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KELLI ALLEN
Kelli Allen is the Operations Coordinator for NRH2O
Family Water Park, located in North Richland Hills, Texas.
Allen’s career at NRH2O started in 2002 when she was
hired as lifeguard and she immediately fell in love with
the waterpark industry. In 2009, she began her full time
career as Group Sales & Admission Coordinator and
was responsible for all group sales, consignment accounts, birthday parties
and admissions. In 2014, she moved to Operations Coordinator and now
oversees all park operations including aquatics and park maintenance. Allen
serves as Secretary on WWA’s Education Committee.
DAVID ANDREWS JR.
David Andrews Jr. is the General Manager of Wet
‘n’ Wild Palm Springs in Palm Springs, Calif. He has
worked in the amusement/waterpark Industry for almost
20 years. Andrews began his career as a lifeguard at
Ocean Breeze Waterpark in Virginia Beach. Having
spent most of his career in Virginia Beach, Andrews
worked his way up through the ranks to Director of Operations. He accepted
his position of General Manager at Wet ‘n’ Wild Palm Springs after Premier
Parks took over the park in late 2013. He has been a lifeguard instructor with
Ellis & Associates for over ten years and is CPO certified. Andrews graduated with a B.S. in mathematics from Hampden-Sydney College.
RUDIE D. BALDWIN, ESQUIRE
Rudie D. Baldwin is a trial attorney at Prindle, Amaro,
Goetz, Hillyard, Barnes & Reinholtz LLP. Baldwin is a
sincere and effective advocate that primarily represents clients in the amusement, entertainment and
action-sport industries. During his career, Baldwin has
represented a wide range of clients in matters ranging
from product defect and personal injury to breach of contract and construction defect. Baldwin has represented clients ranging from Six Flags Magic
Mountain, Raging Waters, Boomers, SpeedZone, The Observatory, LSI Road
Striping, Harbor Distributing and Flow Snowboards. Prior to attending law
school, Baldwin received his undergraduate degree from California State
University, Fullerton in 2004, where he graduated magna cum laude with a
bachelor’s of arts degree in philosophy and political science. He graduated
first in his class from the Department of Philosophy. Baldwin received his
Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law in 2006,
completing his degree in two years by participating in the rigorous SCALE
program. Thereafter, he became a member of the California State Bar and
was also admitted to practice in the Central District of the United States
District Courts. In his spare time, Baldwin is an avid surfer and a singer/songwriter. He has played notable venues such as the House of Blues, the Viper
Room and the Key Club. His band was named one of the “Hot 100 Unsigned
Live Bands of 2014” in “Music Connection Magazine.”
JASON BAYS
Jason Bays started in the watepark industry as a
lifeguard with Camelback Resort at age 16 and worked
through the summers while attending college. He
joined Jay Peak Resort in Vermont to work with Chris
Stuart and Bill Stenger starting up a ski-in, ski-out indoor
waterpark and moved into the waterpark director position after the first year of operations. During his time at Jay Peak in addition
to oversight of the waterpark, Bays worked on the resort’s EB5 foreign investment projects traveling to China and Vietman to promote and sell expansion
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projects for the company, created and implemented a resort wide management leadership training program called, “Raised Jay University” and earned
an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. In November 2014, Bays
returned to Camelback Resort as the Director of Aquatics for Aquatopia, the
largest indoor waterpark in the northeast, which opened in May 2015. In this
role, he is responsible for the start-up and operation of multiple operating
departments along with hotel wide safety and risk management. Bays serves
on the WWA Waterpark Resort Committee and holds a Jeff Ellis & Associates
instructor license and a CPO certification.
MICHAEL BEATTY
Michael Beatty is currently the Engineering Manager
of Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach Water
Parks and Miniature Golf. Beatty is a licensed swimming pool and spa contractor and has been with the
Walt Disney World Company for 40 years in a variety
of engineering roles. These roles include areas such
as: attractions maintenance, facility maintenance and engineering, transportation maintenance, resort facility maintenance and engineering and
waterparks and miniature golf facility maintenance and engineering. Beatty
was most recently the Engineering Liaison for the construction and opening
of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Beatty is a voting member of numerous consensus standards committees surrounding the engineering aspect
of facilities and water maintenance. These include ASTM F24 (focuses on
amusement rides including aquatic attractions), ASTM F15, which focuses on
Aquatic Facility Standards, the ICC (International Code Council) International
Swimming Pool and Spa Committee and ANSI/APSP. He also the chairman of the Facility Maintenance and Operation Technical Committee and
a member of the Recirculation Systems and Filtration Technical Committee
for the Center for Disease Control’s Model Aquatic Health Code. Due to
Beatty’s passion for innovation and new technology advancements in the
water treatment processes, he was recognized by “Aquatics International” as
one of the Power 25 in the aquatics field. Beatty continues to strive to ensure
the best experience is had by all guests who come to any of the Walt Disney
Company’s resorts, parks and entertainment venues and enjoys knowing that
he has had a part in keeping them safe.
TOM BERGMAN
Tom Bergman is president of the Midwest Marketing
Organization Inc., based in Lake Geneva, Wis. Along
with Bergman Communications, MMO specializes in
the recreation, leisure, sports and tourism industries.
Established in 1973, MMO has been working with
waterpark industry clients since 1983. For a decade,
Bergman coordinated marketing seminars for the World Waterpark
Association and wrote “Marketing Q&A” for “Splash” magazine. The scope
of MMO’s work in the waterpark industry ranges from marketing, consulting
and research to advertising, public relations, sponsorships, group sales, web
sites and e-commerce. In 2010, Bergman was a recipient of the WWA Board
of Director’s Al Turner Memorial Commitment to Excellence Award. Bergman
serves on the WWA’s Marketing & Communications Committee.
ADAM BLACKMORE
Adam Blackmore is a Recreation Manager with the City
of Henderson Department of Parks & Recreation. He
serves as the President-Elect for the Nevada Recreation
and Park Society and is on the Board of Directors for
the Southern Nevada Children¹s Drowning Prevention
Coalition. Blackmore has been in the aquatics industry
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for 10 years working in both the public and private sectors, respectively.
He has held certifications as a lifeguard-training instructor, CPR & First Aid
instructor, CPO, AFO and is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional. He
currently oversees aquatics, outdoor recreation and recreation center operations for the City of Henderson, Nevada including: 13 pools, 153 linear miles
of trails, a bird viewing preserve and the downtown recreation center. The
position manages 18 full-time managers and over 300 year-round part-time
staff. Previously he held the position of Director of Water Resort Operations
with CoCo Key Water Resorts. Blackmore received his master’s of arts degree in sports management from Indiana State University and a bachelor’s of
science in recreation administration from Missouri Western State University.
Blackmore currently serves on WWA’s Public Sector Committee.
CONNIE BLOWE
Connie Blowe has been a Cast Member with the Walt
Disney World Company for more than 30 years. After
graduating from the University of Florida, she began
her Walt Disney World career as a Sales Hostess in the
Magic Kingdom. Since then, she has held various roles
throughout WDW Parks, Resorts and Downtown Disney,
specializing in retail management. She is currently the Operations Manager
for Merchandise at Disney’s Blizzard Beach, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and
the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
SHAWN BOWMAN
Shawn Bowman is President of IdeaSeat Marketing
and Advertising and founder of Waterpark-Marketing.
com. Bowman and his team create innovative designs,
websites and marketing strategies for waterparks,
hotels and entertainment properties. He specializes
in targeted marketing, heightening waterpark/resort
awareness and focused marketing strategies and tactics. Actively involved
with the industry for 16 years, Bowman and his team have received numerous awards for online and print design and he currently serves on the WWA’s
Marketing Committee, for which he also served as chair in 2013.
BOB BRADLEY
Bob Bradley is the owner of Aquatic Consulting &
Educational Services (ACES), based in Raleigh, N.C.
With more than three decades of experience as
an advisor on aquatic facility operation, recreation
risk management and safety training, Bradley was
instrumental in the development of what is now the
National Recreation & Park Association’s Aquatic Facility Operator certification program. Bradley was the founding president, treasurer and served for
over a decade as a board member of the Drowning Prevention Coalition of
Central Arizona. Bradley was also the founding officer and board member
of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance and the founding president
of the NRPA’s National Aquatic Branch and was the chairman of the national
board of directors for the Aquatic Facility Operator program. He has worked
with resident camps, YMCAs, municipalities, universities, public and private
aquatic leisure facilities and resorts. Bradley was the executive director of
the Arizona chapter and the southwestern region of the Association of Pool
& Spa Professionals (formerly the National Spa & Pool Association), where
he conducted the certified pool and spa technician training program. He
is also a member of Total Aquatic Management’s aquatic consulting team.
Bradley has written numerous professional articles and contributed to training manuals on lifeguarding, water safety and aquatic operation. Bradley
holds degrees in liberal arts and recreation administration. He has been one
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of the most active water safety awareness advocates in the country, reaching
hundreds of thousands of adults and children through public and private
programs.
KATHY BRENNAN
Kathy Brennan is the CIO for the Whale’s Tale Waterpark
and Alpine Adventures Zipline and Off-Road tour
companies. Her year-round responsibilities include
retail, food & beverage, ticketing, scheduling, reservations and all supporting business systems. Also during
the winter, she is the Technical Director for Waterville
Valley’s Ski and Snowboard School and an Examiner and Education
Committee member for the Professional Ski Instructor Association’s Eastern
Division. In addition, Brennan provides consulting and coaching services
for ARC2ARC, LLC, a resort consulting and alpine training center. Brennan
serves on the WWA’s Education Committee. She has nearly 30 years of experiencing in designing and implementing software systems that streamline
processes and improve performance. Brennan is inspired by finding creative
ways to solve problems.
MIKE BROWN
Mike Brown serves as General Manager for Dollywood’s
Splash Country. He began his career with HFE in 1992
as a lifeguard at White Water in Branson, Mo., serving
in various leadership roles in the Aquatics program and
working his way up while attending college, ultimately
reaching Assistant Lifeguard Supervisor in 1999. In
2001, Brown relocated to Tennessee to help open Dollywood’s Splash
Country as Aquatic Supervisor. In 2003, he became Operations Manager,
responsible for aquatics, safety and maintenance. Brown was promoted to
Operations Director in 2008. Brown graduated from Missouri State University
with a bachelor’s of science in psychology and a minor in sociology. He is a
graduate of the 2002 opening class of Leadership Tomorrow in Tennessee.
Brown has been involved with training and developing guards since 1996
and is CPO and AFO certified. He resides in Sevierville, Tennessee with his
wife Jennifer and his two sons.
CODY BUTCHER
Cody Butcher, CPRP, CPOI, is the Corporate Director of
Waterparks for Great Wolf Resorts. His responsibilities include planning, organizing and directing activities associated with the year-round operation and maintenance
of 12 indoor waterparks. Butcher held positions as
Parks and Recreation Director for City of Prosser, Wash.;
Aquatics Director at Highlands Ranch Community Association; and worked
in waterpark maintenance for Hyland Hills Water World. He is a Certified Pool
Operator (CPO) Instructor and Certified Parks and Recreation Professional.
Butcher is retired from over 21 years of service in the United States Army and
Army National Guard where he served in the maintenance field.
JIM CAMPBELL
Jim Campbell has been a Cast Member with the Walt
Disney World Company for 20 years. After graduating
from Florida State University with a degree in leisure
services and recreation, he began his Walt Disney
World career as a Food and Beverage Host at the Magic
Kingdom. He has held various roles throughout WDW
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Parks, Resorts and Downtown Disney. He is currently the Manager of Food
and Beverage Operations at Disney’s Blizzard Beach, Disney’s Typhoon
Lagoon and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
COLETTE CARLSON
Colette Carlson, founder of Speak Your Truth, Inc.,
is a human behavior expert, author and humorous
keynote speaker who shares the tools, terminology
and techniques that encourage people to excel.
