Multiple staff members of the Buffalo Grove Park District are also serving as leaders on state parks and recreation committee, officials announced in a news release.
In January, Buffalo Grove Park District Executive Director Ryan Risinger began his second one-year term as co-chair of the Illinois Association of Park Districts/Illinois Park and Recreation Association’s joint distinguished park and recreation accreditation committee.
“It’s one of the best committees to be on if you really want to see what other agencies are doing and pick the best of the best and bring it back to your agency and use those practices here,” Risinger told Pioneer Press. He also served as co-chair in 2018.
John Short, the park district’s director of business services and human resources, co-chairs the IPRA administration and finance section’s conference and education committee.
Erika Strojinc, the park district’s director of recreation and facilities, chairs IPRA’s membership council and is the membership council representative on that board.
Mike Terson, the Buffalo Grove Park District’s superintendent of communications and marketing, co-chairs the IPRA communications and marketing section’s sponsorship committee.
“Our staff want to be involved. They want to not only help themselves and learn more and bring that back to the residents in the community, but they also want to help the profession and make sure that we stay leaders in Illinois and across the country,” Risinger said.
The Buffalo Grove Park District serves approximately 42,000 residents.
Joe Zimmermann, Buffalo Grove Park District’s fitness center general manager, directs IPRA’s facility management section.
Diana Clayson, Buffalo Grove Park District’s recreation manager, co-chairs the IPRA recreation section’s early childhood committee.
Risinger said Buffalo Grove parks staff want “to help out and stay involved, not just communitywide but statewide, and get involved with the professional organization, which is IPRA for staff side and IAPD for the commissioners’ side.”
Buffalo Grove Park District recreation supervisor Megan Baird co-chairs the IPRA recreation section’s athletics committee and BGPD supervisor Jessi Hersman co-chairs the cultural arts committee. Jenn Foreman, head of BGPD aquatics facilities, is also secretary of IPRA’s facility management section and co-chairs that section’s aquatics committee.
“I’ve got incredible staff members who work really hard not just here but at the state level. Having all that involvement is incredible,” Risinger said.
Tracy Bragg, vice president of the Buffalo Grove park board, has been appointed to IAPD’s honors and resolutions committee for a third year and was recently appointed to IAPD’s program committee.
“Being a part of IAPD and their programs have offered me many learning opportunities and I have enjoyed meeting so many great park district commissioners,” said Bragg via email.
Jessi Virtusio is a freelancer.