Hayley Herzing is currently the Senior Manager of Membership for the National Recreation and Park Association. She has worked for NRPA for six years and previously worked at the National Community Pharmacists Association. Hayley received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications/Journalism from Shippensburg University. She enjoys spending time with her husband, son and dog.

Kevin is the current YPN Network Chair and is excited to meet everyone at conference in Phoenix! Kevin is from Seattle, WA and spends his free time enjoying the outdoors. He currently serves as the Recreation Manager for Auburn, WA. If you see Kevin at the conference, please do not be shy. You will find he is a super outgoing and friendly guy.

Jacqueline Flin was born in San Francisco, CA at the Presidio. She was raised with two brothers, by a active unionist father and an mother who immigrated from the Philippines and served in the U.S. Coast Guard. She received her B.S. degree in Cellular Biology from the University of California at Davis.  Flin began volunteering for the A. Philip Randolph Institute San Francisco as a youth leader participating in efforts to educate low-income communities about local elections and voting initiatives. She was then hired as a receptionist at the California Labor Federation, an organization dedicated to promoting and defending the interests of working people and their families for the betterment of California’s communities. After a brief career in the biological science field, in 2009, she returned to San Francisco in a leadership role as the Executive Director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute San Francisco.  

In the time she served as Executive Director, she has expanded the organization’s capacity to offer public services that include: Workforce Development, Youth Career and Leadership Development, and Equity Development Strategies. She established public and private partnerships that support invest directly in the Bayview Hunters Point. She has a network of relationships with City and County departments, unions, local businesses, community based organizations, service providers, and residents. She is committed to building the community through organizing and leadership.  

Phil Ginsburg is the general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. With more than 4,100 acres and over 220 parks under its jurisdiction, the Recreation and Park Department stewards some of the most spectacular public spaces in the world, including Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower and the Palace of Fine Arts. Under Phil’s leadership, San Francisco became the first City in the United States where 100% of its residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park. Phil has led his organization through transformational improvements to the public realm and he has made equity and increasing access to public recreation and to nature, the department’s primary objective. Phil has built a financially sustainable model for San Francisco’s park system through ballot advocacy, the strategic use of public-private partnerships and philanthropy, creative revenue strategies, technology and administrative efficiencies. During his tenure, San Francisco has been consistently ranked one of the nation’s top five park systems. In 2019, Phil was appointed to the California State Parks and Recreation Commission by Governor Gavin Newsom. 

Erik Pechuekonis is a Community Planning and Development Specialist who works with HUD’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program. He has been with HUD for 5-years and most of that time has been spent working on the Section 108 program. Prior to joining HUD, Erik served in Albania as a Peace Corps Volunteer where he worked with local municipalities on urban planning related issues. Before the Peace Corps, he worked as an urban planner at a local government in South Carolina. He has a master’s in City and Regional Planning from Clemson University and a Bachelors in Geography from University of Colorado Denver.

NRPAs Director of Government Affairs. Kyle has been with NRPA for nearly 4 years. Prior to that he spent over 10 years on Capitol Hill in a variety of roles.

Sean Dennihy-Bailey works tirelessly to support Community driven development across the country. As a Community Development and Planning Specialist, he brings several years of local economic development program administration experience to his work. He has worked closely with local community organizations, as well as local government agencies in both designing and implementing programs across New York City. Sean resolves to make our communities places of opportunity for all as he is driven by principals of equity and accessibility. He is a dedicated public servant and veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

Seema Thomas is the Deputy Director for the Financial Management Division (FMD). She has worked on community development challenges for the past two decades. Her career has focused on developing and expanding innovative and inclusive initiatives to support communities from the neighborhood to the metropolitan scale, both domestically and internationally. Before joining FMD, she was an adjunct professor of urban sustainability at the University of the District of Columbia. In the past, she has consulted and worked for numerous organizations, such as the World Bank, DHS’s Science & Technology Directorate, Freddie Mac, the Urban Institute, and Oliver Wyman & Co.  She holds a BSE in Engineering, a Master’s in Urban Planning, and a Master’s in Public Affairs. 

Leanne Lyons is the ASPIRE ( Adaptive Sports, Programs & Inclusive Recreation) Supervisor for High Point Parks & Recreation Department and a Licensed and Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist for the State of North Carolina. Leanne has an innate passion for working with and for individuals with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. Leanne manages programs including Special Olympics of High Point/Guilford, Miracle League of High Point, adaptive sports programs and more. In her personal life Leanne enjoys reading, writing poetry, hiking, exploring Diners, Drive in and Dives Restaurants, listening to Air One and K- Love radio station, and spending time with family and friends.”