Clients include Boeing, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble
and the United States Government. With a master’s
degree in human behavior and a fascination with communication trends,
Carlson delivers the latest research letting the facts support the fun. She
writes a monthly column for “Business Management Daily” and has been
featured in “Success and Working Mother“ magazines. Carlson is a Certified
Speaking Professional (CSP), a designation held by fewer than 10 percent
of the members belonging to the International Federation for Professional
Speakers. Carlson learned her message the hard way. She started out a big
liar. Literally! Only by telling the truth on herself and admitting her fears did
she break through her complacency, lose 50 pounds and step into a bold,
commission-only sales livelihood. Working for sales legend Tom Hopkins,
she quickly ascended to become the #1 producer. Carlson’s immediate success led to an opportunity to join sales guru Brian Tracy’s team, and shortly
thereafter she became a National Sales Trainer for US West. Laugh and learn
with Carlson as you step in the “truth booth” and receive the tools to create
positive, long-lasting change.
JESSICA CARPENTER
Jessica Carpenter is the Aquatics Manager for the City
of Coppell, Texas. She began her aquatics career in
2000 and has worked in a large-scale private waterpark,
a waterpark resort and now a municipality. Carpentar is
an Ellis & Associates Lifeguard Instructor Trainer, a Jeff
Ellis Swimming Program Coordinator, a Certified Parks
and Recreation Professional (CPRP) and a certified Aquatic Facility Operator
(AFO). She holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and
is currently pursuing her master’s degree in recreation, event and sport
management at The University of North Texas. Under her leadership, the
City of Coppell Parks & Recreation Department has received multiple Gold
and Platinum International Aquatic Safety Awards from Ellis & Associates.
Carpenter also serves on the WWA’s Public Sector Committee.
LOU CIRIGLIANO, JR.
Lou Cirigliano, Jr., has over 28 years experience working in the Guest Services field. He began his career
with General Mills, running several of their high volume
stores after graduating from Rutgers University. In 1989,
he became part of the management team at Tan Tara
Country Club in North Tonawanda, N.Y., before moving
back home to the Jersey shore in 1993 in order to take over as the General
Manager of the legendary Tradewinds nightclub in Sea Bright, N.J., for the
Storino Family. Tradewinds was one of the largest entertainment venues on
the Jersey shore and was host to many national touring acts such as Bon
Jovi, Counting Crows, Jewel, Squeeze, Pat Benatar and even their local
neighbor, Bruce Springsteen! In 2003, after the Tradewinds was closed, he
was moved to Seaside Heights to begin his involvement in the amusement
and waterpark industry and today is the Director of Operations for Casino
Pier and Breakwater Beach. In 2009, Breakwater Beach was the winner of
the WWA’s Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award for significant contribution
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to guest and employee safety. For 2010, Breakwater Beach was chosen as
one of the best family attractions in Ocean County, N.J., by readers of the
local paper Asbury Park Press, and 2011 was voted favorite family attraction
by the NJ.com online poll and beat out their competitor by over 130 votes!
Cirigliano served on the WWA’s Board of Directors from 2011 until 2013.
When not at work, he loves to be with his daughters, Taylor and Allie.
DALE COOPER
Dale Cooper is the owner and operator of Safe Slide
Restoration. He has 20 years of experience in the
fiberglass and waterpark industries. This experience
has given him an edge in building one of the most successful waterslide restoration companies in the world.
Cooper is a certified composite technician according
to the American Composite Manufacturer Association and has received
certifications in both gelcoat field matching and epoxy application through
the Michigan-based Gougeon Brothers inc. Through his experience and
networking abilities, Cooper is passionate about bringing time-tested, comprehensive solutions that have set the standards for quality and professionalism within the waterpark community. Connecting competent technicians
with advanced formal training is what Cooper believes will keep the industry
strong and safe.
JOANN CORTÉZ
Joann Cortéz is the communications director and
spokesperson for Hyland Hills Water World in Denver
Colorado where she has worked since 1998.The
park represents the nation’s largest publically owned
waterpark and is the largest revenue generator in the
repertoire of facilities owned and operated by Hyland
Hills Park and Recreation District. As a special district, Hyland Hills also owns
and operates dozens of parks and ball fields, community centers, an indoor
sports arena, golf courses, miniature golf venue, a gymnastics center and
an ice arena that are owned in partnership with an adjacent city. Cortéz currently serves as Chair for WWA’s Marketing & Communications Committee.
DAVID J. DALY, ESQUIRE
David J. Daly is the managing partner of the law firm
of Daly Cavanaugh LLP, a defense firm in Wellesley,
Mass. Daly did his undergraduate work at the College
of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and the Institute
of European Studies in Paris, France. He received his
Juris Doctor from Suffolk University in Boston. His
international experiences are many having served in the U.S. Peace Corps
in Afghanistan and as counsel to Triad, a group of international companies
based in the Middle East. Besides the defense, corporate and legislative
work which Daly and his firm do for many members of the amusement industry, Daly is Past President and a member of the Board of Directors of the New
England Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, Inc. (NEAPPA);
Past President and a member of the Board of Directors of the International
Amusement and Leisure Defense Association (IALDA); he is also chair of
the IALDA Membership Committee; Charter Board member of the National
Retail and Restaurant Defense Association; and President of the Alliance of
Massachusetts Amusement Businesses Association, Inc. He often participates
as a speaker and presenter in seminars, conferences and meetings related
to the industry.
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JOSH DAVIES
Josh Davies is passionate about helping others
make a difference in their lives, jobs and community.
Through his work as an executive, speaker and trainer,
he has delivered results around the country. He has
given keynotes and training workshops to a wide
variety of organizations across all 50 states, including the American Society of Training and Development and the National
Association of Workforce Development Professionals. In preparation for the
2008 Democratic National Convention, he led the training for all 10,000
volunteers and more than 4,000 local service professionals for the event.
“Training Magazine“ named him as one of the top 10 trainers under 40 in
America and the “Denver Business Journal“ tapped him as one of Denver’s
40 Under 40. Davies is currently the CEO of the Center for Work Ethic
Development, an organization committed to developing foundational work
behaviors in everyone from high school students to returning veterans
transitioning into the civilian workforce. He is also a published author and is
frequently cited in national publications, including the “New York Times.” An
avid runner, Davies has been awarded the Mile High Energy Award by Visit
Denver, and an honorary doctorate of foodservice by the North American
Food Equipment Manufacturers Association for his contributions to the
industry. He is the past President of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant
Trainers (CHART), and has been appointed by the Governor to serve on the
Colorado Workforce Development Council and Chair of the State Education
and Training Steering Committee. He previously was a Vice President with
Sage Hospitality, and assisted in the opening of all North American CoCo
Key Water Resort properties.
GEORGE DEINES
George Deines is a Project Manager for CounsilmanHunsaker in Garland, Texas specializing in aquatic
master planning, business planning, feasibility studies
and operational training and development. Before
joining the CH team in 2014, he worked as the Aquatics
Manager for the City of Garland, Texas, overseeing the
operation of Surf and Swim, the city’s 4-acre waterpark and three community pools. He holds degrees from the University of North Texas and Dallas
Theological Seminary and is an Ellis & Associates Lifeguard Instructor Trainer.
He is president of the North Texas Aquatics Association and was the recipient of the WWA Board of Director’s Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award in
2012. Deines currently serves as Chair of WWA’s Safety Committee.
PETE DEQUINCY
Pete DeQuincy oversees 170+ lifeguards and WSI’s
at 11 aquatic facilities, which includes pools, artificial
lagoons and lakes. With an annual attendance of over
500,000 park visitors, his mission is to provide a positive
and safe water experience for the families and patrons
within Alameda and Contra Costa counties. He served
on the national American Red Cross Sounding Board for Lifeguarding and is
currently an American Red Cross Instructor Trainer Educator in Lifeguarding
and Water Safety Instruction. His articles on lifeguard training and in-service
development can be found in “Aquatics International’s” lifesaver column.
He was selected by “Aquatics International” as one of the top innovators for
their February 2014 Power Issue.
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STELLA DEVINE-KNIGHT
Stella Devine-Knight is the Sponsorship & Marketing
Specialist for the City of Palmdale. She specializes in
generating revenue through recruiting sponsors and
sponsorship fulfillment for City events and venues.
She has worked in marketing and graphic design for
35 years, and has seen enormous change in the way
we communicate with current and potential customers. She has a solid
background in traditional media, and has learned digital marketing channels
on the fly, including web, email and social media marketing. Her work over
the years has received many awards from organizations such as WWA, IFEA
and CalFest.
MIKE DONNELLY
Mike Donnelly is a recognized expert, keynote speaker,
facilitator and consultant in the principle of building
successful corporate cultures; focusing on selection,
new hire orientation, training and customer experience.
For over 15 years, Donnelly gained practical customer
facing and leadership experience at The Walt Disney
Company and Papa John’s International. He began his Disney career as a
skipper on the world-famous Jungle Cruise in the Magic Kingdom at the
Walt Disney World Resort before embarking on the Disney Management
Development Program. There, he learned and put into practice the Disney
approach to people management and quality service. Donnelly served in a
variety of leadership roles at Walt Disney World, including food and beverage operations management, the WDW Casting Center (hired thousands
of cast members for various roles throughout the resort), guest relations
and facilitating company orientation for newly hired cast members. During
his tenure with Papa John’s, Donnelly worked with Founder and CEO John
Schnatter to design and implement programs that communicated the culture
of a company growing at the rate of 40 percent per year. As the Director of
Culture, he designed the cultural standards, redesigned the selection and
hiring process and developed new employee orientation while the company
experienced their initial public offering and international expansion. Mike’s
success in affecting both corporate and franchise stores and his groundbreaking work in supporting and leading the organization through its growth
earned him the prestigious President’s Award, presented by John Schnatter.
Through his experience creating and presenting behavior-based content, as
well as facilitating business development programs, his expertise is highly
sought after. He now uses this extensive experience to help organizations
build high performing service cultures. His number one client for several
years remains Disney Institute where he is a contracted facilitator of Disney
development for organizations throughout North America.
NATALIE DUNLAP
Natalie Dunlap is the Founder and President of Media
Mix, a full service advertising agency in Jacksonville,
Florida. She is also Vice President of Marketing for
Adventure Holdings and The Beach. Dunlap is a seasoned leader, directing an organization whose driving
force is for clients to have a consistent message and
brand in all forms of media including traditional, digital and social. She is
skilled in marketing, specifically lead generation, with attributes in communication, public relations, team building and mentoring. She leads her team
with vision of a marketing strategy, development of an economic business
case and execution of an aggressive campaign for each client. Dunlap has
been a marketing professional for 16 years. Her leadership, management
style, business growth initiatives and community contributions are factors
that have made Media Mix so successful.
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JAMES F. DUNN
As vice president of design and construction for Aquatic
Development Group, James F. Dunn’s responsibilities include conceptual design development, contract
administration and project management of waterpark,
aquatic center and specialty feature projects. He is involved in the design/build services from the initial phases of project development through final construction. Dunn is a registered
architect in the state of New York and has more than 20 years of waterpark
development and construction experience with responsibilities that range
from specific system design to overall project planning and management.
For the past decade, Dunn has been involved with the extensive research
and development program of ADG’s Whitten Filtration Division. He has
helped pioneer some of the most progressive water filtration systems used
in today’s waterparks and aquatic venues. He has spearheaded the implementation of safe, effective water treatment systems used in every waterpark
or commercial pool project that ADG designs and builds. He has managed
the development of the design of such projects as Camelbeach Waterpark;
Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio; Wet ‘n Wild (Orlando, Florida and Brazil);
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, St. Louis, Mo.; Six Flags Great America, Gurnee,
Ill.; Massanutten Resort, McGaheysville, Va.; and Geauga Lake, Aurora, Ohio.
