Steve is a frequent speaker at national and state
conferences and is known for his fast paced and humorous presentations. He is always
a crowd pleaser and can make people feel comfortable with any topic. His stories and
examples, from his vast experience, bring life to his presentations. He is one of
the founders of the Pinellas Training Consortium and has served as President of both the
Florida Public Employer Labor Relations Association (FPELRA) and the Florida Public Personnel Association (FPPA).
Both organizations have recognized his service to his profession and
their organizations by bestowing the award of Lifetime Membership. Steve is currently providing supervisory and management training and HR consulting
services to organizations through his own company, The Training
Tree, Inc.
A primary mover for training and professional development Steve has presented seminars
on personnel, human resources, employee relations and collective bargaining for dozens of
state and national organizations. Steve is not the casual presenter. He has
literally trained thousands of professionals and public officials. His entertaining
style and humor make Steve's presentations an occurrence that few will miss. Even
though Steve left the public sector in 1993 to continue as a Human Resources Director at
the corporate level he kept his involvement with the many organizations he was involved
with through seminars and publications. His book with Tom Gonzalez on The
Management Perspective: A Guide to Collective Bargaining and his Employee
Relations Guide with Sarah Lang are two publications that NPELRA has offered
nationally. This past year he has co-authored another publication for FPELRA.
He has edited publications and written dozens of articles for labor and personnel
organizations. But the real contribution that Steve has made is in his willingness
to share information and help people along the way. Advice, mentoring or whatever
you wish to call it Steve has for years conferred with labor relations and personnel
professionals. In 1995 Steve returned to doing what he enjoys the best-training and
sharing information. His seminars are always interesting and his stories are
entertaining. His approach is one of "entertrainment"! If you have
attended one of Steve's training classes you will not easily forget him.
Jerry Knight, former Fire Chief of St. Petersburg,
Florida. Jerry brings 35 years of management and organizational expertise to The Training Tree. Entering the Fire
Service in 1959 in St. Petersburg, Florida Jerry progressed through the ranks from
firefighter to Chief. Jerry held just about every position you could have in the
fire service. He left St. Petersburg for a few years to be Chief of Largo, Florida
only to return in 1983 to St. Petersburg as their Fire Chief. Jerry retired from the
City of St. Petersburg in 1996 capping a career of over thirty years. He received a
BA in public safety administration from Eckerd College. Respected by his peers he
has served on numerous state and national boards and is a life member of the State of
Florida and International Fire Chiefs Associations. Jerry is the past chair and
former member of the National Steering Committee for the Integrated Emergency Management
System. He served as a member of the FEMA advisory board in Washington, D.C.
Today, when not traveling, Jerry spends time consulting and training. Jerry consults
with a variety of Fire Departments and uses his organizational skills for such endeavors
as strategic planning and organizational development and redesign.
