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 positive representation.

For instance, with succession planning and employee retention, parker leaders should factor their family into these endeavors to boost morale and accountability. After all, in a changing social climate where spouses are breadwinners and school transitions are complicated, bridging family strategy into employee strategy can reap beneficial dividends.

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 them to create a brand, building trust goes a long in setting the destination.

Dan also discussed the value of surrounding yourself with integrity - honest people who may or may not be better than you. As leaders, it’s essential we not only empower our team to solve problems and make decisions but provide the method, the manpower and the materials needed to get the job done. In all things, it’s important to understand you are here for a brief amount of time and your goal must be to do the best you can while you are here.

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 his current role as Director of Arkansas State Parks. The importance of trust has proven a recurring theme, whether facilitating stadium events or hosting the State Parks Directors conference.

Regardless of the position, stewarding the trust of your customer, be it a camper, sports fan or visiting State Park Director, is paramount with serving in a parks program. Park leadership is not just about making changes – it’s about being a public servant. Embracing the Ranger First initiative recognizes that rangers deal with many things: hospitality, customer experience, and critical incidents. In each case, they have a different mental approach. Above all, trust in the context of park management and leadership is about honoring the trust you have.

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 Healthy Person, has been largely successful. Launched in 2015, the Healthy Parks Healthy Person is a stamp card program allowing app users to earn rewards based on their park activity. These points can then be redeemed as discounts and other benefits from participating businesses.

The big-picture goal, as Ryan explains, “We just want to get people outside for their health. We want to create behavior change with this application. In order to do that, we utilize the gamification and technology…to try to get people into our 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, Los Angeles State Historic Park, and the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. In addition to these endeavors, Sean has pioneered planning efforts with Los Angeles River Parks to revitalize the use of local wetlands.

In all projects, Sean’s ultimate goal is to work with people as well as for them in establishing a culture of inclusion.