Rianna Elliott
Award for Excellence in Volunteer Management
Rianna joined the Florida Park Service in 2009 as a seasonal employee and hasn't slowed down since. In 2013, Rianna took on the role as volunteer coordinator at Suwannee River State Park along with her other duties as park ranger and resource manager. She has since been promoted to park services specialist.
During this past year, the renovation of a ranger residence has been completed, a new roof has been installed on the linen room in the campground, and the Lime Sink group camp restrooms have been completely redone and are up to ADA compliance. These projects have been completely done in-house by her utilizing the knowledge and skill sets of volunteers to meet specific needs of the park.
Rianna has built the volunteer program at Suwannee River from the ground up, and because of her hard work, drive and vision, the program is now the best it has ever been. Her outreach and networking with other parks has allowed the park to excel and have full resident volunteer occupancy throughout the year.
The volunteer hours being recorded on a yearly basis has grown over 600% since 2013. Now, Suwannee River on average sees at least 10% growth each year. Rianna has taken tremendous stride in the recruitment and tracking of volunteers. Because of her attention to detail, flawless record-keeping and the ability to manage diverse staff, she has been used as an example on how to effectively manage volunteers at other state parks.
The Award for Excellence in Volunteer Management is awarded annually to an employee or volunteer who has made significant contributions in volunteer management that relate to the success over and above division standards and goals during the previous year.
2020 Florida State Parks Division Award Winners
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