Webinar Recording: #BreakTheBias – How to Forge a Gender Equal Workplace

International Women’s Day Webinar held on March 9, 2022

We hosted our second annual International Women’s Day Webinar in partnership with WhiteWater to amplify discussions around the topics of #BreakTheBias.

We brought together a panel of industry leaders to discuss the important topics impacting women in the attractions industry today. We talked about addressing hiring and interviewing bias, implementing bias training in the workplace and increasing access to employment opportunities. We also covered specific scenarios and how they can be addressed, for example: when women’s voices either aren’t represented or aren’t heard at the corporate table, or the negative impacts of taking parental or caregiver leave – all with the goal of giving real life experiences and actionable recommendations that help create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where difference is valued and celebrated.

We recorded the webinar, and you can watch it right here.

Your Moderator

Una de Boer: Chief Marketing Officer at WhiteWater
Una joined the WhiteWater family in 2015, already an international business to business marketing expert, having enjoyed a broad 20-year career ranging across several market sectors from professional services to energy management SaaS. Originally from the UK, Una’s career began there where she ran B2B advertising campaigns before moving into consulting on direct marketing best practices for large financial services providers. Since 2005, Una’s roles have involved building marketing teams to help organizations put customer understanding at their center and build meaningful brands which connect with employees and customers alike. As a literature and MBA graduate, Una believes that marketing merges storytelling, psychology, data analysis, and common commercial sense to simplify the ‘why?’ for customers. Una is part of WhiteWater’s executive management team and is closely involved in driving the company’s sustainability initiatives alongside leading marketing for WhiteWater and all its brands; ensuring each international market and business area has a voice which leads the industry.

Your Panelists

Adrea Gibbs: Senior Director, Core Services, Attractions Operations at Meow Wolf
Adrea has been involved in the entertainment and attraction industry for over 30 years having worked with organizations worldwide including Ramoji Film City, Slagharen Attractie-Park, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Santa’s Village, Windows On China, eXplore 5D and DyMoRides, among others. She is a multi-faceted professional, from the creative aspect of directing, choreographing, writing, performing and designing, to the operational side of training, merchandising, marketing, and business development, specializing in small, regional parks and attractions. Her combined background in communications, fitness, child development, live entertainment and management gives her a unique perspective on the industry.

A sought-after branding and re-branding expert who draws on her spectrum of experience working with organizations both within and outside of themed entertainment, Adrea has long been an advocate of IAAPA, having served as a member of the Education Committee, Hall of Fame Committee, Chairman of the IAAPA Games & Merchandise Subcommittee, and currently on the IAAPA Board of Directors (2018-2021). She is a regular presenter and speaker at IAE, and is proud to hold the IAAPA Certified Attractions Executive (ICAE) distinction.  She is the Senior Director, Operations, Core Services for Meow Wolf Inc., running the gamut from involvement in the early stages of development through to the opening and beyond. Adrea is presently engaged in both the Las Vegas (OmegaMart) and Denver exhibitions.

Michael Jungen: Global Vice President, CX Solutions Technology at Aristocrat Technologies Inc.
Michael Jungen is a guest experience technology executive serving most recently as global vice president of CX Solutions Technology at Aristocrat Technologies, Inc.  Prior to Aristocrat he served as senior vice president of guest experience design and technology at Carnival Corporation.  Prior to Carnival, Michael spent 23 years with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, where he played a key role in the Next Generation Experience (NGE) project leading innovation, development and implementation of the MagicBand, and MyMagic+.

An avid believer that diversity is at the heart of innovation, Michael is a founding board member of KindRED Pride Foundation with a mission to promote LGBTQ equality and freedom of expression. He was a member of Disney Parks & Resorts’ Diversity Executive Advisory Council and the executive sponsor for the Walt Disney World PRIDE Diversity Resource Group. Michael holds over a dozen patents and multiple innovation awards.

Michael was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. He graduated with a BA in philosophy from St. Meinrad College in St. Meinrad, Indiana. He currently lives in Belle Isle, FL with his husband, Fhanor, where he enjoys running, exercise and boating.

Sharon Parker: Director of Marketing & Sales at Six Flags Over Texas/Hurricane Harbor
Sharon is the Director of Marketing, Entertainment and Sales for Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor in Arlington, Texas. She is also the Chairman of the International Association of Amusement Parks’ (IAAPA) North American Public Relations Committee, and she serves on the IAAPA North American Regional Advisory Committee and the IAAPA IDEA Task Force. Sharon has shared her passion for the industry during several EXPO presentations.

She is also a Member of the Board for the Arlington Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Prior to joining Six Flags, Sharon was the spokesperson for the Fort Worth Independent School District. Before entering the marketing field, Sharon spent ten years on the air for the CBS affiliate in Waco, Texas— KWTX-TV—where she began as a general assignment reporter before being promoted to main female evening anchor. While in college, Sharon worked behind the scenes for WFAA-TV, in Dallas, Texas.

Leena Devlin, Manager of Product Deployment at Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc.
Leena Devlin has been managing IT projects and teams for over 25 years, starting at Catholic Health Initiatives where she managed the implementation of their Human Resource Information System and the first Active Directory implementation in a large healthcare system. Since those successes she has managed a team of clinical project managers tasked with creating new drug submissions for the Federal Food and Drug Administration, she has run a remote helpdesk for clients such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southeast Pennsylvania, and currently she is leading the newly branded Cloud Operations team at Gateway Ticketing Systems as they begin to ramp up their hosted solutions. She is also serving as the Artistic Director for Steel River Playhouse in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

Ms. Devlin is married with one daughter, a stepdaughter, a stepson, and two dogs … one of whom is somewhat of a psycho … but she’s hoping he’ll grow out of that.