Public invited to meet candidates for park and recreation executive director

The Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority board of directors is one step closer to selecting its next executive director following the retirement of Gary Minor.

PARA is set to begin interviewing finalists for its executive director position and will host two public forums to give the community an opportunity to meet two of the top candidates.

“This is an exciting time for PARA and each of our funding partners,” said Tony Johnson, chair of the PARA's board of directors. “The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. Not only will our next executive director play a tremendously important role in environmental stewardship and promoting health and wellness, but this person will engage a large variety of stakeholders to lead and well serve the needs in our community.”

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People can meet Brian Davis of Vestavia Hills on Monday and Sean DePalma of Panama City, Florida, on Wednesday. Both forums are free, open to the public and will be held 2-3 p.m. at the McDonald Hughes Community Center, 3101 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Davis is the director of the Public Services Department for the city of Vestavia Hills in Jefferson County, while is the Quality of Life director for Panama City.

During the public forums, community members will be able to hear about the candidates' park and recreation methodology and ideas for a mission/vision for an optimal PARA of the future.

PARA has almost 2,000 acres of green space including 35 parks, boat landings, seven activity centers, an 18-hole golf course, a tennis facility, recreation and leisure for all age groups and special events, such as the West Alabama Christmas Parade. The governments of the city of Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County and Northport all contribute to PARA's funding.

A 13-member executive director search committee was led by vice chair Elizabeth Winter, who is a senior vice president and wealth adviser at Regions Financial Corp.

The 13 member Executive Director Search Committee is lead by Vice Chair Elizabeth Winter.

“A multidisciplinary team of community stakeholders was organized and is committed to the process of moving PARA forward to its next exciting chapter,” Winter said.

"Preliminary interviews have been completed with a plan to bring top candidates to the PARA board of directors for the final hiring decision,” she said.

Johnson said PARA encourages the involvement of stakeholders and residents in this choosing PARA’s leadership.

“Residents interact with PARA programs, services, and properties throughout the year, resulting in 1 million-plus contacts annually. With a prime directive to serve the public, and in an overabundance of transparency, we are offering our community a way to be involved in the process as well,” Johnson said.

Minor's retirement as PARA's executive director took effect Dec. 31. Mike Crady, PARA’s chief financial officer, is acting as interim executive director and will continue as CFO until a new executive director is hired.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: PARA invites community to meet top executive director candidates