Experience

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  Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces

  • Miami, Florida

  • Senior Planner

    • 2002 - Present
    • Miami, Florida

    Throughout my 12-years as a Planner with Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, I have contributed great value and successfully completed many projects which further the work of the Department. As the manager of the park and open space land acquisition program, I oversee a budget of $15 million dollars for the purchase of lands. I have successfully completed 31 land acquisition transactions, adding over 400-acres of land to the County’s park system. Many of the transactions require complex negotiations with developers, land use attorneys and elected officials. The park acquisition projects involve the creation and interpretation of legal documents, agreements and resolutions. Working with transparency and diligence is imperative in my work ethic and standards.I authored and completed the Park Access & Equity Study in 2011 in coordination with a grant from the U.S. Department of Health to improve access to parks and recreational opportunities for increased public health and social equity. I conducted extensive research and analysis; and developed a set of criteria, guidelines, policy and procedures for the acquisition of parks. I developed the Park Land Acquisition Strategy Plan in 2012 which established new policies within the County’s Comprehensive Development Master Plan. The Park Access and Equity Study was granted an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties in 2012. In addition, I was selected to present the Park Access & Equity Study at the annual Florida Recreation and Park Association conference and the National Walking Summit, held in Washington D.C. in 2015.

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  The Ecology Center

  • Missoula, Montana Area

  • Conservation GIS Specialist

    • Sep 2000 - May 2002
    • Missoula, Montana Area

    I completed a research study regarding historic and current habitat of Bull Trout, (Salvelinus confluentus), a fish species listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. It occurs in the north-west region of the United States. I produced a series of GIS maps identifying the watersheds, habitat and vitality of the bull trout across the Rocky Mountain region. My report and analysis was applied by the Ecology Center toward identifying areas for strategic actions such as habitat restoration, policy decisions and conservation management.

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  Alliance for Wild Rockies

  • Missoula, Montana

  • Conservation Biology Research Associate

    • Sep 2001 - Apr 2002
    • Missoula, Montana

    I completed a research study detailing historical and recent sightings of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) within eastern Idaho and western Montana, the largest tract of road-less land within the “lower-48” area of the United States. Grizzly bears are federally listed as a Threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. There is a very small, possibly non-existent, population of grizzly bears living in the northern Rocky Mountain region of Idaho and Montana. Bear tracks, scat and sightings were reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, typically in hand-written incident reports. I compiled hundreds of reports into digital maps, data and analysis. The maps provide a management tool for the USFWS biologists to utilize when making conservation management decisions which may affect the grizzly bear populations in the area.

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  Denali National Park

  • Denali, Alsaka

  • Biological Science Technician for the Long Term Ecological Monitoring Program

    • May 2001 - Aug 2001
    • Denali, Alsaka

    I lead and completed a mapping study of locations of interactions between humans and Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos horribilis). This series of maps was used to make management decisions regarding which areas of the park to prioritize or to temporarily close off to human use due to high bear activity. The maps and analysis provided a management and decision making tool for the Park Superintendent and staff.I produced the maps using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. I developed the digital data sets based on incident forms collected by park rangers. This created a formal database of bear-human interactions in the park which may be added to and used for future monitoring.In addition to the mapping study, I did extensive field work for the Long Term Ecological Monitoring Program ongoing studies of small mammals, Voles, Red Foxes, Golden Eagles and invertebrates.

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  Teton Science Schools

  • Jackson Hole, Wyoming

  • Professional Residency

    • Aug 1998 - Aug 1999
    • Jackson Hole, Wyoming

    My primary duty as a Professional Resident at the Teton Science School (TSS) was to teach residential environmental education programs. Teton Science School is a non-profit organization (NGO) located within Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The School offered 3-day, 5-day, and month-long environmental education courses for students aged 6-18 years. Classroom teachers would bring their students to TSS for multi-day courses within Grand Teton National Park. The students stayed on campus and I would take them out hiking, cross-country skiing or canoeing within the National Park and teach them about the flora, fauna and ecology of the area. I developed curriculum, gave presentations and workshops, and guided the students throughout the course at the Teton Science School.In addition to my duties as a teacher and environmental educator, I also conducted field research and studies in coordination with Grand Teton National Park.

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  Costa Rican Adventures

  • Punta Mona, Costa Rica

  • Environmental Educator and Naturalist

    • Jan 1996 - May 1996
    • Punta Mona, Costa Rica

    From January through May 1996, I worked for Costa Rican Adventures, an ecotourism company based in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, on the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. The company hosted week-long courses for high students from the United States and Canada. My duties were to guide the students throughout the course, and provide environmental education. I facilitated discussions, lessons, and developed curriculum for the students. I maintained contacts with several university professors, researchers, academics, local businesses and conservation organizations in order to provide the students with a breadth and depth of educational experiences. During the week that the students were in Costa Rica, I travelled with the group, organizing activities, facilitating discussions, and assisting the Director in making sure the group had a safe trip filled with educational experiences.