Park Planning and Sustainability, LLC

Principal

Midlothian, Virginia

August 2023 - Present

www.parkplanningsustainability.com

Mission - Engaging the client, community, and stakeholders in sustainable solutions for park planning and management.

• ​Systemwide park master plans
• Park plans
• Trail and connectivity plans
• Sustainability planning
• Public input
• Staff and leadership facilitation

At Park Planning & Sustainability, we are committed to creating park spaces that promote the well-being of individuals and communities. We specialize in developing sustainable solutions for park planning and management. Our team of experts is passionate about creating spaces that promote social equity, environmental stewardship, and health and wellness. We strive to meet the unique needs of each community we serve by providing tailored solutions through providing tailored solutions though community engagement. & Sustainability, we and

Chesterfield County Parks & Recreation

Planning Manager

Chesterfield, Virginia

October 2017 - Present

Leadership & project management – I manage long range park planning projects along with park design and construction implementation.

Reports and documents – Provide project team reports, planning guidance documents for dog parks, disc golf and pocket parks.

Interdepartmental collaboration– Initiate parks input for the County wide Bikeways and Trails team to implement the Bikeways and Trails Plan.  

Management – Manage GIS and mapping staff as well as support staff

Land assessments – Prepare feasibility studies for potential park acreage

Park and Trail Planning – Prepare the concept plans for proposed parks and trails.

Long range planning – Implement the Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan. Initiate a park sustainability plan.

Public outreach – Facilitate in person and online public outreach for parks projects including park master plans. Host group discussions to incorporate stakeholder input into the planning process.  

Virginia Commonwealth University

L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

Adjunct Faculty

Richmond, Virginia

Spring Semester 2017 – Spring Semester 2022

URSP 520 Park Planning - Teach an interactive graduate-level class in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs for Urban and Regional Studies and Planning. The class is interactive, and application based. It has been taught in the classroom, online and as a hybrid class.  

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Planner & Project Manager

Richmond, Virginia

January 2006 - Present

August 1989 - May 1995.

State Agency, Public

2008 Employee recognition for project management of the 2007 Virginia Outdoors Plan received national recognition.

Leadership & project management - The Virginia Outdoors Plan is the state’s largest document and under my project management was recognized nationwide. Twice I have participated in “State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Planning” training at a national conference. In addition to being project manager of the Virginia Outdoors Plan, I managed state park master plans.

Publications – As the primary author and project manager for the 2007 and 2013 Virginia Outdoors, I authored articles on health and outdoor recreation, the economics of outdoor recreation and on green infrastructure. a wee Prepared a weekly news feed for the Virginia Recreation and Parks Society e-news and hosted webinars.   

Public Involvement -. Facilitated creative public input processes for projects using new tools such as webinars and conferencing are important to project success and success.

Planning Assistance – I bring a balanced planning perspective by using experiences gained in the public, private and non-profit sectors. 

Environmental Review –My work in the public and private sectors provides me with an exceptional amount of experience in assessing and negotiating the impacts to various resources when reviewing and commenting on impacts to statewide recreational resources.  

Scenic resources – I have and in depth understanding of scenic assessment and resources based on field work, analysis and consultation with scenic experts like Scenic Virginia. 

Friends of Chesterfield’s Riverfront

Executive Director

Chesterfield, Virginia

March 1998 – December 2005.

Non-Profit organization dedicated to lead, partner and unify the community for the Appomattox and James Rivers.

Partnerships – My ability to form, manage and maintain partnerships and assess political situations helped me nurture partnerships with Virginia Dominion Power, DuPont, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Richmond Indoor Sports Experience, Luck Stone, Chesterfield County, the James River Advisory Council, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and Chesterfield County Public Schools.

Facilitation and presentation – Experienced in leading effective meetings to encourage interactive dialogue with end results oriented for implementation. As executive director, I led numerous trainings and developed information sessions including a native landscape curriculum design class for businesses and homeowners.

Janit Llewellyn Allen – Page 2

Organizational management – I was responsible for fiscal management and facilitation of board of directors meetings, involvement and input.  I prepared and documented monthly board of directors meetings as well as worked with special committees and the Chesterfield business community to be engaged in river cleanups and Friends’ educational initiatives. 

Team building – Nurtured teams to support the work, financial management and goals of the organization.  Team development enabled Friends to partner with Chesterfield County public schools and businesses tom implement projects like overlooks, trails and school native landscapes. 

Grant writing – During my tenure to sustain the work of the organization, I wrote and managed numerous grants representing approximately one-third of the Friends annual budget.

Strategic Planning – To maintain organizational and programmatic focus, I led and monitored the strategic planning process with the board of directors. The organization accomplished goals in placing the first conservation easement of public land in the Commonwealth and forming partnerships with Chesterfield County Public Schools to work with selected middle school ecology clubs. 

Parsons

Project Manager

Richmond, Virginia

November 1984 - August 1989

May 1995 – March 1998.

Architectural & Engineering firm specializing in planning and environmental studies.

1987 recipient of the High Achievement Award.

Working for one of the largest engineering firms in the country, I traveled to military installations to prepare master plans. Additionally, I received experience in working with scientists and engineers to prepare environmental impact statements. Special assignments included leading teams for public input on controversial environmental highway projects.