COLUMBUS, OH -- Ohio State Parks began educating a new generation of managers last week, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The first session of the new Flickinger Leadership Academy was held at Lake Hope State Park, March 3-8.
Twenty-six employees of Ohio State Parks, ranging from assistant managers to auto mechanics, participated in the training. The goal of the academy is to encourage current employees to develop and enhance their skills as future leader-managers in the state park system. The academy is named for Victor W. Flickinger, the first chief of Ohio State Parks, who served from 1949 to 1964.
Within the next five years, more than half of our managers face retirement, said current parks chief Dan West. It's imperative that we begin nurturing a new generation of leaders.
Curriculum of the Flickinger Academy is designed to increase awareness of past, present and future issues facing the division and to support and assist with the implementation of the strategic plan. It was developed in conjunction with The Ohio State University and The John Glenn Institute For Public Service & Public Policy. The academy is open to any employee whose career goal is to become an Ohio State Parks manager.
Intensive training sessions ran from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day. Current park managers and private sector experts conducted the seminars, which focused on a variety of topics, including business management, human resources, operations, maintenance, law enforcement, team building and customer service.
Ohio State Parks have a proud history, West added. It's important that we begin to convey the institutional knowledge acquired by our current park managers on to their successors.
Each Flickinger Academy participant was assigned a summer project from the Ohio State Parks Strategic Plan. All projects must be completed by the second session of the academy, set for November 17-22.
Ohio's 74 state parks encompass more than 204,000 acres. Fifty-seven parks feature campgrounds. Thirty-six parks host visitor and nature centers and eight parks are the homes of premium resort lodges. Six parks feature 18-hole golf courses.
EDITORS NOTE: A complete list of Flickinger Leadership Academy participants and their parks follows:
Jayne Dudgeon - Alum Creek State Park, administrative assistant
Michael Stewart - Barkcamp State Park, assistant manager
Earl Campfield - Blue Rock State Park, conservation aide
Timothy Moore - Buckeye Lake State Park, assistant manager
David A. Ferguson - Caesar Creek State Park, assistant manager
Jessica August - Central Office, Columbus, administrative assistant
Sybil Bell - Central Office, Columbus, account clerk
Sonya Lindsey - Deer Creek State Park, administrative assistant
Robert Pitakos - Deer Creek State Park, assistant manager
Jodie Shafer - Delaware State Park, park officer
Martin Webb - Delaware State Park, assistant manager
Brian Kearton - Dillon State Park, auto technician
John Kocher - Cowan Lake State Park, park officer
Robert Sears - East Fork State Park, park officer
Sandra Brickey - Lake Alma State Park, assistant manager
Brian Hubbard - Lake Hope State Park, park officer
Dave Sapienza - Lake Hope State Park, naturalist
Jennifer Heller - Deer Creek State Park, park officer
John Lewis - Mosquito Lake State Park, maintenance supervisor
Jeff Boester - Pike Lake State Park, assistant manager
Tim Sypherd - Pymatuning State Park, treatment plant coordinator
Barbara Lesco - Quail Hollow State Park, naturalist supervisor
Hal Harper - Salt Fork State Park, golf course manager
Melody Olaker - Scioto Trail State Park, account clerk
Mary Thomas - Shawnee State Park, campground coordinator
John Gillespie - Stonelick State Park, assistant manager