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This session will provide aquatic professionals with simple strategies to create an inclusive hiring and onboarding process for lifeguards and swim instructors. Learn how to write inclusive job announcements, train interviewers to recognize bias, and effectively communicate your facility’s commitment to diversity. By the end, you’ll have the tools to attract, hire, and retain a more diverse team that reflects the community you serve. Presenter: Kate Connell, HydroApps Category: Diversity & Inclusion .1 CEU   More About Kate:  Kate Connell (she/her) is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional and a passionate advocate for equity in aquatics and recreation. She has a track record of implementing inclusive programs, policies, and personnel practices in her prior role as a municipal program supervisor in Iowa City, where she was a graduate of the University of Iowa. Through her work at Equitable Aquatics, Kate has become a sought after national speaker on diversity and leadership and has presented educational sessions at dozens of national and state level association conferences. Kate bridges her experience as a leader in the aquatic industry with her role as the Senior Manager of Sales and Strategic Partnerships to support HydroApps customers. She believes that leveraging tools and techniques to streamline operations and risk management frees up aquatic professionals to focus on their workplace passions and further their impact. She serves on the Association of Aquatic Professional Board, is the chair of the DEIJ committee and co-chair of the education committee. Kate is a born New Englander turned Midwestern transplant, a former yoga studio owner, and loves to spend her spare time with her family traveling in their Airstream and spending time at Lake Michigan. Read more

DON’T DO IT! It seems we hear a lot about what not to do – bullying and rudeness. So what should we do? What does it mean to act civilly? How do we avoid or defuse situations of unprofessional or rude behavior to create a respectful and productive workplace? Understanding the rules of civility and creating a professional presence will help to reduce conflict, build productive relationships, and foster a positive professional reputation. Presenter: John Whitmore, CPRE, AFOI, Organizational Development Manager, City of Denton Category: Leadership/Executive Development, AqP Elective .1 CEU Read more

Knowing what can happen within your facilities and what type of infections can take place are important aspects of aquatic facility operations. Knowing how to handle infections via ingestion, injection, absorption and inhalation will be discussed. Presenter: Susan Grosse, Aquatic Consulting & Education Resource Development Category: Risk Management, AqP Elective .1 CEU Read more

Emily has been advocating for the LGBTQ+ community for 20 years. She earned her Masters of Education with a focus on mental health counseling from University of North Florida. Emily was the founding Coordinator of the University of North Florida’s LGBT Resource Center, where she worked to create a safe space and welcoming learning environment for all students. She continued her LGBTQ+ advocacy work as the Director of the University of California Los Angeles LGBT Resource Center. She currently leads a dynamic and dedicated team supporting at JASMYN, a Jacksonville, Florida organization that supports LGBTQ+ young people by creating safe space, providing health and wholeness services, and offering youth development opportunities, while bringing people and resources together to promote equality and human rights. Emily's love for everything aquatic has been present since she began swimming lessons at the age of 5 and continued to compete until graduating from Colorado State University. Over the past decade, she has enjoyed when her advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community intersected with her love for swimming. She served on the USA Swimming Minor Transgender Athlete Task Force in 2017 and has stayed active in her local swimming community. Presenter: Emily Rokosch from JASMYN  Category: Diversity and Inclusion, AqP Elective .1 CEU   Read more

This session will discuss developing a "Friends" group within your community. Learn the steps that need to be taken to create a friends group and how to do it correctly the first time. Friends groups are a great way to garner support within your community for your agency and projects that you are interested in completing. Presenter: Juliene Hefter, President/CEO, Association of Aquatic Professionals (AOAP) Category: Leadership/Executive Development, AqP ELECTIVE .1 CEU Read more

The success of our aquatic facilities and staff is a direct result of the education and training that is provided to our personnel. For our staff to be successful and confident in their skills, we must provide ongoing in-service training to ensure that they are trained efficiently and are able to perform in emergency situations. This session will cover the importance of in-service training, the types of skills that should be included, and how to properly document training. The presentation also covers the importance of audits and the various types of audits that you are able to provide at your facility. Presenter: Juliene Hefter, Executive Director, Association of Aquatic Professionals Category: Drowning Prevention, AqP CORE REQUiREMENT CEU .1 Read more