Dunn holds a bachelor’s degree of professional studies in architecture from
the University of Buffalo.
PETER A. FINGERHUT
Peter A. Fingerhut is Vice President of Marketing and
Sales for Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Zoombezi Bay,
Safari Golf Club and the Wilds. Fingerhut’s passion for
business management and marketing has guided his
28 year career. In the six years that he has been with the
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the zoo’s attendance has
grown over 25 percent and memberships have grown
over 40 percent. In 2009, the zoo was rated the #1 zoo in the nation by USA
travel guide. Fingerhut has completely redesigned the Website, restructured
the Group Sales Department and completely restructured the advertising
department, including bringing on a world class advertising agency. While
doing all this, he has increased sponsorships by over 20 percent and cut
expenses with memberships by over 20 percent. Prior to his time at Zoo,
Fingerhut worked for the Six Flags Corporation where he spent over 20 years
growing from a seasonal coordinator of promotions to General Manager.
Outside of his work, Fingerhut currently serves on the board of directors for
the Dublin Convention and Visitor’s Department. He is an active member of
AZA and a member of the American Marketing Association, in which he was
voted the “Marketer of the Year” in 2008. Fingerhut serves as the Secretary
for WWA’s Marketing & Communications Committee. Fingerhut attended the
University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri and received his bachelor’s of
science degree in recreation and park management. He is married with three
children and enjoys a good round of golf.
BLAKE FORD
Blake Ford is currently the Waterpark General Manager
for the Water Park of America in Bloomington,
Minn. Prior to this, Ford was the Director of Aquatics
and Safety Coordinator for Blue Harbor Resort in
Sheboygan, Wis. He worked there since the property
changed ownership in 2011. He has been in Aquatics
since 2005 and has worked around the country. He is an Ellis & Associates
Instructor and previously held Instructor certification through American Red
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Cross. He is the Chair of the WWA’s Waterpark Resort Committee. He enjoys
playing most sports and never misses a chance to play volleyball. If he has a
chance to relax, you can find him on the couch watching a movie.
RON FOTH, JR.
Ron Foth, Jr. is the Creative Director for Ron Foth
Advertising. Joining RFA in 1988, Foth has brought
an incredible amount of innovation and energy to the
work done at the agency. He also directs the agency’s
television and film shoots and oversees the production division, resulting in many nationally recognized,
award-winning campaigns.
BOB FRADETTE
Bob Fradette has been with RFA since 1992, earning five different titles through his storied career. He
is responsible for the day-to-day activities including
research, strategic planning and client nurturing. He
always looks for innovative ways to impact clients’ brand
and messaging.
RICK FULLER
Since 1992, Rick Fuller has served as the Administrative
Counsel for Hyland Hills Park and Recreation District,
owners and operators of Water World. During that
period, and in addition to his legal duties, he has handson involvement with Water World’s risk management,
operations, training, personnel matters, public relations
and marketing. Fuller has been a frequent speaker at WWA events and will
present lessons learned by staff from 34 years of Water World operations.
Fuller has served on WWA’s Public Sector Committee and Safety Committee
and currently serves as Vice Chair for the Government Relations Committee.
GAYLEE W. GILLIM, ESQUIRE
Gaylee W. Gillim is general counsel and an owner of
Kentucky Kingdom, LLLP, which reopened Kentucky
Kingdom and Hurricane Bay in 2014. Gillim was also
general counsel and an owner of Kentucky Kingdom –
The Thrill Park from 1990 until its sale to Premier Parks
Inc in 1997. Prior to her involvement with Kentucky
Kingdom, LLLP, Gillim was general counsel and an owner of Magic Springs
Development Co., L.L.C., which opened Magic Springs & Crystal Falls in Hot
Springs, Arkansas in 2000. After eight seasons, Magic Springs was sold to
PARC Management in July, 2008. Gillim graduated from Duke University in
1975 (B.A. summa cum laude) and earned a J.D. from St. John’s University
in 1978. She is admitted to practice in both New York and Kentucky. Gillim
has been a member of International Amusement and Leisure Defense
Association’s (IALDA) Board of Directors since 1995 and currently serves as
Secretary of the organization. Gillim served two terms on the WWA’s Board
of Directors.
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FRANCEEN GONZALES
Franceen Gonzales was previously Vice President, Risk
Management and Waterparks, for Great Wolf Resorts
where she held responsibility for safety, risk management, waterpark operations and maintenance for the
company’s 12 waterpark resorts in North America.
Prior to joining Great Wolf Resorts, Gonzales was Park
Director for Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags Great Adventure. She has also
held top management positions at Golfland Entertainment Centers Inc.,
Waterworld Safari in Phoenix, Arizona and Wet ’N Wild Waterworld in Texas.
Gonzales served as the Chair of the WWA’s Board of Directors and on the
IAAPA Board of Directors. She sits on the ASTM International (American
Society for Testing and Materials) Board of Directors and has served on
numerous ASTM International committees. Gonzales currently serves on
the Board of Directors of AIMS (Amusement Industry Manufacturers and
Suppliers) and the National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF). A regular
speaker at industry events, Gonzales has also written several industry articles,
was named to the “Power 25” in 2011 and 2012 by “Aquatics International
Magazine” and has received many industry honors and awards including
WWA’s Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award and WWA’s Executive Board
Award twice.
BILLY HAMILTON
Billy Hamilton has more than 39 years of experience
in the swimming pool industry with 35 of those years
spent as Water Quality Manager at Wet ‘n Wild in
Orlando, Fla. As Pools & Water Quality Manager, he is
responsible for all pools and water, including a lake
and has played a major role in the development and
design of new rides. Hamilton has been called upon frequently during his
years at Wet ‘n Wild to share his knowledge. Hamilton is a CPO instructor
and enthusiastically teaches and shares his knowledge with others. He is an
accomplished and respected leader in the water quality field. Hamilton lives
his passion for water quality, safety and excellence in the industry on a daily
basis. He is a true water lover at work and away. Hamilton is an avid offshore
fisherman and enjoys scuba diving. Hamilton has been married for 33 years
to Cerinda, has one grown daughter and resides in central Florida.
KENNY HANDLER
Kenny Handler has operated and managed many
of California’s finest waterparks including Raging
Waters, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and the Wave
Waterpark, and has consulted with more than 70
facilities throughout the United States. He has been
in the waterpark industry for the past 4 decades. As a
nationally recognized waterpark professional, Handler continues to mentor and provide assistance to a number of well-known facilities offering
memorable and safe adventures to hundreds of thousands of guests each
year. He has maximized his client’s bottom lines by increasing their revenue
and reducing their expenses. Handler has received national recognition for
his marketing and success as an operator and General Manager. Handler’s
achievements include: best in marketing commercials, radio ads, print media
and promotional events from the WWA; winner of the first ever National Title
for Lifeguard Competition, as well as numerous safety awards from Ellis &
Associates. For the past decade, Handler has spoken at both national and
regional conferences including: NRPA, WWA, CPRS, IPRA, FPRA and MPRA.
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Handler was instrumental in organizing the WWA’s inaugural full day food
& beverage school in 2012 and has continued his role as organizer, adviser
and presenter for the school for the past three years.
DAVID HARMON
David Harmon has been with DEL Ozone since 2001
as Field Service Engineer and for the last year as
Director of Sales for Commercial Aquatics. Harmon’s
background of 13 years in the field commissioning and
servicing DEL’s extensive product line, as well as leading his team of factory direct technicians and contract
service companies around the world, gives him a great skill set for finding
ozone solutions for a wide variety of customers and applications. He and his
team have commissioned and serviced DEL systems, many being multiple
million gallon and multiple ozone generator projects, in North America,
South America, the Middle East, Far East, Europe, Africa and Australia .
Harmon has a B.S. in industrial technology from California Polytechnic State
University, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
KEVIN HARRINGTON
Kevin Harrington is currently Division Manager of the
Ramuc Pool Paint Company, located in Rockaway, New
Jersey. Harrington is a graduate of Rutgers University
where he earned a bachelor’s of science degree in
1977. After graduation, Harrington launched his career
at Wm. Zinsser & Co., Inc., Somerset N.J., where he began his specialization in the coatings industry. This position led to a 31 year
career in the capacity of sales & marketing and customer service. During
his tenure, Zinsser was acquired by RPM International, one of the largest
coatings companies in the world. Later, his expanding expertise in specialty
coatings led Harrington to assume the leadership role for Ramuc Pool Paint,
a division of RPM International. Harrington has become a trusted source for
guiding and leading facility managers and service technicians in the appropriate choice of coatings, and in techniques for proper surface preparation
and application. Harrington is exceptionally well respected for his professionalism and high standards, and is known to do all in his power to ensure
his clients have a positive and successful experience with his company and
product line. His outgoing and friendly demeanor lends itself to his ability
as an effective trainer and communicator. Harrington also specializes in applying his expertise and coatings knowledge to lead the organization in the
development of products that will serve the industry’s high demand. With his
vast product knowledge and extensive industry experience, Harrington has
led Ramuc to become an industry leader and has become a go-to person for
those seeking expertise in aquatic coatings.
TINA HATCHER
Tina Hatcher is the CEO and President of 3i Advertising/
PR. In her 26 year marketing and public relations career,
she has spent 24 of them working with waterparks and
attraction venues. She specializes in developing brand/
image campaigns, traditional media, digital and social
media platforms, public relations, promotions, special
events and creating revenue generating programs for parks. Her work over
the years has received WWA Wave Review awards and Addy awards for creative, campaign conception and Best of Show. Hatcher serves on the WWA’s
Marketing & Communications Committee. She also served on the Board of
Directors and donated her time with Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida and
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Autism Speaks. Hatcher has been married for 19 years to her better half,
Tom, has an 11-year old daughter and resides in South Florida. She can be
reached at tina@3iadvertising.com.
STEPHANIE HEE-JOHNSTON
Stephanie Hee-Johnston started working for NRH2O
Family Water Park at the age of 19 as the Marketing
Intern. She began her full time career at NRH2O as the
Group Sales Representative. In 2009, she was promoted
to the Marketing Specialist and is now the Admissions
& Promotions Coordinator where she oversees the sale
of tickets and passes, special events and social media. Hee-Johnston also
serves as the Vice Chair for the Marketing & Communications Committee
for the World Waterpark Association. Prior to joining NRH2O Family Water
Park full time, Hee-Johnston worked in Group Sales at SEGA GameWorks in
Grapevine, Texas. She has a bachelor’s of business administration degree in
marketing from the University of Texas at Austin.
MELISSA HEROLD
Melissa “Missy” Herold serves as General Manager
of Grand Lodge Waterpark Resort in Rothschild, Wis.
She began her career with the property in 2004 as a
lifeguard while attending college and quickly worked
her way up to Aquatics Supervisor and then Aquatics
Manager in 2005. In 2010, Herold was promoted
to Assistant General Manager of the resort and, in 2012, was promoted
to Director of Operations. She currently sits on the Board of Directors
for the Mosinee Area Chamber of Commerce, is President of the South
Area Business Association and is the President of the Central Wisconsin
Innkeepers Association. She graduated from University of WisconsinStevens Point with a B.A. In English in 2006. Herold currently serves as Vice
Chair for WWA’s Waterpark Resort Committee.
CLINT HILL
Clint Hill is currently the President of Hawaiian Falls.
Hawaiian Falls currently owns and operates 7 waterparks, two adventure parks and two event centers
in Texas. Hill has been in the waterpark industry for
12 years. He currently oversees 2,000+ employees
annually and over 1 million guests. Hill currently holds
several certifications within the waterpark industry and has had experience
with NASCO and Ellis & Associates. Prior to joining the waterpark industry,
Hill was a firefighter in North Texas. He also served in New Orleans during
Hurricane Katrina as part of the rescue effort with FEMA.
