Tailgate Talks

Pete Gallagher joins Donald Forgione on the Tailgate to discuss tips for being interviewed by a journalist. Pete is an award-winning journalist and environmental reporter and shares his vast experience with the Tailgate community.

Ray Smith joins Donald Forgione on the Tailgate to discuss saving lives through Search and Rescue. Ray Smith is a District Manager for Georgia State Parks and a skilled Search and Rescue Instructor. Search and Rescue in an established discipline of trained professionals and volunteers dedicated to this field. With a lot of experience under his built, Ray shares helpful techniques to find and give aid when needed. for more information on Search and Rescue, go to the National Association for Search and Rescue at NASAR.org

Craig Seaver joins Donald Forgione on the Tailgate by popular demand. Craig has coined the word Interpretising" and is here to tell us all about it. This is a great conversation that can benefit your site as well as extend the guest experience and provide mission compliant angle into creating revenue for the area you manage. Themed and relevant merchandise, displayed in respectful, yet strategic locations can create lifelong stewards and advocates for your operation. Craig can be reached at [email protected]

Jeffery Forbes stops by the Tailgate to discuss Highly Successful Friends Groups. Jeffery is the President of the Friends of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and provides insight into a great relationship with the park. Jeffery and Donald Forgione discuss potential relationship challenges with a nonprofit organization and a government entity.

Come sit on the Tailgate and listen to some great tips on having a Highly Successful Friends Group.

Cassie Tucker joins Donald Forgione on the Tailgate to discuss marketing strategies to highlight your operation. Cassie is a very talented Marketing professional. She co-hosts the Marketing Happy Hour podcast sharing insight into social media, brand marketing, and much more. Cassie is a business owner focused on marketing and is passionate about helping her clients succeed. Find her online at marketingwithcassie.com

Tom Linley Joins Donald Forgione on the Tailgate Today to discuss Exceptional Volunteer Management. Tom know how to transform an operation using volunteers. When he was the Park Manager at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, he grew the park's volunteer program form 6,000 annual hours contributed to over 60,000 annual hours. Additionally, he served as the Chief of Staff and Director of Emergency Management for a statewide volunteer agency, Volunteer Florida.

Join Tom and Donald on the Tailgate to gain insights from Tom's remarkable career with volunteer management.

Zach Prusak joins us on the Tailgate to discuss Leadership In Fire Ecology. Zach is the Fire Training Specialist at Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy. Tall Timbers is recognized as the home of the study of fire ecology and is an advocate to protect the right to use prescribed fire for land management.

Training, mentoring, managing and leading a fire program takes skill and passion. Come sit on the tailgate with Zach and Donald Forgione as they discuss this important topic.

Donald Forgione sits on the tailgate today and discusses the qualities he prefers in hiking boots. He then relates those qualities to what he tries to provide as a leader and what he looks for in an employee. He also provides updates on the podcast on this 20th week of Tailgate Talks with Donald Forgione.

Barbara Goodman Joins Donald Forgione on the Tailgate to discuss strategies for successful partnerships. Barbara is retired from the National Park Service and has lead many successful partnerships. Barbara and Donald met in a partnership over 20 years ago and they both our currently working to develop another one. Many tips of the trade will be shared for better partnerships.

Neil Clineman joins Donald Forgione on the Tailgate to discuss the Art of Mentoring. Neil works for Texas A&M as a Fire Program Manager supporting the Department of Defense Wildland Fire Program. Donald has been a mentor to Neil for over 30 years and they talk about their relationship and what they both have learned as a mentee and a mentor.