'25 Diversity Education Institute Sessions

Roni Weiss is the Executive Director of Travel Unity, a 501(c)(3) focused on increasing diversity in the world of travel through individual and community empowerment. He was born in Long Island, New York and grew up in Snohomish County, Washington, north of Seattle. At the age of 10, Roni began attending Edmonds Community College (now Edmonds College), receiving his Associate’s of Arts and Science with Honors at the age of 12. He graduated from Lynnwood High School at the age of 15, then attended the University of Washington, receiving double Bachelor’s of Arts degrees in Drama and English at the age of 18. Through years of world travels, Roni visited 70+ countries, including every country in Europe, six of seven continents, and taught English in Italy, France, Taiwan, and Chile, both to youth and professionals. In 2011, Roni founded RW Social, a marketing and consulting company for the travel industry and nonprofits. From 2011 to 2016, Roni worked with Africa Travel Association (now Africa Tourism Association), assisting with and speaking at ATA’s events in NYC, DC, and multiple African countries. In 2013, RW Social launched the New York Travel Festival, an event focused on innovation and sustainability in the world of travel, which served as the genesis for Travel Unity, where he now serves as Executive Director. Roni lives in Westchester County, NY with his partner, Lauren, and their four children.

Jackie has a long history with HR Source. As a staff member from 1996 – 2002, she focused on training and started Interim HR, now known as Outsourced HR and Recruiting Services. She then spent many years with a member company focusing on Employee Benefits and HRIS. Jackie returned to HR Source in 2020 and now leads the Outsourced HR and Recruiting team. Jackie is always anxious to share her many years of HR experience with our members!

John N. McGovern leads the Accessibility Practice at The W-T Group, LLC. He formed the Practice in 2008 after a local government career that started in Albuquerque and saw decade-long roles at WSSRA and NSSRA. Everywhere he worked, his duties centered on ensuring that parks and recreation services were accessible to and inclusive of people with disabilities. NRPA appointed him to serve on the three federal advisory committees that developed the parks accessibility content for the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design. In 2009, the Department of Justice wanted to better understand how parks and recreation agencies implement the ADA and he was asked to Washington DC to train enforcement staff regarding parks and recreation. Always an active member of IPRA, he served on the Joint Legislative Committee for 18 years and was co-chair in 2003 when the 5-8 levy was removed from the PTELL aggregate. McGovern of course recognized the moral obligation for local governments to serve people with disabilities, but wondered if there was a legal obligation to do so. To answer that question, he earned his law degree in the evening division at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law while working as Executive Director at WSSRA. He graduated at about the time the debate about the ADA was picking up in Congress, and has been involved as an implementer and consultant since those days. His status as a practitioner, consultant, attorney, and one who is personally familiar with neurodiversity gives him a rich perspective on equity.

Brent Scarpo has over thirty years of experience as an author, professional keynote speaker, intuitive life coach, healer, producer, writer, director, and casting director in Hollywood, California. His professional journey is studded with notable achievements, having worked on iconic films like THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THAT THING YOU DO, and MATILDA. In addition, Scarpo won The Today Show’s writing contest, EVERYONE HAS A STORY, where his story, THE RED BALLOON, was chosen out of 100,000 entries. It is the basis for his new book, The Red Balloon – Transforming Your Life One Inspirational Story at a Time. He is actively engaged in presenting numerous professional speaking and training programs for corporate America and educational institutions, which have significantly impacted more than two million participants. Brent teaches live and online workshops on spirituality, soul awakening, goal setting, and manifesting your best life. He is also a game show guru who has appeared in five major television game shows, most recently winning his showcase on The Price is Right. Brent lives with his dog, Sophia, and splits his time between Palm Springs, California, and Miller, Indiana.

Dr. Fernandez is an Associate Professor for the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research examines the environmental injustices impacting urban communities. Most of her work has focused on Latinxs of Mexican descent. Her recent projects explore possible solutions to: (a) address limited access to green spaces in Latinx communities while minimizing instances of gentrification and (b) improve community engagement and representation.

Robinett joined the RPTA faculty as an instructor in 2014. He was promoted to associate professor in 2021. In addition to his teaching duties, Robinett is the advisor for the department's graduate program and event planning and management minor, and is an active community volunteer.

Saxton-Ross, a D.C. resident and mother of two, received her Ph.D. from the department of Sociology at Howard University, preceded by a master’s degree in Public Health Education and Promotion from the same institution and undergraduate work in exercise science through The George Washington University. First developing a love of the outdoors through her grandmother’s yard and city parks in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, Saxton-Ross’s research, academic and professional interests continue to focus on social and physical environments and their influences on physical activity, opportunity and resources — specifically in Black and urban populations — along with the health benefits of parks and green spaces. Her life’s work concentrates on improving the health of communities through engagement, activity, education, exposure and opportunity, truly believing that “a healthy life is lived better outdoors.”