Chuck Balling holds a B.S. degree in Parks and Recreation Administration from Eastern Illinois University and a Master of Arts degree from DePaul University. He received the 1989 Distinguished Alumni Award from Eastern Illinois University’s Recreation Department and the 1999 Illinois Park and Recreation Association Professional of the Year Award, 2011 Fellow Award and the 2012 Robert Artz Lifetime Achievement Award.
Chuck is passionate about the field of parks and recreation. Prior to joining Gov HR USA as a consultant, Chuck
served as the Executive Director of the Gurnee Park District for 10 years and
the Glenview Park District for 9.5 years. Both agencies have won numerous national and
state awards. Chuck has overseen a variety of facility improvement projects, fostered
intergovernmental cooperation, and is a strong proponent of environmental and
historical initiatives. Chuck strongly
believes in the benefits of NRPA and the Academy members along with their
important role in developing the future leaders in parks and recreation and has
served as a mentor to many successful professionals. At GovHR, Chuck focuses on
client needs in the areas of strategic planning, executive recruitment, and new
director on-boarding.
Mr. Balling is an active practitioner in the field of Parks and Recreation and has been fortunate throughout his career to work with some of the most talented and dedicated professionals in our business. He has over 35 years of experience working at several of the top Park Districts in Illinois including Naperville, Homewood-Flossmoor, Elmhurst, and Gurnee and was appointed the Executive Director of the Glenview Park District in March 2006.
The Glenview Park District has over 100 full-time and 1,000 part-time customer-oriented employees and is one of the largest Park Districts in Illinois, outside of Chicago. The Glenview Park District operates a variety of facilities including a 25 million dollar community center, two state of the art family aquatic centers, the Schram Memorial (former Navy Base church), indoor tennis and ice facilities and 13 field houses. In addition, the Park District operates and owns Wagner Farm, one of the last farms in Cook County as well as The Grove Nature Center, a national historic landmark. The citizens of Glenview enjoy an abundance of open space with over 40 parks throughout the community and over 840 acres under lease or ownership by the Park District.
Throughout his career, Chuck has authored various articles and been a featured speaker at conferences and workshops related to parks, conservation and recreation.
[current as of 10/13]