Park Leaders Show

In today's episode of the Park Leader's Show, Phil Gains is with us again and is introducing us to Donald Forgione, a longtime friend and former Director of Florida State Parks. As a leader, we must encounter a crisis with confidence and humility. Leaders do not need to have all the answers, but they must be prepared to be a calming and reassuring presence. Especially in today's unprecedented situ...

Phil Gaines returns to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting state parks and what to expect when they reopen. As Gaines explains, it's possible to stay relevant in global crises like the coronavirus. Despite the social limitations, park leaders can still make decisions that are timeless and timely. The key is knowing what direction to go, when to go there, and how to incorporate outside input into the...

Our semi-regular guest host, Phil Gains, retired Director of South Carolina State Parks joins us. We are in a historical and unprecedented time. With most state parks closed for an extended period, we will begin to see leaders emerge or be exposed. As leaders, you don't need to have all of the answers. You need to know how to deal and communicate in a way that communicates the values found in park...

Phil Gaines returns on-site at Lake Tahoe to discuss how to stay relevant in an ever-changing world. Speaking from a local perspective, Phil talks about the importance of taking care of watersheds, providing outdoor recreation, and understanding location. For instance, while water supply is abundant in the southeast, in California the mindset is different since limitation is more a cultural norm....

Donald Forgione, Director of Florida State Parks, discusses his background and what it means to be "Ranger First". After starting his career as a Park Ranger with Florida State Parks, Forgione transitioned to Director, a role he admits he didn't expect to land. During this time, he developed a special tagline, "Ranger First", to remind himself and others how the responsibilities of a park ranger g...

On this special episode of the Park Leader Show, Dan Cockerell, and former VP of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and Lee Cockerell, retired Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World,  talk about how to handle a crisis. Here are four steps to keep in mind while dealing with a crisis: Safety First.  Before anything else, the safety of employees, customers, and yourself comes before anyth...

Jim Bryson, Deputy Commissioner of Parks and Conservation of Tennessee State Parks, discusses the benefit of leaning on your team and the importance of innovation in how you handle communication across your organization.   Joining Tennessee State Parks from a corporate background in marketing research, Jim has discovered how central building a culture of trust within your organization is. As a lea...

Today's social media-driven culture is saturated with negativity, politics and sales pitches. From Glacier National Park, Jeff Noel and Jody Maberry discuss the impact of Jody's "Minute in Nature" moments on Instagram Stories.   Pausing to capture a minute of beauty in nature is a way of taking a moment and quieting ourselves. As Jody shares today, being intentional to put some positivity into the...

Phil Gaines returns to discuss family issues within park leadership. For many park leaders with families, the relocations associated with the job can be taxing. In some cases, the move can be beneficial for the ranger, but not necessarily the family. According to Gaines, since ranger families are often the face of the family park experience, it's important to know how to establish harmony and posi...

Dan Bortner, Director of Indiana State Parks, discusses the "business" side of parks and the importance of fostering a healthy paradigm within your team. In the parks business, you must understand that your business is memory-making. Your product is a consistent experience across some of the most unique locations your state has to offer. Whether empowering the leaders under you or working with the...

Grady Spann, Director of Arkansas State Parks, discusses the importance of trust in all aspects of park management and leadership.   After growing up in Brazil, receiving his degree, and serving in the army, Grady started his state park tenure as a Superintendent of an archeological park in Arkansas. Serving as the superintendent of multiple parks, the lessons he's learned have served him well in...

Ryan Jenkins, Park Manager at Henry Horton State Park, discusses his upbringing, his love for nature, and current projects. Raised in a National Forest Service family, Ryan pursued music and business in college before rediscovering his love for parks in his late 20's. Since then, he has been active in promoting health initiatives involving park activities. One activity in particular, Healthy Parks...

Sean Woods, Superintendent of California State Parks, discusses his background and current position on this episode. Having taken a non-traditional path to his current role, Sean has spent almost 15 years bringing the State Park Mission to underprivileged, urban communities in Los Angeles. Through this initiative, he has supervised planning and development efforts at Rio de Los Angeles State Parks...

While visitors come to parks to use facilities, fans come to connect with the people behind them. As Jody explains, not only do fans attend parks more frequently, but see the park experience as an extension of community. Often times, people will limit their appearances based on a specific event, but for the devoted fan, parks represent an opportunity to network both online and offline. As such, fa...

Adam Turner, Area Manager for the Anti-Poaching Unit in Sweden, discusses efforts in wildlife protection and local law enforcement partnership. Among his responsibilities, Turner highlights the rise of wolf poaching, propaganda, and his work to quench both. Although cities have been relatively unscathed, the fear of wolf attacks and poaching harassment has increased in rural communities. As Turner...

Jon Jarvis, Executive Director of the Institute for Parks, People and Biodiversity at the University of California Berkeley, returns to discuss park projects in China. After leading a summer team to evaluate China's national park system, Jarvis notes several positive developments. From President Xi's "beautiful China" emphasis to local conservation efforts, the mission is clear: Do in ten years wh...

In this episode, Jody Maberry discusses the next wave of park rangers. While past and present rangers contrast in several areas, future rangers may not be as different as we think. The next generation of park leaders will be more inclined to know the purpose of what they do; however, they are similar to current leaders in wanting their voice to be heard. Jody expects future rangers to improve outr...

In this episode, we're talking about the 3 P's that define park leadership and service: people, places, and the past. The first 'P', people, captures the fundamental core of why park rangers exist. Without people, the purpose of park leadership cannot exist. The second 'P', places, represents communities from a physical and relational perspective. While most parks have fixed boundaries, since peop...

Phil Gaines returns to discuss what it means to be "ranger first". During the past 25 years, the role of a park ranger has changed dramatically. While much of this has centered on energy conservation and public education, one of the most significant swings in function has involved law enforcement. According to Gaines, the expectations of park rangers have evolved in part by increased connection to...

Phil Gaines returns to recap the 2019 National Association of State Park Directors Conference. Having attended with Jody, Phil takes inventory of several topics ranging from networking and frontline employees to law enforcement and debate etiquette. As he goes on to explain, there are many ways to absorb insight in large scale gatherings; however, by pursuing relationships and knowledge together,...

Phil Gaines returns to discuss the challenge of national parks staying relevant. While there are many ways for parks to remain meaningful, according to Gaines, embracing technology to make connections with the next generation is paramount. If parks want to stay relevant, they must convince young people to not only care about their resources, but invest leisure time. To do this, parks must employ q...

In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Phil Gaines returns to discuss some of the environmental challenges national parks are facing. While climate change is a significant factor, for most park rangers and directors, the greatest impacts occur at the local level. For instance, there's not much a park ranger can do to affect the weather apart from conservation efforts; however, a park ranger can...

Phil Gaines returns to break down the role of a leader. While the challenges of leadership are many, arguably none are more taxing than motivation. From offering direction to removing obstacles, when leading by example, a leader must often be the example before he can model it; however, this pursuit can't drive results by itself. If a leader wants to tie guidance to goals, then he must value and f...

Phil Gaines returns to the show to talk about the role of influence in leadership.   As leaders, it's important to be mindful of voice and presence. In a day and age when what you say is magnified through technology and social media, knowing the impacts of reputation is key. For instance, if people naturally flock to you for vision and direction, chances are you're building a healthy reputation am...

In this edition of the Park Leaders Show, Topher Downham. Outreach Coordinator at City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, discusses his background and work with parks. After a college swimming pool accident left him paralyzed, Downham notes how navigating trails in a wheelchair inspired him to pursue a career in parks. Forced to learn trails as a quadriplegic, Downham now uses his outdoor e...