The Daviess County Parks and Recreation is being restructured, with longtime Director Ross Leigh taking on the new position of Outreach Coordinator. Jordan Rowe, currently the Fiscal Court Communications Coordinator, will assume the director role.
Rowe and Leigh both said they are excited about their new roles and look forward to utilizing their talents to advance the County’s parks.
Rowe will continue his efforts as the Couny’s communications coordinator, making his new title Director of Parks and Public Information.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity. I still get to wear my hat for public information as well, as far as managing audio-visual for meetings and social media websites,” Rowe said.
Rowe said his first order of action will be to conduct a strategic planning session with the rest of the parks staff before eventually asking the public what changes they’d like to see at the county parks.
There are already some initial ideas on how to level up the programming and events along with upgrading some current facilities such as shelters and restrooms, Rowe said.
“We want to build on some existing events that we have, like the fireworks and Christmas at Panther Creek. We want more organizations in the community to host events and we want to proactively reach out to them,” Rowe said.
Leigh said his transition from director to outreach coordinator allows him to focus on his main vision for the parks.
“My passion is on the activities, events, and programs that are being offered through this department and through the facilities that we offer,” Leigh said.
Previously, Leigh oversaw every facet of the department, including maintenance, administration, and grant writing.
Leigh said the Parks Department has been overseen by Public Works since 2019. The organizational changes come after Fiscal Court made the decision to return Parks to standalone department.
