Penny Justin

Experience

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  City of Hattiesburg

  Apr 1998 - Apr 1999

  Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
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  City of High Point

  Apr 1999 - Jun 2000

  Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
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  Calvert County Government

  Jun 2000 - Jun 2005

  Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist

  Recruited to design and implement the Therapeutic Recreation Services section of parks and recreation, in order to meet the growing recreational needs of individuals with disabilities. Developed year-round individualized, specialized and inclusive opportunities and programs for all ages. Recruited, trained and supervised staff and volunteers to provide recreational programs and accommodations. Developed training program to educate current county employees about topics such as the ADA, disability awareness, people first language, discrimination and segregation, ADA Standards and guidelines, behavior management, etc. Authored and published polices, standards of practice that promoted an environment of acceptance and commitment of the agency to providing inclusion. Show less

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  College of Southern Maryland

  Aug 2003 - May 2007

  Adjunct Faculty - Psychology

  • Developed lesson plans and instructed the course, Introduction to Psychology, to undergraduate students.

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  1st Metropolitan Mortgage

  Jun 2005 - Jul 2009

  Senior Loan Officer
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  Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

  Jul 2009 - Sept 2014

  Inclusion Coordinator - CTRS

  Assessed individuals’ recreational needs and provided inclusive opportunities for people with disabilities, ages 2+, to recreate with their non-disabled families and peers, in a general/community recreational setting. Hired, recruited, trained, managed and scheduled 90+ inclusion aides to meet the annual 1600+ accommodations request for individuals with disabilities. Developed and delivered annual accessibility and inclusion training to 1000+ staff regarding disability awareness, behavior management, Federal and State mandates/updates, Maryland Youth Camp Standards, documentation segments, etc.Developed sensitivity training teams to deliver a variety of trainings to recreational staff without experience in accessibility and inclusion, in order to increase inclusion acceptance and to promote a welcoming and inviting environment for people with disabilities.Developed community education and outreach program to increase participation of and to recruit volunteers and inclusion aides. Served in a leadership positions on several ad-hoc committees such as the County-wide Training and Development Committee, ADA Training Committee, ADA/DOJ Task Force, County-wide Inclusion Best Practices, Bring your Child to Work Day Committee, Kinder-Festival Co-Chair, County-wide Therapeutic Recreation Best Practices in addition to several external committee liaison/partnerships. Show less

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  Florida Department of Environmental Protection

  Sept 2014 - now

  Design and manage departmental training program for 3800+ employees. Assess, develop and implement learning solutions to promote employee alignment and commitment to the vision, mission, values and agency culture, while facilitating need assessments to address competency and technical skill gaps. Design and facilitate a multi-faceted suite of leadership development programs for high-performing and potential talent; thereby, championing the department’s talent management and succession planning efforts. Spearhead and coach various department leadership program graduate committees who are charged with developing curricula and providing presentations that support the employee needs and agency strategic goals. Design and deliver monthly, agency-wide, in-person/virtual new employee orientation that focus on providing staff with tools to successful navigate and acclimate to the agency and OneDEP culture; therefore, increasing retention and increasing employee engagement and leadership skills. Oversee and implement contract negotiations and vendor/consultant relationships, while regularly analyzing vendor status and proposals to identify and promote positive partnerships for the agency. Facilitate long-range planning of resources to ensure timely delivery of quality products, services and learning solutions. Coach and manage a (dream) team of Training Specialist and coordinate 60+ training liaisons and various ad-hoc committees located throughout the state to execute the agency strategic training, employee engagement and recognition plan. Oversee the department’s employee award and recognition policy, program and ceremony. Show less Led and managed the accessibility and safety program for 175 state parks, which included ensuring the accessibility and safety of 1200+ employees, 10,000+ volunteers and 30+ million annual visitors and reorganized and launched the annual employee award and recognition program. Designed and launched the Access for All Campaign, a multi-tiered marketing approach to increase visitation of individuals with disabilities to the Florida State Parks. Staff were trained in Federal, State and Universal accessibility requirements and policies with topics ranging from acceptance of service animals, identifying and eliminating discriminatory and segregated practices, utilizing people first language, implementation of outdoor guidelines, and building and construction standards. Developed and implemented accessibility best practices, policy updates, standard operating procedures and an on-line resources library to ensure a consistent delivery of service and provide staff with and on-demand resources and training opportunities. Reviewed and analyzed incident reports for risk, liability and staff training opportunities. Disseminated data to leadership including providing a plan of action to decrease future incidents. Authored and published safety policy statement, standard operating procedures and best practices to promote safe environments for employees and visitors. Charged with the reorganization of the annual awards recognition program which included updating the award selection criteria, nomination process, marketing and branding of program, development of committees to select recipients and plan and organize award banquet, and the delivery of an elegant event that was worthy of the recipients. Spearheaded the development of the Accessibility Liaisons Committee, Safety Advisory Board Committee an Award Committee in order to meet the many challenges of a geographical and culturally diverse population. Chaired the Safety Dive committee and Safe Boating Committee. Show less

  • Manager of the Office or Organizational Development and Engagement

    Mar 2017 - now

  • Accessibility and Safety Manager, Florida State Parks

    Sept 2014 - Mar 2017