California State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa, California
February 6, 2015 - SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California State Parks’ Transformation Team today launched a public website and released their first Transformation Action Plan, which outlines Strategic Goals as well as thirty different priority initiatives for State Parks. The Transformation Action Plan closely follows the Parks Forward final report’s four basic themes, such as making fundamental changes to the Department, enhancing partnerships, expanding park access, and garnering stable and diversified funding.
“Our Transformation Team is giving us a tremendous window of opportunity to develop and plan strategies that will result in meaningful and positive changes throughout the system,” said Lisa Mangat, Acting Director, California State Parks. “Their work is critical for the future of State Parks, and will be a process that is open and accountable. I invite the public to join us in this positive transformation.”
The Transformation Team is composed of experienced parks staff and outside consultants, and is tasked with developing and leading State Parks in executing structural and sustainable reforms to strengthen the State Parks System. The Team was formed to begin implementation and execution of the Parks Forward initiatives. Currently, there are fifteen (15) members in the Transformation Team. They are divided into eight different committees that will be in charge of implementing the strategic goals and initiatives. Additional members will be added from internal and external resources as the process evolves.
“The members of the Transformation Team bring with them a wide variety of expertise and backgrounds, and they are all strongly committed to this historic effort,” said Steve Szalay, Transformation Team Leader and Special Advisor to the Secretary for the Natural Resources Agency. “The Transformation Action Plan will be our guiding document to set up a framework that will allow us to be dynamic and flexible, and will be modified as these initiatives move from the planning stage into actual deliverables.”
Over the next two years, the Transformation Team will work on a series of initiatives supporting specific goals that will result in changed policies, procedures, guidelines, and organizational structures that support an entrepreneurial, service-oriented, creative and collaborative culture within State Parks.
The Transformation Team Action Plan will be updated regularly. That information will be posted on the Transformation Team website, along with priorities and initiatives.
The Transformation Team will focus on several areas, including the Department’s budget, partnerships, internal practices, revenue generation, technological innovation, and broader outreach to diverse communities.
