At Tuesday’s Macomb Park Board meeting, it was announced Blake Severs, the district’s superintendent of support services, will take over the district’s helm.
Effective Aug. 20, Severs, who has served as the security director, will become the park district’s executive director, taking over for Rachel Lenz who departed earlier this summer to take the director’s role at the Urbana Park District.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the executive director of the Macomb Park District. As a Macomb native, I care deeply about this community and look forward to serving as a steward of our parks and programs,” Severs told The Community News Brief. “I am eager to bring my passion for this town into this role and to strengthen connections with community members, local organizations and surrounding communities. Together, we can continue to make our parks and recreational opportunities a source of pride for Macomb.”
Severs joined the park district in March 2023. In his role as the superintendent of support services, he was responsible and in charge of park safety and security, directed the Ball Fore Family Entertainment Center, managed nightly patrol of district properties, assisted staff with compliance and policy training and created the park district’s policies and emergency protocols.
Prior to joining the Macomb Park District, Severs was a lead paramedic and shift manager for the Lifeguard Ambulance in Macomb for six years. He has previously worked as a chef at Vitales and as a program assistant for the Macomb School District, working with students with disabilities. Before returning to Macomb in 2016, the 2010 University of Nebraska graduate and Macomb High grad, was the manager of Developmental Services, Inc. and manager of a café, both in Lincoln, NE.
“Since 1947, Macomb Park District’s executive director position has been occupied by only four people. Starting in 1947, Buck Knowles was our first executive director, following by Ray Peterson in 1988. Rachel Lenz joined us in 2016 as director until recently,” said Park Board President Neil Armstrong. “Our past directors have served the district well and their legacies live on through our parks and programs. We are so proud to have Blake as our new executive director. He brings a diverse work experience to the Macomb Park District, and knows our programs, parks and services well.”
A “Meet Blake Severs” Q&A will appear in a future edition of The Community News Brief.
