??Randy has devoted his
professional career to building, sustaining, and improving parks and recreation
systems throughout the Midwest. His agencies have been honored three times with
the National Gold Medal award from the National Recreation and Parks
Association (NRPA), having served in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.
Randy is a long-time member of
the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) and holds the Certified
Park and Recreation Professional certification. He has served as a visitor team
lead, advisor and mentor for the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and
Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).
Randy currently serves as the
director for the nationally recognized Parks & Recreation Department in
Westerville, Ohio. He has served on the leadership team of the department in
Columbus, Indiana and as head of the departments in Wentzville, Missouri,
Carmel, Ind. and in Novi, Michigan.
With more than 41 years in the
parks and recreation profession, Randy is a recognized leader in strategic
planning, organizational development, partnerships, and alternative funding.
Under his leadership and as a member of multiple staff teams, Randy’s work has
been recognized by national and state awards for parks and facility planning,
recreation programming and communication and marketing. Additionally, Randy has
been named the recipient of the Outstanding Government Achievement Award issued
by the St. Louis (Missouri) Metropolitan Regional Council and the Outstanding Leadership
Award issued by the Indiana Parks and Recreation Association. Randy has served
in various leadership positions with NRPA, State Associations and service
organizations. He has been an invited speaker at regional, state, and national
conferences, and is a published author in industry trade publications.
In Indiana, Randy served on the
Great Lakes Park Training Institute Board and served on the Indiana University
Executive Development Program Board of Directors. He was the state conference
co-chair of the Indiana Park and Recreation Association and on the Board of
Directors of the Hoosier State Game.
In Ohio, Randy has been the Ohio
Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA) state conference fundraising chair and
on the state conference program committee. He served on the OPRA Foundation
Board of Directors for three years, including as chairperson in 2015.
In Westerville, Randy is
responsible for more than 355 employees and an annual department budget
exceeding $14 million. In working with the Westerville Parks Foundation, he has
helped to raise over $2 million in private donations. The department is a five-time
gold medal winner, most recently in 2019, and a CAPRA-accredited agency. Randy managed
the development and opening of a multi-million-dollar municipal aquatic center.
In its opening season, the center more than tripled sales of season passes and
successfully integrated a full series of environmentally friendly features to
absorb or reduce stormwater run-off and reduce facility-wide energy
consumption. In addition, through Randy’s leadership, the citizens of
Westerville passed a renewal levy with a three to one margin, more than six
years before its expiration which led to the more recent $23 million community
center expansion project. The project added 45,000 square feet of space with
trend setting amenities from adventure fitness to a warm water pool. The
Community Center has reached an all-time high in pass holders since the
completion of the expansion project.
Randy holds a Bachelor’s degree
in Parks and Recreation from Murray State University and a Master's degree in
Parks & Recreation Administration from Indiana University.