JIMMY HOLMES
Jimmy Holmes is the President of H Two Marketing, a
firm providing marketing management and consulting
services to waterparks. Holmes is a marketing strategist
with over two decades of experience in brand development, campaign execution, season pass programs,
group sales, promotions, partnerships and special
events. He began his career at Wild Adventures Theme Park, where he led
marketing efforts that transformed the regional animal park into the 32nd
largest amusement park in North America. As Vice President of Marketing
& Sales for Adventure Parks Group, Holmes spearheaded the rebranding
of historic Cypress Gardens, and launched two Splash Island Waterparks.
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His marketing efforts have been recognized with WWA Wave Review &
IAAPA Brass Ring awards. He resides in Valdosta, Ga., with his wife Tori and
daughter Ansley.
LEE HOVIS
Lee Hovis is the Director of Recreation and Operation
for the Tolomato Community Development District and
is responsible for the operation of all Nocatee amenities and programs. He has served as a member of the
WWA’s Board of Directors and served as the chair from
2002-2005. Hovis has been working in the waterpark
industry since 1984 and has served on the WWA Safety Committee and
teaches the National Swimming Pool Foundation’s Certified Pool Operator
Courses for the association. He serves on the APSP-9 committee for
waterpark safety standards, works with the International Code Council on
Swimming Pool Codes and is an Instructor Trainer for the American Red
Cross. Prior to joining the district, Hovis has held top management positions
with Adventure Landing, Roaring Springs Waterpark, Water Country USA,
Emerald Pointe Waterpark and Summer Waves Waterpark. WWA inducted
Hovis into the Hall of Fame in 2011. When not working on waterpark issues,
Hovis enjoys watching football and spending time with his family.
RICK IAFRATE
Rick Iafrate has been with Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix,
Arizona’s largest waterpark, for over 6 years now, as
the Food and Beverage Director. Iafrate attended
Arizona State University and also is retired from the
military serving through both regular and reserve
components in the Army. Iafrate started in the hotel
industry with Marriott, working his way up to position of Food and Beverage
Director through commitment and dedication to his job. He also worked for
InterContinental Hotels, Hilton and Crowne Plaza chains. In addition to hotels, Iafrate also worked for the Arizona Diamondbacks in their first season as
the Catering Manager. This was a dream job for him, but gave it up to coach
his boys in Little League, which was a much bigger dream! He returned
to a hotel position as the Food and Beverage Director, until he was called
upon to serve in Iraq, in Operation Iraqi Freedom. A couple years later he
accepted his current position at Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix. Iafrate has increased
his annual sales and per cap each and every year for 6 consecutive years. He
is responsible for two bar outlets, an indoor air conditioned restaurant facility
and multiple outlets throughout the park. He is well respected by his fellow
associates and has a high retention rate every year. He has tried many things
through the years to include serving: rattlesnake, bison burger and ostrich
at his park. He has spearheaded many ideas and concepts currently in place
and Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix. Iafrate attributes his success to the many people
he has worked with through the years.
JEFFREY W. JOHNSON, ESQUIRE
Jeffrey W. Johnson is the founder of the Johnson Law
Group. Johnson is rated AV by Martindale and has extensive litigation and jury trial experience in the areas of
general tort liability and commercial litigation matters.
He has been defending wrongful death, personal injury,
premises liability and product liability for the retail and
amusement industry since 1987. Johnson is admitted to practice before the
Florida Bar. He is the Secretary Treasurer for the Florida Defense Lawyers
Association (FDLA), a member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI),
Council for Litigation Management (CLM) and International Amusement
& Leisure Defense Association (IALDA). He has spoken at meetings and
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conferences throughout the United States. He received his bachelor’s of
arts degree from Tulane University and his Juris Doctorate degree from
the University of Miami School of Law. He is admitted to practice in all trial
and appellate courts in the State of Florida, as well as the U.S. District Court
(Southern and Middle Districts of Florida).
TOM JOHNSTON
Tom Johnston is President of Ascedia, a digital marketing and web development agency in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. With over a decade of digital marketing,
management, business development and leadership
experience, he combines data-driven insights and creative, personalized strategy to drive business results. His
tactical experience spans multiple online channels, including organic search,
paid search, social, email, video, display and mobile marketing. Prior to
joining Ascedia in 2007, Johnston worked in the e-commerce department at
Kohl’s corporate, as the online traffic and sales analyst at JSOnline.com and
drove the implementation of email marketing strategy for SignOnSanDiego.
com. Johnston graduated cum laude from UW-Milwaukee, where he earned
a double bachelor’s in linguistics with a focus in Japanese and Philosophy, as
well as a certificate of Asian studies.
MATT KEIL
Matt Keil is currently the General Manager at Big Air
Trampoline Park in Buena Park, Calif. He is an integral
part of a progressive development group named
H2O Partners, which manages properties throughout
Southern California. This group currently manages
Splash Kingdom Waterpark in Redlands, Calif., and
three Big Air Trampoline Parks in Laguna Hills, Buena Park and Redlands. Keil
has worked for more than 20 years operating waterparks and 3 years developing and operating trampoline parks. He began working as a lifeguard at
Wild Rivers Waterpark in Irvine, Calif., in 1991 and later became an American
Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor. Keil served as the Director of Operations for
Raging Waters Waterpark in Salt Lake City, Utah from 1998 to 2000. From
2000 to 2011, he held various positions at Wild Rivers including Operations
and Admissions Manager. From 2012 to 2014, he was the Assistant General
Manager for Splash Kingdom Waterpark and Big Air Trampoline Park in
Redlands, Calif. From 2012 to 2015, he developed and now operates Big
Air Trampoline Park in Buena Park, Calif. During his tenure as a manager, he
was integral part of a team responsible for overseeing all elements of park
safety, loss prevention and operational efficiency. Keil’s expertise is using
educational ideology when creating and implementing management and
front line training programs.
JESSICA KING
As the Director of Operations at Raging Waters, San
Jose, Jessica King’s current occupation allows her to be
part of an incredibly dynamic and innovative industry.
Her career began much like it has for many others; it
was a fun summer job that evolved into something
more significant. Graduating from USC in 2005, King
earned degrees in both biochemistry and neuroscience and planned to
become a physician, all the while maintaining employment as a lifeguard
at Raging Waters, San Dimas. Several career paths and 14 years later, King
finds that her ambition is looking for new ways to streamline safety, training
and the guest experience for all the properties she is lucky enough to be
involved in. King feels that properly educating and demonstrating passion to
her employees will not only empower them to do their jobs more efficiently
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and effectively, but can also inspire her team members to be even better,
uncovering potential innovation that will continue to elevate our incredible
industry. King’s favorite part about the waterpark industry is that going to
work rarely feels like “work;” no two days are identical and she cannot think
of anything better than being in the business of fun. King feels like she has
found her niche and hopes to inspire passion and creativity to those she
is fortunate enough to encounter along the way. King currently serves on
WWA’s Education Committee.
KAROL KOMAR
Karol Komar is the Facilities Manager for the Tinley ParkPark District. She has been active in the pool industry for
19 years. Komar’s career began with the district as the
fitness center manager, managing their center, which
includes the indoor pool. In 2001, Komar was placed in
the position of Facilities Manager, responsible for the
new 70,000-square-foot Bettenhausen Recreation Center and White Water
Canyon, the new 5-acre waterpark. Including these two facilities, she is also
in charge of overseeing the fitness center. Komar is involved in all aspects
of these properties including marketing, sales, maintenance, lifeguard and
staff training and also their in-house concessions. Under Komar’s direction,
the lifeguard team at White Water Canyon has earned numerous 4 and 5 star
awards from Starfish Aquatics Institute and last year the staff was presented
with the Executive Director’s Award from the National Drowning Prevention
Alliance. In 2013, the Tinley Park-Park District achieved the prestigious title of
Distinguished Accredited Agency awarded by The Illinois Association of Park
Districts & the Illinois Park and Recreation Associations. The two-year process
recognizes recreation agencies that provide exceptional park and recreation
services to their community. The Tinley Park-Park District is one of only 45
agencies in the state of Illinois who have earned this award. Komar currently
serves as the Secretary for WWA’s Public Sector Committee.
KEVIN KOPENY
Kevin Kopeny served as the VP/General Manager of
Wild Rivers until its closure in 2011. He began working
at Wild Rivers in 1988 and possesses more than 25
years of experience in the waterpark industry. Since the
closure of Wild Rivers Waterpark, Kopeny has worked to
develop his own consulting business. Kopeny’s consulting company focuses on operational and design/build expertise. Kopeny’s
clients have retained his services over the past few years in many operational roles across the U.S., as well as internationally. Kopeny has either led
or been involved in the development of multiple water related recreation
venues. In 2014, Kopeny joined the team at Water Ventures leisure design, as
their company’s Vice President. Since February of 2014, Kopeny has worked
diligently to help Water Ventures provide project management services on
multiple contracts, in both the municipal and the private sector. Kopeny
has completed multiple design service and construction contracts for the
firm and its clients. Kopeny has consulted on a number of projects, in both
the public and private sectors and has always accepted requests to lend his
experience to the industry.
CHRIS LANDGRAVE
Chris Landgrave has been the Superintendent of
Business Development for the Lake County Parks
and Recreation department in Lake Co. Indiana since
February. Prior to assuming his current position,
Landgrave was General Manager of Deep River
Waterpark for 12 years and waterfront supervisor
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at Whihala Beach County Park on Lake Michigan for 4 years. Landgrave
graduated from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind., with a degree in
sports management. He currently lives with his wife and daughter in Crown
Point, Ind. Landgrave serves as the Chair of the WWA Education Committee.
Landgrave was awarded a Special Recognition Award by the WWA’s Board
of Directors for significant accomplishment with their volunteer committees
in 2010/2011.
JUDITH LEBLEIN JOSEPHS
Judith Leblein Josephs, CPRA, RA, has been a featured
speaker at conferences and training seminars across
the United States for many years. After twenty years in
the public sector, Leblein Josephs was with the firm
of Water Technology, Inc. for 12 years as a Marketing
and Operations Consultant. She has served as an
Operations Coach for facilities of all sizes. She is now the President of Judith
Leblein Josephs Enterprises LLC and has clients across the country, including the City of Providence, Rhode Island and all of the aquatic venues for
the Salvation Army Eastern Territory. Leblein Josephs always knew that she
would someday return to the public sector. She was recruited by the City of
Summit, N.J. in 2007 to serve as their Director of Community Programs. No
stranger to Summit, she had a role on the design team for their renovated
community pool, now known as the Summit Family Aquatic Center. She has
worked her magic on this 40+-year-old facility that now boasts that it is “The
City’s Hottest Place to Cool Off!” Known internationally as a speaker and
author, Leblein Josephs’s specialty in marketing, promotions, television and
radio production has proven quite valuable to all of her clients. Her novel
approach to marketing has won her numerous state, national and international awards. Leblein Josephs has repeatedly won the “Speaker of the
Year” distinction from the World Waterpark Association and was inducted
into the WWA Hall of Fame in 2003. She has served as Toastmaster for the
WWA’s Opening General Session for numerous years. Leblein Josephs had a
career both in front of and behind the television camera. Her work was seen
throughout her home state of New Jersey over the past 20+ years. She has
also had a career on the radio and was a talk jock on Central Jersey 1450
WCTC for over ten years. She has hosted numerous award and professional
events as well. Leblein Josephs has a knack for making learning a memorable and enjoyable event. She also serves on WWA’s Education Committee.
