Vermont’s outdoor recreation system depends on collaboration across municipal parks and recreation departments, trail organizations, nonprofits, and state and federal partners. Yet many professionals lack a shared framework for skills, training, and career pathways. This session introduces the Outdoor Recreation Professional Competency Framework, developed through a national partnership led by SORP. Participants will explore how the framework supports local staff, volunteers, and organizations in building capacity, strengthening partnerships, and advancing workforce development. Through practical examples, attendees will learn how to apply competencies to hiring, staff training, and program delivery in Vermont’s unique recreation landscape.
Learning Objectives:
Define core competencies relevant to municipal, nonprofit, and trail-based outdoor recreation professionals.
Identify ways competencies support staff training, volunteer development, and workforce pathways.
Describe how shared competencies strengthen partnerships across Vermont’s recreation organizations.
Presenters:
Andrew Pollak-Bruce, Board Member, Society of Recreation Professionals (SORP)
Drew Pollak-Bruce (He/Him) is the Owner & Founder of CRO Planning & Design where he helps municipalities, counties, state agencies, federal land managers, non-profits, and private sector clients navigate complex projects on public lands across North America. He has worked for over two decades as a professional planner, advocate, and journalist—often focusing on the intersection of communities, recreation, and economy. Drew is an expert in equity in the outdoors, universal design principles, and has presented about the economic impact of adaptive recreation at conferences throughout the country including the National Outdoor Recreation Conference and the International Trails Summit.
Monika Derrien, Assistant Professor, University of Vermont
Monika Derrien teaches in the Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Program in the Rubenstein School for Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. She is a qualitative social scientist focusing on outdoor recreation planning and management on public lands, and its implications for human health and wellbeing. Her current research focuses on unsheltered homelessness in parks and protected areas. Prior to arriving at UVM, Monika worked as a research social scientist for the USDA Forest Service. She was born and raised in New York City.