Parks & Rec Department

O R G A N I Z AT I O N A L B E H AV I O R
CASEY SUBLETT

BRANDON CENTER | TYLER COTTER

LAKSHMI BHANU | ZAC EVANS

Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s
1. Organization Overview
2. Team Characteristics and Diversity
3. Leadership: Power and Negotiation
4. Stress

5. Motivation
6. Job Satisfaction
7. Recommendations

Known as one of the wealthiest, safest and most

Plano went from being a small stop going west in the 1800s
prosperous cities in the country today.

Organization Overview

City of Plano growing since mid 1800s

Parks and Rec Department established in 1968 (one of 30 departments

under city management)

Parks division:

Recreation division:

Focuses on maintenance, managing park usage

Focuses on programming and community engagement

82 park sites that cover over 4000 acres of Planos land

Why Are Parks Important?

Great facilities like Oak Point Rec Center

and Tom Muehlenbeck Rec Center bring
value.

Big park spaces host events like the Plano

Balloon Festival, the Suburbia Music
Festival, the Annual Christmas Tree
Lighting, and more.

The city has many initiatives to connect

with the community, including:

Community Engagement Program

Meet & Greets

Multicultural Outreach Roundtable

Organization Overview

Director of Parks & Rec Amy Fortenberry

Parks Services Manager Jim Fox

Recreation Services Manager Colette Hall

Chief Park Planner Robin Reeves

Roughly 200 total employees in Parks & Rec

Focus on efficiency, transparency and communication with the public,

and good planning

Overall, employees take pride in public service

Parks & Rec Org. Chart

ADM I N I STRATI O N
PARKS

AN D

RECREATI O N ,

CONVEN TIO N

AND

PLAN O

VI SI TO RS

O RG AN I ZATI O N

CEN TRE

AN D

BUREAU

CHART

Amy Fortenberry
Director

Susan Berger
Administrative
Coordinator

Colette Hall
Recreation
Services Manager

Jim Fox
Park Services
Manager

KAnn Parham
Technology
Services Manager

Vacant
Plano Centre
Manager

Mark Thompson
Convention & Visitors
Bureau Manager

3.14

Parks Division Chart

PARKS

O RG AN I ZATI O N

CHART

Jim Fox
Parks Administration

Jeff Schwartz
Park Operations
Dist Grounds Maint

Pam Thompson
Sr Admin Assistant
HR / Risk

Laura Sanders
Sr Admin Assistant
Purchasing/Cust Serv

Doug Green
Park Services
Support / Fac Maint

Ed Voss
Athletic Operations
Athletic Sites

Eddie Benavides
District 1
Parks / Public
Building Grounds

Eric Kroese
District 2
Parks / Public
Building Grounds

Troy Gibbs
Irrigation
Infrastructure
Comm / Pumps

Clark Thurston
District 3
Parks / Public
Building Grounds

Kym Hughes
Natural Resources
Nature Preserves /
Natural Areas

Randy Balak
Park Support
Event Support /
Facility Maint /
Tree Maintenance

Michael Vaughan
District 3
Public Grounds /
Other

Matt Simmons
Contract Admin
Median Paint /
Litter & Restrooms
Kyle McCutcheon
Park Renovation
(Contracts)
Playgrounds / Fac

Kevin Murray
Athletic Sites
Jeff Slate
Turf Areas
& Litigation
Byron Robinson
Athletic Field
Maintenance
Non-Turf Fields
Terrance Wright
Sites & Facility
Operation
Coordination &
Reservations

Robin Reeves
Park Planning
CIP/Trails/Urban Forestry
Elizabeth Del Turco
Bill Dakin
Project Management
CIP / CRF Projects

Renee Jordan
Trail Development/
Outreach

Angela Kralik
Urban Forestry
Trees / Consulting

Tina Bashor
GIS
Graphics / Database

Jess Davis
Park Compliance
Inspections /
Park Use

Sandra Dority
Senior
Adminstrative
Assistant

3.14

Recreation Division Chart

RECREATIO N

ORGAN IZATI ON

CHART

Amy Fortenberry
Director of Parks
and Recreation
Susan Berger
Admin CoordinatorFront Desk
Colette Hall
Recreation Services
Manager
Diann Hand
Senior Admin

Paul Madewell
Golf Superintendent
Vacant
Assistant Golf
Superintendent

Susie Hergenrader
Recreation
Superintendent
Bill Horton
Liberty
Recreation Center
Carolyn Strauss
Plano Senior
Recreation Center
Addy Hjarpe
Therapeutic
Recreation
Kevin Maynard
Tennis Center
Vickie Hamrick
Aerobats &
Outdoor Programs

Gregg Gagnon
Recreation
Superintendent
Natalie Matthews
Adult Sports
Administration
Richard Danielson
Adult Sports

Ron Smith
Recreation
Superintendent
Jason Fehrm
Creative Arts /
Operations
Cox, Courtyard,
Amphitheater

Marny Tackett
Oak Point
Recreation Center

Robin Popik
Volunteer
Resources

Jana Glass
Tom Muehlenbeck
Recreation Center

Karen Williams
Events / Permits /
Public /Art/Grants

Rowlinson Nat
Aquatic Center

Interurban

Tommy Bourne
Jack Carter

Cindy Olson
Carpenter Park
Recreation Center

3.14

Te a m C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s & D i v e r s i t y
Parks & Rec Team Built to Keep Plano Beautiful:

Unity in public service and enhancing individuals quality of life

Sharing a vision and goals with the team (staff retreats)

Setting staff goals to recruit and retain quality members

Many unique types of teams:

Action Teams Parks ground maintenance workers

Project Teams Collaborating on projects like Shops at Legacy

Parallel Teams Advisory Council

Leadership: Power & Negotiation

External Power & Negotiation:

City officials and managers are leaders inside and outside the org.

City has limited space and funding

Back in the 70s and 80s, the city needed to focus on taking
advantage of land for parks and recreation uses

Negotiation with citizens and businesses

Balancing city goals with residents desires

Internal Power & Negotiation

Labor-oriented staff typically have less power and influence than

full-time staff

Stress
Stressors From Internal & External Environment:

Fear of upsetting citizens can cause strain

Time stressors (time-sensitive projects)

Leadership understands Transactional Theory of Stress leaders must

stay calm during stressful projects

Remedies:

Behavior Coping giving employees access to gyms and facilities for

physical activity (health and wellness)

Consistent schedules time to see your family

Personal Development opportunities to build relationships with

coworkers and develop skills

Social Support from teammates

Motivation
Workforce consisted of External & Internal motives:
Internal
Psychological Empowerment: Sense of Purpose in Serving Others
External
Progression of Project through Start to Finish
Sense of Community

Management Efforts in Building Relationships with Employees

Respected Awarded to varying Motives and Goals
Results:

Positive Environment
Effective Incentives and Management

Strong Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction and Performance

Job Satisfaction
Why People Love Working Here:

Meaningfulness of public service

Tangible results in many projects

Challenging

Great coworkers

Promotion opportunities

Recommendations
Plano and the Parks & Rec Department:

Understand the importance of organizational behavior and

have seen the impact on hiring and retaining great employees
while also providing an excellent service to the public.

Recommendations:

Host more events that facilitate communication with staff

and the public

Be wary of integrating inexperienced, young employees who

may have different opinions about the organization than
experienced staff

Increase transparency with the public on all projects

Parks & Rec Department

O R G A N I Z AT I O N A L B E H AV I O R
CASEY SUBLETT

BRANDON CENTER | TYLER COTTER

LAKSHMI BHANU | ZAC EVANS

Thank You!