BILL LENTZ
Bill Lentz is the Vice President of Water Parks for
Palace Entertainment. Lentz is responsible for nine
waterparks across the country, including parks in
California, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New
Hampshire and New York. He spent his early career in
retail at sports facilities, concerts and tour merchandising. This included merchandising for the Harlem Globetrotters domestically
and worldwide. Lentz started in the amusement business in 1989 in retail at
Knott’s Berry Farm, CA. Lentz was promoted several times at Knott’s, and in
1998 became the Director of Merchandise. In this role he was responsible
for $35 million in revenue and managed 1,000 employees in retail, games,
Ghost Town operations and the retail warehouse. This role also included
multiple trips overseas to Taiwan and China for product development and
procurement. In 2005, Lentz was promoted to serve as the General Manager
of Knott’s Soak City, Palm Springs, CA, setting revenue and profitability records during his time there. Lentz also served as the GM of California’s Great
America in Santa Clara, CA, before moving to Palace in 2013. In his roles as
GM and his current role with Palace, he has managed or helped oversee numerous new attraction or facility projects, including three new rides in 2015.
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Lentz graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a bachelor’s
degree in business administration. Lentz is CPO certified, and serves on the
Advisory Board for Ellis & Associates. Lentz has been married over 33 years
to his wife, Karen. They have three children, and had their first two grandchildren earlier this year.
RON LAUSMAN
Ron Lausman has worked in the management role for a
number of design and consulting firms across western
Canada for 25 years. Within that time, he has over
19 years’ experience in the design of global aquatic
recreational attractions and waterparks. Lausman is a
Landscape Architect and the head of proposals, slide
path design and all architectural services at WhiteWater West Industries in
the Vancouver head office. Lausman holds a bachelor of science degree from
the University of Winnipeg and a master’s of landscape architecture degree
from the University of Manitoba. He has been involved in the design of many
indoor and outdoor waterparks, resort aquatic facilities, hotel waterparks
and other recreation amenities around the world, with significant projects
in Asia, Eastern Europe, Russia, South and Central America and the Middle
East. Projects include, Evergreen Waterpark, Yas Waterworld, Moscow Free
Style, Palm Coast Krasnodar, Can Tho Waterpark, Lotte World and Legoland.
Lausman has a proven track record of design delivery and master planning of
large and complicated waterparks throughout the industry.
MICKEY LEWIS
Mickey Lewis is currently the Corporate Director
of Sales and Marketing for Splash Kingdom Family
Waterparks. Splash Kingdom Family Waterparks have
experienced tremendous growth to 4 waterparks currently in operation with several more waterparks slated
to open in in 2016. Lewis has served in a marketing capacity in 4 different industries (beverage, restoration, holiday and waterpark)
and uses this broad experience to create a unique marketing approach to
the waterpark industry. Potential sponsors are attracted to Splash Kingdom
Family Waterparks through a comprehensive marketing plan including
in-park radio, social media, texting platform and bundled sales events at
sponsor outlet.
NATALIE LIVINGSTON
Natalie Livingston is currently the General Manager
of The Wave Waterpark in Vista, Calif. As an 18 year
veteran in the aquatics industry, she has worked at
both private and public aquatic facilities including Six
Flags Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles, Knott’s Soak City
Buena Park and Palm Springs and The Wave Waterpark
(owned and operated by the City of Vista). Livingston studied education at
Biola University and is currently an Instructor Trainer for the IAM Elite Guard
program. She is an AFO and CPO and is currently serving on the WWA’s
Education Committee.
BOB MARTIN
Bob Martin has been the General Manager of Wild
Water Adventure Park in Clovis, Calif., since 2004.
Martin spent the first half of his career coaching,
scouting and managing professional football & hockey
teams, as well as scouting college football for the NFL,
the CFL and arena football leagues. In 2004, a close
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friend introduced Martin to Greg & Kathy Siggers. Martin has been with Wild
Water Adventure Park for 12 years focusing on group sales, revenue, in-park
spending and taking on challenges that come with a facility that has been
operating for more than 4 decades. Martin has developed a nationally recognized cabana program that never stops growing in quantity and revenue.
Martin enjoys spending time with his wife of 32 years, Blanche, and their two
daughters and 11 grandchildren.
SASHA MATEER
Sasha Mateer is the General Manager of Deep River
Waterpark, a Lake County Parks and Recreation facility,
in Crown Point, Indiana. Mateer began her career in
2000 when she joined Deep River as a lifeguard. She
was later promoted to a lifeguard lead and eventually
became the Water Safety Supervisor. In 2007, Mateer
took over as the Operations Manager for Deep River Waterpark and her
responsibilities were widened to include the admissions, guest services and
merchandise teams of Deep River. Mateer has held certifications as an Ellis
& Associates instructor, American Red Cross lifeguard instructor, AFO and
ServSafe. She graduated from DePaul University in 2003 with a degree in biology. Mateer was the recipient of the 2010 Lake County Parks Department
Employee of the Year award, as well as the 2013 Executive Board Award
from the World Waterpark Association’s Board of Directors. Mateer currently
serves as the Vice Chair for the WWA’s Education Committee.
JASON MCCOLLIM
Jason McCollim has worked as an on-air radio personality since 2001 and has been a fixture on local radio for
over a decade. In 2003, McCollim began his own public
relations and advertising agency, serving as a consultant, publicist, graphic designer, audio designer and
videographer for several multi-million dollar businesses
throughout Washington, Idaho and Montana. In 2012, Triple Play Family Fun
Park & Raptor Reef enlisted McCollim to their advertising and marketing
team as a Social Media Consultant and Creative Services Producer.
CHRIS MCCREARY
Chris McCreary has been in the aquatic industry for
nearly 12 years. The past 10 were spent at Raptor Reef
Indoor Waterpark, where he has been acting as the
Aquatics Director. McCreary has a passion for all things
water. Whether he is teaching life saving techniques
to beginning swimmers or training adults for triathlons,
he loves being in and around the water and sharing his passion with others.
He also has become the face of Triple Play Family Fun Park, acting in short
informational videos for the park. McCreary lives in Hayden, Idaho, where he
loves being outdoors, working out and sharing his friendly, positive attitude
with those around him!
DALE MCFARLAND
Dale McFarland has been responsible for the successful operation of the 414-room KeyLime Cove Indoor
Waterpark Resort, located in Gurnee, Illinois, since
October 2008. Prior to his current position, he served
as General Manager of Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono
Mountains, Pennsylvania, where he managed the preopening plans as well as the day to day operations for one of the highest
grossing indoor waterpark resorts in the industry. Prior to that, he was the
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district manager of ARAMARK Corporation’s (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
largest account, Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas in Page, Arizona, and is also
the former vice president of ARAMARK Parks West. In addition, McFarland
has held various management level positions at DoubleTree Hotels in
Denver, Colorado; Austin, Texas; Yakima and Seattle, Washington. In 2009,
McFarland was honored by the Illinois Lodging Associations esteemed
“Hotelier of the Year” award as well as the “Corporate Award” from the
Illinois Fire Department for his involvement in community outreach and fire
safety education. His passion for community service has allowed KeyLime
Cove to contribute over $173,000 to United Way of Lake County and
the Gurnee police and fire departments since he started this partnership
program. McFarland continually gives back to the hospitality industry and
serves on the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association’s Executive Committee
and Board of Directors, the Lake County Visitors Bureau Board of Directors,
as well as the Chair for WWA’s Government Relations Committee. He earned
a bachelor’s of arts degree in criminal justice and certification in hospitality
management & professional development from Washington State University.
COLLIN MCGEE
Collin McGee currently works as the Assistant Aquatics
Coordinator in Parks and Recreation for the City of
Henderson. He began as a lifeguard in 2010 working in
various positions within the Aquatics Division. McGee
found his passion in working with the public and
training and developing staff members. He eventually
chose to pursue a bachelor’s degree in public administration. Training is
McGee’s core focus, and he often develops trainings in various areas such as
teamwork, communication and leadership. McGee seeks to develop sincere
relationships with his team, as he feels that is the key to a success.
ZACK MCINTYRE
Zack McIntyre is the Director of Magic Waters Waterpark
and the aquatics department for the Rockford Park
District. He graduated from Western Illinois University
with a degree in biology and education and holds
a current teaching certificate in Illinois. McIntyre is a
former EMT in Illinois and currently works with Jeff Ellis
& Associates as an Instructor Trainer & Associate. McIntyre is a graduate of
the Illinois Park & Recreation Association’s Leadership Academy, and has
completed his Lean Specialist training through the Business Innovation
Services at the University of Illinois. McIntyre has been involved with the
aquatics field for over 10 years. Prior to his current position, McIntyre worked
as an Operations Manager, where he oversaw all lifeguards for the Rockford
Park District as well as all aquatic risk management, the EMT department at
Magic Waters and all aquatic programming for the Rockford Park District,
which includes four facilities. Under McIntyre’s leadership, Magic Waters and
the aquatics department have received multiple gold and platinum awards
from Ellis & Associates for their excellence in aquatic safety, as well as several
marketing and safety awards from the WWA. McIntyre currently serves as the
Vice Chair for WWA’s Public Sector Committee.
STEVE MILLER
Steve Miller is a Regional Client Manager for Jeff Ellis &
Associates, Inc. (E&A). He has over 20 years of experience in the aquatics industry with extensive aquatics related training, aquatic risk management experience and
thousands of hours of contact time with various facilities
across the United States and internationally. He began
working as a lifeguard at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in 1994 and has worked at
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various waterparks throughout the country, including both seasonal outdoor
facilities and indoor waterpark resorts. Miller became an Instructor Trainer
with E&A in 2003, and continued his involvement with the organization,
including being a faculty member for the annual Ron Rhinehart International
Safety School, until he began working for the firm in 2011. Since then, he has
been assisting with operational safety audits of aquatic facilities, teaching
courses across country and internationally, as well as supporting the Ellis
Education Services division of the company. Miller supports E&A Clients in
the southeast region of the United States and regularly conducts courses
and presentations on the subjects of lifeguarding, risk management and
safety. Miller is an active member of CMAHC.
JASON MONTILLA
Jason Montilla has been an innovator and leader in the
information technology field since 1996. His creative,
professional and educational experience has been an
invaluable asset to various organizations throughout
his career. As part of the instructional team, Montilla
helped build what became the digital media program
at the University of Central Florida. Through this experience, Montilla moved
into digital research for the Institute for Simulation and Training, early conceptual digital development for Universal’s Islands of Adventure and creative
work for Walt Disney World. Montilla is a customer experience expert with a
strong background in enterprise development for organizations such as Walt
Disney World, Universal Studios, Amertron, NCR and Innovative Attraction
Management. He brings his agile leadership, ability to adapt to technological trends and drive for quality to the waterpark industry.
KIM MOORE
Kim Moore joined RFA in 1988 as an Account Executive
and has moved through the ranks to her current position as one of the leaders of the company. As Senior
Vice President, she is responsible for strategic planning
for all clients, new business development and the daily
operations of the Client Services department. Her ability
to nurture long-term relationships with clients makes her expert in building a
mutual trust and commitment to everyone’s success.
MARK MOORE
Mark Moore is the Chief Operating Officer of the
LSAR Group and the General Manager of Gulf Islands
Waterpark. Moore is heavily involved with the World
Waterpark Association. He is the current Vice Chair
of the Board of Directors, and former Chair of the
Technology Committee and the Waterpark Resort
Committee. In the past he has also served as the General Manager/Vice
President of Splash Universe Resorts and the General Manager of Splash
Lagoon Waterpark Resort. With his broad range of experience from building
and opening new parks to reenergizing existing parks, he often presents at
the WWA Annual Symposium and has published several articles in leading
industry publications. Moore began his career in aquatics as a lifeguard in
1987 and has worked in the waterpark industry since 1996. Having worked in
collegiate swimming, indoor and outdoor waterpark business, he has gained
a unique perspective of the industry. Utilizing a consultative management
style and selling method, Moore has been successful in developing talent
through the decision-making process by presenting innovative ideas and
recommendations. By motivating his sales teams to generate business and
growing product demand, Moore has been successful at generating long
term profitable business relationships and partnerships. His experience has
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enabled him to develop growth strategies for maximizing the revenue of
resorts, waterparks and various other businesses. By developing the correct
mix of special events, marketing and pricing, Moore has consistently demonstrated an understanding of what it takes to maximize the yield of resorts,
waterparks and consumer-based businesses.
