Bill Drakeley
Five months into the industry’s largest trade-association merger in memory, two of the volunteers who played the largest roles in curriculum development at Genesis have left to begin a new education organization.
Effective immediately, Genesis Education Director David Peterson and Deputy Education Director Bill Drakeley, a long-time instructor and key player in organizing the curricula of the three merging groups, resigned their posts with the new Pool and Hot Tub Alliance. They are in the process of developing a new organization called Watershape University.
As a long-time instructor and head of Genesis education for seven years, Peterson has been seen as heading the new wave of leadership. He took the director post in 2012, after the departure of co-founder David Tisherman, and his voice has held even more heft since the remaining co-founders, Skip Phillips and Brian Van Bower, began taking a less active role as ambassadors. Drakeley also has taught Genesis courses for the bulk of the group’s existence and had been serving on a committee charged with integrating the education programs of the various merging entities that formed PHTA.
Both popular instructors, they will teach the Genesis courses for which they’re scheduled at events such as November’s International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo.
In January, the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals and the National Swimming Pool Foundation agreed to join forces, creating PHTA. The design/construction education group Genesis was part of the deal, as it had joined with NSPF in 2015.
The move by Peterson and Drakeley followed last week’s departure of Lauren Stack, managing director of NSPF’s residential division, who was largely responsible for Genesis management. The duo said Stack’s leaving hastened plans they already had in the works, figuring it would help PHTA to work from a cleaner slate.
“It sent a signal that there were more changes coming…” Peterson said. “It just seemed like the time was right: If they’re trying to rearrange things, let’s take all the pieces off the board that might not be there in six months, and let them figure out a new strategy from that point.”
They said the move was not meant to undermine Genesis. “We wish them and PHTA luck with the unification,” Peterson said. “We’ve had discussions with leadership already about maybe supporting them with some programs down the road.”
Lawrence Caniglia, PHTA’s interim CEO, sees that as a possibility. “I would hope that, in the future, we continue a good relationship with Bill and Dave,” he said. “We’ve always had great relationships with them in the past.”
As for Watershape University, the duo are in the process of developing its program. The organization may offer some type of certification and seek accreditation from the International Association of Continuing Education Units & Training, as did Genesis. However, they plan to structure their programs differently than others in the industry, including Genesis. They expect their offerings to incorporate more hands-on training, perhaps in real-world settings such as backyards and building sites.
“We’re not copying anything we’ve done in the past,” Drakeley said. “The concern that, ‘Well you’re going to compete with this or that’… That’s not our goal. Our goal is to offer new things and a new way of looking at it.”
They don’t expect to roll out introductory programs until the beginning of 2020.
For its part, PHTA plans to replace Peterson as education director with another professional from Genesis, said Caniglia, who will be leaving next month after newly hired permanent CEO Sabeena Hickman begins.
“It really needs to be somebody who understands the educational format who would be able to step into that role,” Caniglia said. “So we would not be looking for somebody outside the Genesis community.”
As for Stack’s duties, PHTA is still figuring out how to distribute them within the staff flowchart.
It also will seek out others to teach within Drakeley’s and Peterson’s specialties, which include concrete and hydraulics, among others.
“We’re very happy that they’re going to continue on this year, which will give us a chance to regroup,” Caniglia said. “It’s really business as usual.”
