Collaborate & Connect: Strengthen Networks & Partnerships

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Parks & Recreation professionals are the hidden connectors of their communities, and by mapping these connections, they can unlock greater support and create unforgettable experiences. This session provides practical tools to identify key players, strengthen relationships, understand audience needs, and develop targeted communication strategies. These skills are not only valuable during the session but are also transferable to enhance engagement with participants, vendors, partners, and staff across all programs and events.

Parks & Recreation professionals are the hidden connectors of their communities. By mapping these connections, you can unlock greater community support and craft unforgettable experiences.

Learning Objectives:

1. The learners will be able to articulate who is in their network by creating a network map of existing connections using the learner as the hub.

2. The learners will be able to pinpoint who is not in their network but would benefit from inclusion by creating a list of groups or individuals missing from the network and creating an engagement plan.

3. The learner will be able to identify clear stakeholder categories by completing a stakeholder chart with breakdowns within categories.

Elizabeth Marzec

Recreation & Leisure Services Manager

City of Elgin, TX Parks and Recreation Department

Elizabeth Marzec, the Recreation & Leisure Services Manager for the City of Elgin Parks & Recreation Department, has worked in the Parks & Recreation field for the last 6 years. She graduated from Southwestern University in Georgetown with a BA in Cultural Anthropology and minor in Religion in 2012, and is a 2022 graduate of the BEST Leadership Academy and member of the Central Texas Network Weavers. She teaches the “Hostess with the Mostess Event Planning” Class, “Stakeholders, Networking and Buy-In” Class, and “It’s Time for Recess - Play and Team Building” Class for organizations across the nation.

In her role at Elgin Parks & Recreation she facilitates over 30 community partnerships, manages city-wide programs and events for all ages, develops new programs to respond to community needs and writes grants for park and program development. Over the last 6 years she has expanded the Parks & Recreation Department by adding 6 new full-time roles and 4 new part-time roles, replaced 3 aging playgrounds and built a new park on vacant land, as well as acquired a Mobile Recreation Unit to improve outreach.

Her mission is to make her community a better place. She works to achieve this by advocating for equal access to resources, building connections between residents, and creating opportunities for people of all ages to play and recreate.

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