SPEAKERS SPEAKERS Kevin V. Abbate Kevin V. Abbate is the Director of Parks and Recreation for Martin County. He joined the Martin County team in February 2011. Abbate received his master’s in public admin- istration from Florida Atlantic University and his bachelor’s of science in parks and recreation management from Florida International University. His career in parks and recreation started as a teenager in Broward County in 1986 while attending college, where he also played baseball and ran cross-country. Abbate began his professional career in 1992 for the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division. Abbate started as the Aquatics Coordinator and progressed to the administrative position as the Parks and Recreation Manager V for Broward County. He also worked overseeing two family-sized waterparks for Palm Beach County for six years. Abbate has received accolades such as Employee of the Year for Broward County and has received the County Administrators Awards for both Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Abbate has resided in south Florida for the past 40 years with his wife and two children. Mark Abdo Mark Abdo has been the Aquatics Supervisor for the City of Largo since 2004, but has been associated with the field for 30 years. He received his master’s in public educa- tion from the University of South Florida and his bachelor’s degree in leisure recreation from Eckerd College. Abdo also received a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from USF. He has been a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) since 1981, and has presented at region, state and national level conferences. He is the co-founder of the Pinellas Aquatics Council and a past President of the Florida Recreation & Park Association and the FRPA Foundation. Kelli Allen Kelli Allen is the Group Sales & Admissions Coordinator for NRH2O Family Water Park, located in North Richland Hills, Texas. Allen’s career at NRH2O started in 2002 when she was hired as lifeguard and she immediately fell in love with the waterpark industry. In 2009, she began her full-time career as sales representative and is responsible for all group sales, consignment accounts and birthday parties. In the offseason, she is also responsible for working with marketing to create new and innovative methods to sale and promote NRH2O. Ryan Alvin Ryan Alvin, Principal and Vice President of Construction for Horizon Construction Group, oversees all of the firm’s budgeting, pre-construction and project management services. Alvin leads the project team in attaining budget requirements, ensuring a com- petitive buyout process and supporting all of the project managers who report to him. He assists clients from the conceptual development stage with early cost-estimating, phasing and site logistics expertise, through final construction, making sure that the project gets completed on time and within budget. Prior to joining Horizon in 2004, Alvin’s experience included roles as construction project manager, project estimator and project engineer. Alvin’s presence in the industry is bolstered by his involvement in numerous national organizations, including the Design Build Institute of America, Associated Builders and Contractors, Construction Management Association and WWA SHOW • west palm beach 2013 115 SPEAKERS the National Association of Home Builders. Alvin received his bachelor of science in construction management with a minor in business administration from the University of Wisconsin Platteville. Craig Anderson Craig Jon Anderson draws upon more than 30 years of private sector experience, much of it in marketing, product management and sales. During that time, he played a signifi- cant role in numerous business start-ups and product and service introductions. He holds an MBA from the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business Administration and a B.S. in health information management from The Ohio State University. His avoca- tions include surfing, scuba diving, stand-up paddle boarding and playing guitar/ singing. He aspires to be a beach-bum. Kurt A. Anselmi, Esquire Kurt A. Anselmi specializes in the defense of claims against the amusement industry. He is a Charter Member of the Board of Directors of the International Amusement and Leisure Defense Association (IALDA), as well as a member of Amusement Industry Manufacturing & Suppliers International (AIMS)), International Recreational Go-Kart Association (IRGA) and International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). He has been recognized as a premier defense trial attorney by the Roller Skating Association (R.S.A.), The Roller Skating Safety Act of 1988, currently known as Michigan Compiled Laws 445.1121, et seq, effective February 1, 1989, was drafted by Anselmi in 1986 on behalf of the Michigan Chapter of the R.S.A. This Act was the first state law to recognize assumption of risk as a defense for claims filed against roller skating centers. Currently, Anselmi represents amusement parks, fam- ily entertainment centers, roller skating centers, ski resorts and waterslide/karting centers throughout Michigan. Anselmi earned his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1976 and his Juris Doctorate from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University in 1981, graduating with honors. Jason Arthur Jason Arthur is Regional Director of Aquatics for Great Wolf Resorts. His responsibilities include development of waterpark protocols and procedures for all properties, assist- ing in the opening of new properties and recruiting and build- ing a strong leadership team company wide. Arthur is based out of the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio, where he oversees all daily operations of the 80,000-square-foot indoor waterpark. Arthur started his career as a lifeguard in 1993 at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari. Since that time, he has worked in all facets of the industry including large and small wa- terparks, pool management companies, theme parks and indoor waterpark resorts. Arthur is currently licensed as an Instructor-Trainer for Jeff Ellis & Associates, as well as a Certified Pool Operator (CPO). Arthur is a member of the WWA Waterpark Resort Committee. 116 WWA SHOW • west palm beach 2013 SPEAKERS James Barnes James “Jim” Barnes currently serves as Director of Operations for the Village of Wellington. In that capacity, he oversees the Planning, Zoning & Building, Public Works, Utilities, Engineering Services and Parks & Recreation depart- ments. He first joined Wellington as Assistant Director of Community Services, and has served as Deputy Director of Environmental and Engineering Services, Parks & Recreation Director, Deputy Director of Operations and Director of Operations. He is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional, a certified planner with an advanced specialty certification in environmental planning from the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a credentialed manager by the International City/County Management Association. Rick Bastrup Rick Bastrup is the president of R & R Creative Amusement Designs Inc. internationally known for designing themed attrac- tions. R & R projects have won the WWA Innovation Award 3 times including for “Voyage to the Center of the Earth” and “Lost River of the Pharaohs” at Hyland Hills and the first award given for “The Crooked Creek Washout” in Houston. Bastrup has worked with over 40 waterparks providing complete theme design services. Michael Beach Michael Beach, Ph.D., is Associate Director for Healthy Water in CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID). He is also Chief of the Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch, which oversees the Center’s waterborne disease activities including domestic and international waterborne disease outbreak investiga- tions, national surveillance for cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis and the national Waterborne Disease and Outbreak Surveillance System. He is a strong advocate for reducing the global burden of water, sanitation and hygiene-related disease. His domestic interests include collecting and solidifying data that will better characterize the magnitude and burden of waterborne disease in the U.S. in order to increase recognition of domestic waterborne disease transmission and improve future pre- vention efforts. Dr. Beach received his Ph.D in Biochemistry from Purdue University in 1987. Michael Beatty Michael Beatty is currently the Engineering Manager of Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach Water Parks and Miniature Golf. Beatty has been with the Walt Disney World Company for 39 years in a variety of engineer- ing roles. These roles include areas such as: Attractions Maintenance, Facility Maintenance and Engineering, Transportation Maintenance, Resort Facility Maintenance and Engineering and Water Parks and Miniature Golf Facility Maintenance and Engineering. Beatty was most recently the Engineering Liaison for the construction and opening of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Beatty is a voting member of numerous consensus stan- dards committees surrounding the engineering aspect of facilities and water mainte- nance. These include ASTM F24 (focuses on amusement rides including aquatic at- tractions), ASTM F15 (focuses on Aquatic Facility Standards), the International Code Council International Swimming Pool and Spa Committee and ANSI/APSP. He is also the chairman of the Facility Maintenance and Operation Technical Committee WWA SHOW • west palm beach 2013 117 SPEAKERS and a member of the Recirculation Systems and Filtration Technical Committee for the