives from governmental agencies, universities, and private and non-profit organizations, all working together to achieve RED’s Mission.
- Kim Bailey, M. ED.
- Chris Dropinski, CPRE
- Leslie Fritz, B.S., CPRP
- Cindy Heath, CPRP
- John R. Henderson, J.D., CPRP
- Deb Jordan, PhD
- Rob L. Layton, PhD, FASLA, CPRP
- Teresa Penbrooke, PhD
- Dirk Richwine, MPA, CPRP
Kim Bailey, M. ED.
Kim acts as a consultant and educator, and most recently served as the Vice President of Programs for Outward Bound USA, with a focus on urban communities. Prior to these positions, Kim was the Manager of Parks and Recreation for the City & County of Denver and Region Manager for the Chicago Park District. Kim received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northeastern University, a Master’s degree in counselor education from New York University, and has extensive hours in doctoral level courses focusing on education policy and urban planning and design.
Chris Dropinski, CPRE
Chris is Senior Principal & Managing Member at GreenPlay LLC. Over her 30+ year career, Chris has presented at the local, state, and national level on large and small-scale management, strategic, and master plans, and facility development and funding, as well as open space and park planning; public process facilitation; Board/Council relations; analysis of organizational needs; public and alternative funding, pricing philosophies; and policy research and development. Chris served as the Director of the Boulder, CO Parks and Recreation Department and is a Fellow of the prestigious American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, past Chair of the Rocky Mountain Revenue Management School, and past Chair of the GP RED Operating Board.
Leslie Fritz, B.S., CPRP
Leslie is in her 18th year as Director of Education for the California Park & Recreation Society, planning and implementing professional development experiences for park and recreation professionals as well as association management professionals. Leslie is a member of the California Society of Association Executives, and serves on a number of conference and administrative committees, along with volunteering at an American Cancer Society resale, re-purposing retail store. Leslie assists in coordinating GP RED’s Think Tank, a multi-disciplinary gathering of great minds discussing professional trends and issues.
Cindy Heath, CPRP
Cindy is the Executive Director of GP RED, and has 30 years of experience in public parks and recreation agency leadership. She presents nationally on building healthy communities, the health and economic impacts of active transportation systems, community engagement strategies, and green initiatives. Cindy is a member of the National Complete Streets Coalition Speaker’s Bureau, the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Healthy Eating Active Living Partnership, and served as the Chair of the 2009 NRPA Congress Program Committee. Cindy is the creator of Safe Routes to Play©, a GP RED planning initiative which develops safe, non-motorized connections for children and families between play spaces, schools, and neighborhoods.
John R. Henderson, J.D., CPRP
John is currently the Research and Evaluation Manager for the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission. John previously served as the Chief for the Redevelopment Authority of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and the Director of Research, Planning, and Evaluation for the Chicago Park District. John holds a Jurist Doctor degree from The John Marshall Law School, Bachelors in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati and a Certificate in Public Performance Measurement from Rutgers University. He serves on the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, and teaches evaluation, action research, and pubic engagement at the national Park and Recreation Directors School.
Deb Jordan, PhD
Deb is a professor and Department Chair in the Recreation and Leisure Studies program at East Carolina University. Deb has written three textbooks (leadership, programming, and introduction to leisure), over 40 articles and book chapters, and more than 30 technical research reports. Deb is actively engaged with parks and recreation agencies providing expertise with needs assessments, evaluations, and long range planning. Deb has given more than 150 presentations and workshops across the U.S. and internationally on leadership, programming, evaluation, diversity, and leisure behavior in parks. Deb currently serves as the Vice Chair of the NRPA Council on Accreditation, and the Education, Training & Professional Development Committee.
Teresa Penbrooke, PhD
Teresa founded GreenPlay LLC in 1999, and is lead faculty for GP RED. Teresa has been integral in the research,quality, recommendations, and implementation of innovations for the field of parks and recreation. She teaches and researches best practices in agency administration and planning for national and state conferences and individual agencies. Teresa was previously Curriculum Chair for the Reitz Marketing and Revenue School Planning and Management Institute, and directs the Healthy Communities Research Group. She is also an Official Visitor for the Commission on Accreditation for Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).
Dirk Richwine, MPA, CPRP
Dirk currently serves as Recreation Superintendent for the City of Henderson, Nevada, one of the fastest growing communities in the US. Previously, he was the Assistant Director of Recreation and Parks in Henderson, and the Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services for the City of Brighton, CO. Dirk has heldnumerous state and national leadership roles, including Chair of the NRPA Revenue Management School and President of the Nevada Parks and Recreation Society. He is an Official Visitor for the Commission on Accreditation for Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and a member of the prestigious American Academy of Parks and Recreation Administration. Dirk earned a Masters Degree of Public Administration from Golden Gate University
“Cindy, Laurie & Greg: Thanks so much for briefing the NH DOT Major Staff about ‘complete streets’ today. You all thoroughly nailed the topic beyond any expectations. You had the right team, your delivery was organized and your message informed the Commissioner, directors and bureau administrators.”
Larry Keniston, Intermodal Facilities Engineer,Rail and Transit Bureau, NH DOTPast Trainings
National & International
Organizations
- National Recreation & Park Association
- World Leisure Congress
- Rails to Trails Conservancy
- American Trails
- International Making Cities Livable Conference
- International Federation for Housing & Planning
Local Organizations
- Five Rivers MetroParks
- Green Spaces for D.C.
- Pro Green
Regional Organizations
- New England Bike-Walk Summit
- Sustainable City Network
State Organizations
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- Southern NH Regional Planning Commission
- Miami Valley Ohio Regional Planning Commission
- Numerous State Recreation & Park Organizations
- California Recreation & Park Society Administrator’s Workshop
- Colorado Built Environment Collaborative
- Maryland Recreation & Park Association
- New Hampshire Health Foundation
- New Hampshire Department of Transportation
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