Jim Laiche received his BS in Horticulture and Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University.  He has worked professionally as a landscape architect and design-build contractor prior to working with The Toro Company.  Jim has been a Regional Sales Manager, Golf Sales Manager and is now the Water Conservation Business Manager with emphasis on central control equipment.  Jim has taught hundreds of irrigation workshops at various national universities including LSU, UGA, Mississippi State University, University of Arkansas, NC State, Penn State, UVA and Virginia Tech. He has worked with many large institutions on reducing their irrigation water use, including Disney, University of Notre Dame, Central Park, General Mills, Yum Brands the US Capitol, Marriott and Darden Restaurants. He has obtained his landscape architect license, certified designer with the Irrigation Association, and Texas irrigator license. Jim was recently recognized by the American Society of Irrigation Consultants with the Roy Williams Memorial Award for contributions to the irrigation industry.  

Allison Colman is Director of Health at the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). For over a decade, Ms. Colman has led the development and implementation of evidence-based public health initiatives and built cross-sector collaborations to advance innovative, community-driven, systems-change strategies that improve community health and well-being. Her work lies at the intersection of public health, social justice, and social change, with the goal of ensuring that all people have the opportunity to truly thrive.

Austin Barrett (he/him) is an Evaluation Manager with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Austin joined NRPA in 2021 and works to evaluate the impact of NRPA-facilitated grants and Association-wide activities. Prior to joining NRPA, he served for 3.5 years as a Data Analyst and System Administrator working to address homelessness in the Upstate of South Carolina. In 2017, Austin completed his Ph.D. in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at The Pennsylvania State University. Before that, he worked as a Wilderness Ranger for the US Forest Service and an Interpretation Ranger with the National Park Service.

My name is Ayanna Williams, I am a 37 year old mother of 3. I have lived in Ozark, Alabama approximately 6 years. I have truly enjoyed being a part of the community, knowing people, and being able to be a part of all the great people who want to help and see the best for our community. I went to school at Troy University for Psychology with minor in Applied Behavioral Analysis and my goal is to go further for my Masters as a BCBA.

Vhelly has been in the field of Recreation for over 25 years.  She is the Director for the West Allis-West Milwaukee Recreation and Community Services Department, where she has served in the role for the past 14 years. She leads a team of 14 full time staff and 300+ part time/seasonal employees in a community of approximately 64,000. Shelly is the current  President of the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association.  

Becky Herz has been involved in recreation management for over 24 years. Her article “Gender Spectrum Inclusion for Recreation Professionals” was featured in Park and Recreation Magazine in October 2018.  Becky has also been published in Aquatics International and on National Public Radio.  She has presented on inclusion at the California Park and Recreation Society Conference, the America Score’s Soccer Summit, and a variety of local and on-line trainings.  She was the keynote speaker at the 2019 CPRS Recreation Therapy Institute.  Becky currently serves as a Commissioner for Sacramento County Regional Parks, and works as a Recreation Coordinator for Cosumnes CSD in Elk Grove, CA.

Taylor Jeromos serves on NRPA's Professional Development team as the Manager of Learning Production. Her career has focused on creating accessible programming, centering diverse narratives, and facilitating informal learning opportunities for people of all ages. She’s been a part of the education teams at a number of cultural organizations, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.  

Taylor earned a Master’s in Museum Studies and Public History at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and holds a Bachelor’s in Medieval and Gender History from Earlham College.

Shalini is the Senior Manager of Education - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for NRPA. She is a passionate Educator who is focused on melding her love for parks with her commitment to social equity. Shalini believes that innovative education and inviting dialogue can build a shared investment in ensuring access to parks for everyone. She has been working on issues of equity for over 10 years in a variety of settings, including higher ed, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. She is particularly passionate about the intersection of gender-based violence and racial equality. Shalini holds a Masters in Education and an Education Specialist degree in Counseling from the University of Florida. 

Jared Mummert is a Community and Environmental Resilience Program Manager at NRPA and a recent graduate from George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government with a Masters of Public Administration and Environmental Science and Public Policy. With nearly 5 years at NRPA, Jared has led work on community engagement, the history of equity in parks and recreation and creating equitable access to inclusive, resilient park spaces. Prior to his time at NRPA, Jared worked as a political and community outreach organizer on multiple campaigns, including organizing farmers in Maryland to close loopholes in the Clean Water Act, engaging Colorado voters in the 2014 midterm election and working to connect low-income families to national parks. Jared has also served in the Student Conservation Association, AmeriCorps, and the National Park Service as park ranger for multiple sites, including Grand Teton National Park. As an avid outdoorsman and public lands advocate, Jared integrates environmental justice into all of his work to ensure everyone has access to high-quality parks and greenspaces.