Meet the staff: finance department

Parks & Recreation, March, 2006

Rob Batarla has been the director of finance for NRPA since January, 2004. Coming from the International Association of Fire Chiefs, he is a certified public accountant with a MBA from old Dominion University. An avid reader, Batarla also finds time to take walks with his son, play tennis or grab a quick Starbucks coffee when he isn't directing local theater or teaching finance at George Mason University.

As HR Assistant and Payroll Specialist, Laylee Stalter may have the most important job at NRPA headquarters--making sure everyone is paid. She came to Virginia from Syracuse, N.Y., where she worked at a computer learning center. Azimi likes to read, watch movies, and enjoy concerts, cooking and travel.

Even though she's only been at NRPA for six months, Accounting Manager Laura Marzouki has dove into her job at the association, providing oversight and management of day-to-day accounting operations. Her past experience includes serving as a consultant for a financial services firm and as an accountant for a non-profit. She grew up in northern Michigan on 60 acres, where she says she learned that "there's nothing I like more than being surrounded by lots of trees and bearing the silence of the forest broken by the chirping of birds or the soft rustle of a passing deer."

A Washington Redskins fan since birth, Shane Mills doesn't tit the typical accountant mold. This accounting specialist loves sports including basketball, baseball and football, and even graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Recreation, Health and Tourism. Mills discovered the joys of finance while working at a bank during college, and has spent spent time working for DMB Sports Group.

The veteran of the group, Accounting Specialist Christy Weller has spent five years at NRPA, where her duties include accounts receivable, publications and the annual fund. Prior to working at NRPA, Weller was a teacher--she put her patience and teaching abilities to the test last summer when she coached the NP, PA softball team. In her spare time, she likes playing with her dog Riley, and spending her weekends in West Virginia.