NICHOLAS NEUMAN
Nicholas Neuman, Principal and Project Development,
is responsible for Project Development at WTI and his
primary role is to develop and expand the commercial, entertainment and design/build sectors of the
business. His experience working internationally with
developers, architects and design teams for large waterentertainment projects gives WTI a solid understanding of cultural influences
on concept development, design/engineering, project management, on-site
construction and operations of waterpark facilities. Neuman has spoken at
various industry events, including WWA’s North American conferences; and
in 2012 he was named one of “Aquatics International’s” Power 25 as one of
the industry’s most influential people in the waterpark and aquatics industry.
GLENN A. O’CONNOR
Glenn A. O’Connor is an award winning Landscape
Architect, with 32 years professional experience, who
provides the firm with strong leadership in landscape
architecture practice; large scale projects; master plans;
built works; institutional campus projects; recreation
and community projects; specialty studies and master
plans. He is very active in presentations for municipal councils, public meetings, municipal negotiations and special interest groups. O’Connor has
been involved in and has led numerous multi-disciplinary teams, directing or
assisting a variety of projects ranging from specialty studies, environment issues, institutional, college, university, healthcare work and detailed site planning work. Project work includes restoration ecology and habitat creation,
with a particular emphasis on upland and riparian habitats for storm water
quality facilities. O’Connor applies low maintenance principles to counteract
the rapidly escalating costs of recurring landscape maintenance in open
space systems. He has provided testimony as an expert witness in O.M.B.,
N.E.C. consolidated board hearings, divisional court hearings for a variety
of issues such as visual assessment, and resource analysis. Recent project
involvement includes the implementation of numerous institutional projects,
pedestrian/cycling studies and sports facilities. O’Connor is a special advisor
to Niagara College Canada and is a member of the Grounds Committee.
TIM O’DONNELL
Tim O’Donnell is the program manager for the WWA
Insurance Program by Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. A
graduate of the University of Kansas, O’Donnell joined
Haas & Wilkerson in 2008 and in 2012 was tasked
with leading the sales efforts of the WWA Insurance
Program. Launched by the WWA in 2009, this program
has brought industry leading coverage forms, loss prevention efforts and
state of the art claims handling to the industry and will continue to push the
envelope to better serve WWA members.
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MICHAEL OOSTMAN
Michael Oostman has been involved in aquatic safety
consulting since the early ‘90s. Throughout his tenure,
he has investigated over six hundred drowning events
and has been retained in hundreds of law suits to act
as an expert witness. These experiences have helped to
provide a framework of understanding of the liabilities,
exposures and mitigative steps all operators need to understand to run a
safe operation. Oostman is a managing partner with Innovative Attraction
Management, LLC.
BOB OSIP
Bob Osip has over 25 years experience in risk management and is currently the Risk Manager for the City
of Henderson, Nevada. Osip is a Michigan native and
has a B.S. and a master’s degree of public administration (MPA) from Michigan State University. He has
worked for five local governments in various capacities, and is the Past President of the Oregon Chapter of the Public Risk and
Insurance Management Association (PRIMA) and is the Past Vice-President
of the Nevada Chapter of the Public Risk and Insurance Management
Association (PRIMA).
BOB OWENS
Bob Owens is Water World Manager at Hyland Hills
Water World and has been with the park since 1984.
Water World is the largest publically owned waterpark
in the United States and is located in Denver, Colorado.
Owens has overseen guest services, revenue and IT
programs for the park since 1993.
CHRISTOPHER OZIMEK
As Corporate Director of Marketing & Sales,
Christopher Ozimek is responsible for the marketing, advertising and sales efforts for Schlitterbahn
Waterparks & Resorts. After 12 seasons with Cedar Fair
Entertainment Company at Cedar Point, Dorney Park &
Wildwater Kingdom and Worlds of Fun, Ozimek joined
the Schlitterbahn team in 2008 and directed the marketing and sales plan
for the opening of Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark. After four seasons
at the Kansas City park, Ozimek lead the marketing and sales endeavors at
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston Island for two seasons, then assumed
the role of corporate director of marketing and sales for Schlitterbahn
Waterparks and Resorts in August 2013. Ozimek serves on the WWA’s
Marketing & Communications Committee.
CHRISTINE PALMA
Christine Palma is the General Manager of Breakwater
Beach Waterpark in Seaside Heights, N.J., and has
worked in the theme park/waterpark industry for
over 20 years. She started her career as a front line
employee with Six Flags Great Adventure in N.J. In
over ten years with SFGA, she worked in numerous
management roles including Security Supervisor, Waterpark Manager and
Park Services Manager. She was also part of the team who opened the
new Hurricane Harbor-New Jersey in 2000. In 2005, she accepted a job at
Breakwater Beach Waterpark. During her tenure as Operations Manager,
Breakwater Beach was the winner of the Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award
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for significant contribution to guest and employee safety. Palma has been an
instructor with Jeff Ellis & Associates, an instructor trainer with NASCO, a N.J.
Emergency Medical Technician and holds a B.S. in business management
from Rowan University.
GEORGE PANTON
George Panton is currently Marketing and Product
Development Manager for Water Safety Products,
Inc., a Florida corporation and international supplier
of lifeguard uniforms and lifeguard safety equipment
since 1989. Panton’s introduction to the aquatic industry
began with a position as Beach Lifeguard for Brevard
County Ocean Rescue in 2003 which continued for five summers. This experience included the First Responder course and USLA open water lifeguard
training. During his college years, Panton enjoyed in-store retail and regional
sales for such brands as Oakley eyewear. He graduated in 2010 from the
University of Denver with a degree in marketing and art. Shortly after graduation, Panton took a position leading the pre-opening Souvenir Photography
program at the world’s largest indoor theme park, Ferrari World Abu
Dhabi, UAE. In 2012, he was promoted to be the first official merchandise
manager for the pre-opening team at Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi. There,
he concentrated on interactive retail experiences, including the world’s first
Splashquest game and waterpark pearl dive experience. Since moving back
to the USA, Panton has continued his personal development in the aquatics
industry. He attended and graduated from a week-long Disney Institute
Program. He has also participated in aquatic safety schools and workshops
for both Ellis & Associates and NASCO. Panton and the team at Water Safety
Products, Inc. routinely provide support and consultation to first-year facilities to help ensure that their initial lifeguard uniform needs, training supplies
and safety equipment requirements are met.
ANTHONY “TJ” POLLACK
Anthony “TJ” Pollack is the Director of Aquatics for
KeyLime Cove Water Resort’s Lost Paradise Waterpark.
He has worked for over 12 years in the aquatics industry
for both the public and private sectors. He gradated
with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and
holds certifications as an Aquatic Facility Operator, SAI
Lifeguard Instructor and SAI Swim Instructor. He has worked with three major
aquatics risk management companies and has been in hotel waterparks
since 2007. He contributes to organizations in aquatics and hospitality and is
the Secretary for the WWA’s Waterpark Resort Committee.
KEVIN POST
Kevin Post is a project manager for CounsilmanHunsaker, focusing on feasibility studies and operational assistance. Post’s aquatic experience includes
pool management, feasibility study analyst, facility audit
coordinator, launch operations training and CPO training. This broad base of experience has allowed Post
to offer his knowledge to communities interested in planning new aquatic
facilities across the U.S.
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TIFFANY QUILICI
Tiffany Quilici is Marketing Director for Roaring Springs
Waterpark, Wahooz Family Fun Zone and Pinz Bowling
Center near Boise, Idaho. In the past eleven years, she
has taken the parks’ marketing strategies beyond the
traditional media, to include social media, guest satisfaction research and word of mouth marketing. Quilici
has been recognized for her contributions to the waterpark industry with the
WWA Board of Directors’ Al Turner Memorial Commitment to Excellence
Award, as well as multiple Best Speaker Awards. Quilici currently serves on
WWA’s Board of Directors. Quilici balances her career with a husband and
three children, ages 7, 9 & 22.
MARISOL RAMIREZ
As the Sales & Marketing Manager, Marisol Ramirez
is responsible for the social media campaign for
Hurricane Alley, while assisting in brand development,
public relations and promotions, as well as organizing
all catering, groups and specials events. During her
short tenure at the park, Hurricane Alley Waterpark
has received the 2014 WWA Wave Review award for Best Social Media
Campaign for her engaging use of Snapchat in the teen demographic.
Ramirez’s concept of social media is for each platform to be tailored to its
unique demographic and have a specific voice for the platform. Ramirez
began her work in the marketing industry volunteering as a spokesperson
and campaign developer for non-profits focused on environmental issues
and animal rights. She continues to dedicate her time as a Critical Care
Team volunteer with the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network and to
her community by serving as the Marketing Chair for the Young Business
Professionals of the Coastal Bend.
COURTNEY RAYBURN
Courtney Rayburn began her career in the amusement
industry in 1999 at Six Flags Astroworld & Waterworld
in Houston, Texas. It didn’t take long for her to fall in
love with the idea of “selling fun.” In the last 10 years,
Rayburn has expanded that idea through the use of
new media; initially with MySpace, and now Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram and review sites. In recent years, Rayburn was responsible
for the overall online presence of up to 41 theme parks, waterparks and
FECs in geographically and demographically diverse markets. Her focus
was to help the park teams create a voice for themselves in the social space,
train them on best practices and guide the media agency toward effective
social strategies in each market. Rayburn joined Apex Parks Group in April
2015 as the Marketing Communications Manager. In addition to traditional
media, she leads the digital and social media advertising for all of the
company’s parks. A lot has changed in social media over the years, but
Rayburn’s focus remains on enhancing the guest experience before, during
and after they visit.
SCHUYLER ROBERSON
Schuyler Roberson currently works as the Assistant
Aquatics Coordinator in Public Works, Parks and
Recreation for the City of Henderson. Having started
in 2007 as a lifeguard, Roberson has grown professionally within the organization. Roberson possesses
a bachelor’s of philosophy degree from the University
of Nevada, Las Vegas, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in
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public administration. Roberson passionately believes in progressive
employee development strategies where good employees come from
being great leaders.
WENDY ROSALES
Wendy Rosales is currently the Aquatics Coordinator
of DropZone Waterpark, part of the Riverside County
Park and Open-Space District. With over 14 years in
the aquatics industry, she has worked at both private
and public aquatic facilities including Knott’s Soak City
Buena Park, Splash Island Waterpark and DropZone
Waterpark. Rosales has a master’s of business administration (MBA) degree
from Azusa Pacific University. She has held certifications as an Instructor
Trainer with Ellis & Associates, Lifeguard Instructor with the American Red
Cross, WSI, AFO, CPO and ServSafe.
JENNIFER ROSS
Jennifer Ross has worked in Marketing and Public
Relations for over 30 years, the past 10 years as the
Marketing and Sales Director for Triple Play Family
Fun Park, Raptor Reef Indoor Waterpark & the Triple
Play Resort Hotel & Suites. During her time at Triple
Play, the facility has been awarded the Top Family
Entertainment Center in the World from IAAPA, as well as receiving the
Marketing Excellence awards for their TV and Radio commercials and a
World Waterpark Association Wave Review award for best radio commercial,
as well as many local awards. Ross lives in Hayden, Idaho with her husband
Scott. Together they have 4 grown children and 4 grandchildren; she enjoys
traveling, camping, gardening and crafting.
