Karen Hesser is the current chief of operations for Five Rivers Metroparks. But in May she’ll step into the role of chief executive officer. She spoke with WYSO’s Jerry Kenney about taking on the new position.
Karen Hesser: Honestly, I've been doing this for a number of years and it may not come through over the air but it's my personal passion — I am just so honored and privileged to be in this profession and to have this opportunity to lead this incredible agency. As I mentioned, I moved here because of the agency, and I'm just — I'm all in. It's a team of committed professionals, truly, at every level. We have an incredible volunteer base, our community here in Montgomery County. Five Rivers is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. I don't know if you knew that or not.
Jerry Kenney: I didn't. I was not aware.
KH: 60 years, right? And the legacy of local citizens and founders who instilled this passion and commitment, whether it's from the Dayton Garden Club, our partners with the Miami Conservancy District, the city of Dayton, Montgomery County, and so many other groups in the area. And making sure that we are providing those outdoor experiences and ensure that everyone has access to and connect to nature — it's celebrated every day in all of our 16,500-plus acres of metro parks and conservation areas. I'm just so proud to be part of this team providing that exceptional, and truly nationally accredited parks and facilities and open spaces.
The agency went through an extensive accreditation in preparation for what we call "the visit" in 2016. But of the more than 10,000 parks and recreation agencies in this country, there are only 193 who are currently accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies. It's called CAPRA for short. We went through the process. We were evaluated and achieved 100% of all standards in 2016. Then again for the re-accreditation in 2021, we achieved that same 100% compliance. So, that in and of itself is pretty remarkable. Five Rivers is only one of nine agencies in Ohio that has a certification. So, making sure that we're providing those clean, safe, open parks to the best level of service is job one.
JK: Well, and my next question was about challenges. What do you see as your biggest challenges as you move into this new position?
KH: Gosh, I just see every day as an opportunity. I don't really look at it as a challenge. Literally on my whiteboard behind me, I have "What's next?" That's my driver every day. What can we do next to make sure that we're doing what we should be doing and focusing on our community and the comprehensive master plan that the agency had adopted in 2016? That is our driving force of everything else we focus on. Making sure that we have staff, right? Obviously, with recruitment and retention, that is always first and foremost to make sure that we have all the all the staff in the right places throughout the agency, making sure they have the equipment and materials that they need to be able to do their jobs in whatever job that is, and making sure that we're doing that meaningful work, focusing on a comprehensive master plan. And then this year, specifically our agency strategic plan, whose priorities focus on three specific areas, including diversity, equity and inclusion. We have a climate change mitigation strategy and making sure that, again, that financial sustainability, that we bear that in mind every day.
We strive to be available and accessible to everyone in Montgomery County, literally within a 10 to 15 minute drive from a home. The world as we know it has been riddled with disruption, certainly over the last several years. But just knowing that in a few minutes of a drive, a bus ride, a bike ride or even a short walk, you can disconnect and reconnect, rebalance, re-energize and enjoy amazing experiences in one or more of our 30 metro parks, our conservation areas and facilities.
One of the ways that we appreciate our community, as I mentioned, is through our volunteer engagement. On April 22 will be our annual Adopt a Park program, and if the listeners are interested in helping us in participating, if they can go to the website at Metroparks.org/volunteer, they'll be able to find ways to be able to sign up and be able to show up and help us. So, we love to have the community engaged.
JK: Karen Hesser is the current Five Rivers Metroparks chief of operations, and in May you will be taking the helm as chief executive officer with the metroparks. Karen, thank you so much for your time and good luck with the new position.
KH: Thank you so much.
