We were thrilled to have Kirsten Barnes present at CAMP Phoenix 2024! 👏 🌟 #proudtobesge #sgecamp2024
Passionate, experienced recreation professional supporting the Aquatics community. Connecting people, educating and sharing stories of the impact we make in our communities.
Someone just asked me, “Where have you been?” I think the better question is where HAVEN’T I been? The last four weeks have been a whirlwind of professional development and personal connection with dear friends and new acquaintances. Having the opportunity to share my experience, educate, and get people connected fills my cup - I’m tired but satisfied; looking forward to going home but also thankful for the opportunities. Here’s my highlight reel: I had a great chance to share with the professionals at Washington Parks & Recreation Aquatic Symposium in Bothell. We talked about Gen Z, showing our team appreciation in meaningful ways, and how to thrive through failure. I headed on to Atlanta for NRPA to spread the word about Association of Aquatic Professionals and all the great things we’re doing in the aquatic community. These are my people, and it’s hard to beat spending time with the likes of Kelly Schmidt, MSRLS, CPRE, Eilien Ramirez, Shannon L. Harris, CPRE, CPO and Eric Gruenfelder. I barely made it home before heading to Phoenix for StarGuard ELITE CAMP in Chandler - a great group of engaged professionals there to talk about how we can make space for and learn from failure. As always, the SGE team comes through with amazing opportunities for their folks, and I squeezed in some time to connect with Joseph LaNeve, AqP, Kelly Martinez and Juliene Hefter, MSOLQ, AqP, AFOI. And I wrapped up Fall travel this week at California Parks and Recreation Society Aquatic Management School (CAMS) in Huntington Beach. It’s hard to beat discussing Gen Z and how to tell our stories with a group of engaged professionals while listening to the ocean crash in the background, and Ashlee Winslow and Stan Clark led their volunteers in putting on a great event. Plus, I got to meet Kate Connell there and spend some quality time together!