DOUGLAS SACKETT
Douglas Sackett began serving as the Conference
for the Model Aquatic Health Code’s (CMAHC’s) first
Executive Director in October 2014. He built a strong
record of aquatics leadership working for the New York
State Department of Health for 38 years and retired as
Assistant Director, Bureau of Community Environmental
Health and Food Protection in April 2013. Sackett worked in the swimming
pool and bathing beach programs in addition to numerous other environmental health regulatory programs, throughout his 38 years with the New
York State Department of Health. Beginning in 1987, he was involved in the
management of the statewide swimming pool and bathing beach regulatory
program including the coordination of investigations of illnesses associated with recreational water and drowning at regulated swimming pools
and beaches throughout the state and for the analysis of the data from the
these epidemiological investigations. Sackett was the Director and Steering
Committee member for CDC’s project to develop the national Model
Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) from its inception in 2007 until the MAHC 1st
Edition was launched in August 2014. Sackett was instrumental in setting up
the CMAHC as the Vice President and Treasurer of the Interim CMAHC Board
of Directors. He currently resides in New York State.
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CHERYL SALAZAR
Cheryl Salazar is a Pool Supervisor at The Cove
Waterpark in Riverside, California. Salazar has worked
in the aquatics industry for over 10 years. In those
10 years she has had many different focuses including operations, training, marketing, finance, aquatics
programming and even some maintenance. Salazar is
a Lifeguard Training and Water Safety Instructor and Instructor Training for
both through the American Red Cross. Salazar serves as the Secretary for
WWA’s Technology & Innovations Committee.
BRIAN SANDS
Brian Sands has worked on assignments in the real
estate and development industries for 22 years, with
particular expertise in the areas of leisure/culture and
mixed-use development. He has led hundreds of assignments located throughout the U.S., Latin America
and the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East. His
work has focused broadly on real estate and business economics and planning (e.g., existing operations analysis, concept and site evaluation, market
research, demand potential, preliminary physical planning, earned revenue
and financial feasibility analysis, land/lease valuations, economic/fiscal impact), with uses including a wide-range of commercial attractions (e.g., water
parks, theme parks, observation wheels and decks, specialty attractions),
cultural attractions (e.g., museums, visitor centers, performance venues),
hospitality properties (hotels, resorts, amenities), retail-dining-entertainment,
and related uses. Sands coordinates global production of the TEA/AECOM
Theme Index and Museum Index, the definitive annual report on attendance
trends at the 175 largest theme parks, waterparks and museums worldwide.
He is responsible in AECOM’s south region for business development in
the leisure and cultural sector, as well as supporting growth in the Latin
American and Caribbean markets. Recent or ongoing assignments include
the following: a proposed $500 million resort/attraction in Mexico; the Zoo
Miami Entertainment Area (20th Century Fox’s proposed $1 billion destination theme park, waterpark, hotel and related); identifying and evaluating
potential new attractions at major resort properties operated by a leading
global hotel/resort operator; ongoing support for the Observation Deck
at One World Trade Center, NYC; a proposed $225 million resort near
Montreal; and the potential $485 million expansion of a major resort/attraction in Brazil.
DAVID J. SANGREE
David J. Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC is the President of
Hotel & Leisure Advisors based in Cleveland Ohio. He
is a hospitality consultant and appraiser specializing
in hotels, resorts, waterparks, golf courses, conference
centers, casinos, ski resorts and other leisure properties. He is a graduate of Cornell University School of
Hotel Administration and a member of the Appraisal Institute, a Certified
Public Accountant and a member of the International Society of Hospitality
Consultants. He has performed studies on more than 2,000 existing and
proposed hotels, waterparks and other leisure properties in more than 46
states and internationally. He has extensive experience in performing market
feasibility studies, impact analysis, appraisals, financial analysis, performance
projections, site selection and financial reviews for hospitality properties. He
has been an active appraiser/consultant since 1987 and also has 10 years
of work experience in the hotel/restaurant industry including management
positions with four Westin Hotels properties. Sangree has appeared on
Good Morning America and CNBC on special reports concerning resorts
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and waterparks. He has written numerous articles and been quoted in a
wide range of publications including “Aquatics International,” “Columbus
Dispatch,” “Cleveland Plain Dealer,” “Cincinnati Business Courier,” “Cornell
Hotel and Restaurant Quarterly,” “New York Times,” “Wall Street Journal” and
“World Waterpark Magazine.” Sangree was named in 2008 one of “Aquatics
International Magazine’s” “Power 25.”
JOE SCHMITZ
Joe Schmitz has more than 20 years of experience
in the waterpark industry. After graduating from the
University of Iowa with a degree in economics, Schmitz
decided to continue a career in the aquatics industry.
He got his start in a summer job working construction
and lifeguarding at Noah’s Ark Waterpark. After two
years working full time in operations at Noah’s Ark, he spent the next nine
years with Great Wolf Resorts as the Corporate Director of Aquatics. His
duties focused on working with the development and construction teams, as
well as managing the start-up and continuing operations for more than eight
indoor waterparks. After joining Wilderness Development in 2006, Schmitz
was intimately involved in refurbishing and developing several attractions
at the Wilderness Resort property in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Schmitz also
helped develop, design, build and start-up two outdoor waterparks and a
45,000 square-foot indoor waterpark for Wilderness at the Smokies Resort in
Sevierville, Tenn.
JUSTIN SEMPSROTT, MD
Justin Sempsrott, MD, is a graduate of the University of
South Florida College of Medicine and did his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Nevada,
School of Medicine. In 2006, he founded Lifeguards
Without Borders and serves as their Executive Director.
Dr. Sempsrott is Medical Director For Starfish Aquatics
Institute and several EMS agencies in North Carolina and an Emergency
Medicine Physician and the EMS Faculty at Wake Forest University. He speaks
around the globe on the topic of drowning. He has been an ocean lifeguard
in Jacksonville Beach, Florida since 1996.
STEPHEN SIMS
Stephen Sims has been the General Manager of
SomerSplash Waterpark for 8 years. He holds certifications in Athletic Training from the National Athletic
Trainer’s Association Board of Certification and
Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. He holds multiple
certifications from the American Red Cross, which includes Lifeguard Instructor Trainer, Lifeguarding and Water Safety Instructor.
He was selected to be on the 2010 American Red Cross Lifeguarding
Sounding Board and Workgroup Member, which worked on instructor training, implementation, marketing and sales. Also, he is a CPO. Sims currently
oversees the City of Somerset’s waterpark, SomerSplash Waterpark, and
public pool. At SomerSplash Waterpark, he oversees all daily operations and
procedures which include all aspects of administration, marketing, admissions, concessions, aquatics and maintenance. Sims also oversees special
events which includes the City of Somerset’s Fourth of July celebration.
During the season, he manages approximately 120-140 seasonal employees. In the off season, while working full time at the waterpark, he works
part-time as an Athletic Trainer for a local high school providing medical
coverage during games and practices. Sims holds dual master’s degrees in
physical education with emphasis in sports administration and in recreation
and park administration, and his bachelor’s degree is in physical education
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with emphasis in athletic training from Eastern Kentucky University. While at
EKU, he was the graduate assistant in aquatics. Currently, he is in the process
of completing his doctorate in education with an emphasis in leadership and
policy studies.
ERIC SOLIS
Eric Solis has been with Raging Waters San Dimas,
California’s largest waterpark, for 8 successful years.
Solis first joined Raging Waters in 2005 while simultaneously earning his bachelor’s degree at California State
Polytechnic University, Pomona. Through hard work and
dedication, Solis was promoted to Section Manager of
Food & Beverage by the time he graduated from college. Since then, Solis
has pursued his passion in the food & beverage industry, becoming the
full-time Manager of Food & Beverage in 2011. As manager, Solis has successfully opened the first Carl’s Jr. established within a waterpark, as well as
another franchise in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to Carl’s Jr., Solis has also
aided in the opening of Pink’s Hollywood Hot Dogs and Jamba Juice. Solis is
loved by all his employees and owes much of his success as manager to the
relationships he has built with each team member and to his family.
SCOTT STEFANC
Scott Stefanc, ASLA, is the Commercial Business
Development Manager for Vortex Aquatic Structures
International. Stefanc has over 17 years of experience in
the design and development of aquatic facilities from
Splashpads® to full scale waterparks including work for
Great Wolf Resorts, Cedar Fair, Universal Studios, Busch
Entertainment and Center Parcs UK. Stefanc works with Vortex’s commercial
clients to develop comprehensive aquatic attractions and amenities for their
properties.
JOE STEFANYAK
Joe Stefanyak is a Director with Jeff Ellis & Associates,
Inc. Stefanyak began his career in the theme park/
waterpark industry more than 30 years ago holding
various positions for the Kennywood Entertainment
Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has done a
variety of tasks throughout his career including: training and supervision of the operation’s staff, loss prevention, public safety,
guest services, sales, park entertainment and has been heavily involved with
facility development, construction and maintenance. Stefanyak’s current
responsibilities with E&A include working closely with over 600 Clients
including municipalities, corporate and private waterparks, and water
resorts throughout the U.S. and in various countries abroad in the evaluation
and implementation of standard operating procedures. He also serves as
Director of the Ron Rhinehart International Aquatic Safety School, overseeing curriculum for the school, and contributing to ILTP™ course curriculum.
He has thousands of hours of contact time with E&A Clients, which includes
inspections, unannounced operational aquatic safety audits, evaluation of
facility Emergency Action Plans and SOPs. He has contributed to textbooks
published by Jeff Ellis & Associates, Inc. and is leading the development of
Ellis Education Services, created to increase the industry’s leadership benchstrength and provide client’s with resources for continuing development of
their staff. Stefanyak is also an active participant in WWA, CDPC and various
state and regional committees, and is an participating member of ASTM and
MAHC Technical Committees. Stefanyak was recognized by WWA’s Board of
Directors with the Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award Recipient in 2014. He
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also serves on WWA’s Safety Committee. Stefanyak has been married to his
wife Robyn for 21 years and is the very proud father of his 17-year-old twins,
Joey and Becky.
BRETT STEINBRUECK
Brett Steinbrueck is President of BECS Technology, Inc.
in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in computer science from Washington University
in St. Louis. Since 1985, Steinbrueck has been designing
and implementing embedded software for digital
water chemistry controllers. In 1991, he was one of four
founders of BECS Technology. BECS employs a multi-discipline engineering and product development team, dedicated to developing reliable and
innovative automated water chemistry and filtration controls. All products
are manufactured in the U.S. at BECS’ plant in St. Louis, which includes full
surface-mount and through-hole circuit board assembly facilities.
RON SUTULA
Ron Sutula has more than 38 years of management
experience in the waterpark and theme park entertainment industry. He has directed the opening of six
successful parks, including two Wet ‘n Wild waterparks
and Schlitterbahn Galveston Island. Sutula began his
career at Marriott’s Great America Theme Park in Illinois.
He rose through the ranks to become Director of Park Operation at Marriott’s
Playland Park in New York State. He joined the Funtime Inc. organization
in the early 1980s, working at Darien Lake and Wyandot Lake theme parks
as Operations Director. In 1985, he embarked on a 12-year stint as Vice
President of Operations at Wet ‘n Wild, Orlando, Fla. When Wet ‘n Wild
expanded to Brazil, Sutula opened the park and served as Vice President
and General Manager for the first two years in Sao Paulo. He returned to the
United States to manage the construction and operation of Wet ‘n Wild in
Broward County, Fla. As part of the Ogden Entertainment Parks Group, he
also formulated standards, policies and procedures for 13 Ogden properties
located in the United States, Brazil and Mexico. Sutula served as Director
of Resort Operations for Universal Studios in Orlando for five years, where
he was responsible for the overall operation of the 840-acre facility and the
supervision of more than 1,200 employees. He joined the Schlitterbahn family in 2005 as General Manager to oversee all operations of the Schlitterbahn
Galveston Island Waterpark, which has received the Golden Ticket award as
the world’s best indoor waterpark for the past seven years. He is responsible
for development, direction and management of the waterpark. Sutula served
on the Board of Directors for the World Waterpark Association for eight
years, and received the Executive Board Award in 2008 and is a WWA Hall of
Fame member.
CHRIS THOMAS
Chris Thomas has been involved in waterparks for over 25 years. Like many,
he started his career as a seasonal employee and worked his way through
the ranks. Over the years, he has been involved in several park expansions
such as Blastenhoff in New Braunfels, Adventure Landing in Daytona and
Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. Thomas has been part of numerous installations with some of his favorites being “Dragon Blaster” in New
Braunfels, “Verrückt” in Kansas City, “Bootlegger’s Run” in Long Island and
“Aqua Rocket” in San Dimas. He started his career in 1991 at Schlitterbahn
Waterparks in New Braunfels, Texas. During his time at Schlitterbahn, he
graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in
recreation administration. After graduation, he was offered his first full-time
job in Jacksonville, Fla., at Adventure Landing where he took the position
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of Aquatics Manager. Over the years, Thomas has worked at Adventure
Landing Daytona, Splashtown San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Splish
Splash Long Island, Schlitterbahn Kansas City and currently at Raging Waters
San Dimas, home of California’s largest waterpark.
RANDY THOMAS
Randy Thomas is an attraction industry group sales specialist in building traditional local and regional group
business, as well as travel industry sales for amusement
parks, theme parks, family entertainment centers, waterparks, zoos, aquariums and tourism destinations. As
Principal of Randy Thomas & Associates, he has worked
successfully with a client list including: Nashville Shores Waterpark, Ocean
Breeze Waterpark, Detroit Zoo, Houston Zoo, San Diego Zoo and Wild
Animal Park, Space Center Houston, Knott’s Camp Snoopy, Santa Anita Race
Track, Los Angeles County Fair, Morey’s Pier, Glendale Galleria, Kennedy
Space Center, Schlitterbahn Waterpark, Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium,
Columbus Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo, Riverbanks Zoo, Louisville Zoo, Houston
Zoo, Miami Zoo, The Beach Waterpark, Water World and Six Flags. He was
responsible for overseeing group sales and tourism development at all Six
Flags parks in the U.S and international park group sales.
LORI THOMPSON
With over 30 years of experience in the aquatics,
recreation and the waterpark field, Lori Thompson has
had the opportunity to be involved in many aspects of
the industry. In her current position as the Community
Services Director for the City of La Mirada, Thompson
oversees the La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center,
“Splash!” She was a member of the project development team for Splash!, a
state-of-the-art 18-acre aquatic facility that includes a 50-meter competitive
pool, a 25-yard instructional pool, spa and the Buccaneer Bay family waterpark. Buccaneer Bay includes a leisure river, three forty-foot tall waterslides,
a children’s play structure and spray pads. The facility has received a number
of awards including recognition for design and financial efficiency. With
annual revenue reaching over $3 million, the facility has seen outstanding
financial success for a municipal aquatic center covering more than its operating expenses. Each summer the Buccaneer Bay waterpark sells an average
of 10,000 season passes and welcomes some 350,000 guests. The waterpark
programs offered at Splash! support the competitive programs as a benefit
to the entire community. While working in aquatics, Thompson earned her
bachelor’s and master’s in organizational leadership from Biola University.
During her time in aquatics, Thompson has received several awards from
the Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation and the Citation
Award from the Southern California Public Pool Operators Association. She
has served as the President of the California Parks and Recreation Aquatics
Section and the Southern California Public Pool Operators Section. She
has worked as an instructor trainer with the American Red Cross, Ellis &
Associates, Australian Swim School and has recently become a site administrator for the Starfish Swim Program developing the largest Starfish Swim
Program in California. Thompson specializes in aquatic financial operations
and business strategies, creating financially efficient operations that maximize community usage while maintaining a financially profitable facility.
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NICOLE VAN WINKLE
Nicole Van Winkle is an account executive with
Counsilman-Hunsaker, focusing on feasibility studies
and facility training and management for aquatic
facilities throughout the nation. Van Winkle assists new
aquatic facility operators and owners with pre-opening
management services, including staff training, facility
specific business plans and marketing plans for new aquatic facilities. Van
Winkle also provides clients with ongoing full-time management services
and Model Aquatic Health Code operational audits to assist with sustainable
operating practices for the life of the facility. With experience as both a pool
and waterpark operator, she has a unique understanding of the opportunities and challenges of operating a successful aquatic program in the public
sector. Focusing on developing strong leaders and creating sustainable
programming, Van Winkle assists operators in developing a business and
operating approach that will satisfy both the bottom line and community
members. Van Winkle has served on WWA’s Public Sector Committee and
currently serves as the Secretary for the WWA’s Government Relations
Committee.
FRANCIS VIDAL
Francis Vidal works as the Director of Aquatics for
Great Wolf Lodge-New England, located in Fitchburg,
Massachusetts. Her aquatics career spans over 11 years
where her field of experience lies in large waterparks
operations. She has worked in both indoor year round
and outdoor seasonal operations all over the United
States including Knott’s Soak City Orange County and several locations
with Great Wolf Lodge. She holds certifications as a Jeff Ellis & Associates
Lifeguard Instructor and is a Certified Pool Operator.
RALPH VILARDO, JR.
Ralph Vilardo, Jr. is an experienced executive sales director. He has over fifteen years of experience in implementing group sales in the waterpark industry. He has
developed and initiated on-line sales for E-commerce,
by establishing new revenue streams, organized and
sold corporate sell-outs and consistently generated
the highest revenue days by creating and managing events. As a director in
the waterpark industry, he has overseen and managed group sales, aquatics, loss prevention and first aid departments. In 2010, Vilardo started RA
Enterprise and partnered with Randy Thomas and Associates to create new
group sales initiatives in an effort to promote the entertainment business by
increasing attendance and revenue in the amusement industry. In 2014, he
formed R & R Enterprise to coordinate additional online sales opportunities
with a nationwide sales program to enhance waterparks and amusement
park ability to sell tickets. Previously, he worked as General Manager for The
Beach Waterpark and was in charge of a re-branding and renovation of this
35 acre waterpark with a grand re-opening in the summer of 2013.
RON VINE
Ron Vine is currently serving as a Vice-President of ETC
Institute. Under his leadership, the firm has completed
more than 450 surveys for public, non-profit and private
sector clients in 46 states across the country. The firm is
recognized as a national leader in the strategic use of
public input for performance measurements, funding
decisions, benchmarking and decision making. Prior to starting work as
a private consultant in 1989, Vine worked for 15 years in a series of high
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level governmental administrative positions, including serving as the Chief
Administrative Officer for the City of Topeka, Kansas where he managed a
work force of over 1,200 municipal employees as well as an operations and
capital budget in excess of $200 million. In this position, he was one of the
first municipal officials in the country to embrace the development of public/
private and non-profit partnerships, and the establishment of creative funding strategies such as public foundations as a tool for addressing community
needs. Vine’s unique experience in the public, non-profit and private sectors
have proven to be of tremendous benefits to his clients.
HOPE WALKER
Hope Walker is the Operations Manager for Magic
Waters Waterpark and the Aquatics Facilities for the
Rockford Park District in Rockford, Ill. In this capacity, she oversees all departmental operations at the
waterpark including lifeguards, EMTs, customer service
and guest relations departments, as well as three
aquatics facilities. She manages the sales at the waterpark which includes
the Coconut Club Corporate Incentive Program, Hotel Play N’ Stay Program
and group sales. She began her career as the Operations Manager of Guest
Relations, Revenue Control and Customer Service, but was promoted six
months later and gained the responsibilities of lifeguards, EMTs, aquatic
programming and four aquatics facilities including Magic Waters Waterpark.
Walker graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a
degree in corporate organization communications and has worked for the
park district for 9 years. She currently holds her Ellis & Associates Instructor
License. She is a graduate of the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association
Leadership Academy, and has over 50 hours of training on Lean and Six
Sigma concepts.
KEENAN WEISS
Keenan Weiss is the Director of Aquatics at Great
Wolf Lodge, Grapevine, Texas. He began his aquatics
career in 2006 and has worked in a large-scale city
waterpark and now a waterpark resort. Weiss is an Ellis
& Associates Lifeguard Instructor and a Certified Pool
Operator (CPO). He holds a bachelor’s degree from
Texas Tech University. Under his leadership, Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine has
received multiple Platinum International Aquatic Safety Awards from Ellis &
Associates and Swim! Awards from WWA. Weiss is also an active member of
the North Texas Aquatics Association.
LEWIS WEMPLE
For almost the past two decades, ADG has been lucky
to call Lew Wemple their own. Focusing on business
development and project management, he has spent
much of that time bringing ADG’s wave generation
business to the forefront, both in the U.S. and worldwide markets. With a background in manufacturing
and engineering, Wemple’s technical expertise and in depth understanding
of ADG’s advanced wave equipment systems have enhanced many pivotal
projects for our clients in leisure recreation, high performance and specialty
waves. Some of the more unique projects that Wemple has worked on
over the years include the seal and sea lion exhibits at the National Zoo in
Washington D.C., the waterpark development project at Pampanga in the
Philippines and the largest wave pool ever built for the motion picture industry that featured custom ocean effects for the file, “Life of Pi.”
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LAKE WHITE
Lake White has extensive experience in all aspects of
the aquatics industry. He is a SAI Faculty member for the
Starfish Aquatics Institute, serving as director of quality
assurance. He travels around the world educating
instructors on how to teach lifeguard training, providing
emergency care instructor training and providing onsite risk management and safety evaluation audits for waterparks, swimming
pools and beachfronts. He has served on industry leadership committees
including the Lifeguard Standards Coalition and the Children’s Drowning
Prevention Council. Under his leadership, his aquatic facilities have earned
a “best in aquatics” award numerous times from “Aquatics International.” In
2013, White received a “Best Speaker” Award from the WWA. He holds a
bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.
TIFFANY WOODWARD
Tiffany Woodward is the Director of Marketing and
Water Park Sales at Country Springs Hotel in Waukesha,
WI. Prior to her position at Country Springs Hotel,
Woodward worked for Wave Renovations and Jackson
Street Hospitality as the Director of Sales and Marketing.
She has been involved with the development, opening
and operations of twelve water resort properties in nine states. Woodward
is a member of the WWA’s Marketing and Communications Committee, and
in 2011, was awarded a Special Recognition Award by the WWA’s Board of
Directors for significant accomplishment with their volunteer committees in
2010/2011.
RICH YOUNG
Rich Young has over 30 years of municipal, public pool
and waterpark experience, including operating and
maintaining many public and commercial pools in addition to several waterpark facilities with maintenance,
operations and programming responsibilities. In addition, he has been a sales and service representative for
several major manufacturers of commercial pool equipment and distributors. For the past 20 years he has worked as a licensed contractor and consultant having worked on many public/commercial facilities and waterparks
throughout the western United States and abroad. Young has taught CPO for
the National Swimming Pool Foundation for over 14 years and has been an
AFO instructor for the National Recreation and Park Association since its conception and recently was the managing editor for the 6th Edition of the AFO
manual. He is the technical advisor and a board member for the Professional
Pool Operators of America. Young has been published dozens of times in
industry periodicals, often speaks at national and regional conferences and
is the general manager of Aquatic Commercial Consulting.
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