Blake Severs, who had served as the Macomb Park District's superintendent of support services, took over the executive director's role Aug. 20 to lead the district following the departure of longtime director Rachel Lenz. Now that Severs has been in the leadership role for three months, The Community News Brief sat down with Severs to learn about his goals for the district and more.
What does it mean to you to be the new park district ED? What were you doing before you accepted this role? (and when did you begin your duties at MPD) I grew up in Macomb and have a lot of memories back to my childhood of all of Macomb's parks. It means so much to me knowing that I can promote and provide beautiful green space, unique activities, holistic opportunities and some of the wonderful memories that I have for the Macomb community and surrounding area.
I was working at the Macomb Park District as the Superintendent of Support Services. I started in the superintendent's role in Spring 2023.
How did your education prepare you for this role? What experiences do you bring to this role that will make your role (and the I have had a wide berth of educational and professional experience ranging from my college career at University of Nebraska to my work as a paramedic. My bachelor's degree is in psychology, and I also have a certification in Playground Safety Inspection. These opportunities have given me a great toolbox to solve a variety of problems and plan for a successful future.
Through my professional and educational career, I have learned how to manage a team and resources. I have created a management style that focuses on empathy, growth and utilization of your teams' strengths.
And lucky for me, I have one of the best teams at the Macomb Park District. All of the superintendents and managers at the park district are always willing to help.
We put our minds together and find out what is best for the park district, and more importantly, what is best for Macomb.
What are your goals/ plans for the MPD? First big project/plan you'd like to undertake?
My first goal was to get fully staffed, which we have now hired all full-time and part-time positions! We have wrapped up the Patton Park project this year, so that was where much of my attention went to when I started in the executive director position.
Now that the project is complete, we're turning to other areas of the park district.
Beyond next year, I want to restock our Patton Pond and Bishop Pond (Everly Pond) and put in habitat for aquatic life. This will help the ecological side of the ponds and it makes your fishing experience more successful!
What makes for a vibrant park district like Macomb's, and how can you and your staff achieve that?
The people, nature and community. Our staff at the Macomb Park District care about the community. It is not just a 9-5 job for our staff. We want what is best for the parks and Macomb.
That is a great place to start.
We have a lot of great parks with beautiful views and great recreational opportunities. I plan on making what we have truly beautiful. We have rolling hills, flat spaces and great facilities. Now we are going to make them really 'pop.'
The Macomb community is very distinctive and provides its citizens unique opportunities, and I want the park district to be a reflection of that.
What would you like to see happen with the MPD within the next year? 5 years?
My goals are to make sure we continue to cultivate and support the parks and assets we have in Macomb parks.
We don't just want our parks to be 'just green spaces,' we want them to be something the community really uses and is proud to share. Next year, we plan on refurbishing the bathroom on the west side of Patton, bring new life to our office location on North Randolph and put resources into some of our older maintenance equipment.
I am also developing a long-term plan to move the Park District's office location. We have been in the same location for our 75 years, and a newer facility would make way for more programing, greater event spaces and year-round events. It is a large project, but it's something I think we can make happen in the next decade.
What's the most exciting part of your job (in your opinion)? Most challenging?
The most exciting part of my job is seeing our parks and events filled with participants. Our events team works tirelessly to plan events. When you see a big group at those events, it makes it all worth it.
The most challenging part of my job has been the shift in responsibilities. In my old role at the park district, I was making sure our parks were safe and planning the year for Ball Fore. When I got into the role of executive director, I knew there was a lot to learn. I have found it challenging to juggle all the new information, while making sure I have all my time-sensitive tasks complete.
A fun fact or two about you that people might be surprised to know?
I played tuba in high school and was a sousaphone player in the Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band during my college career.
Hobbies outside of work?
I am a huge fan of board games. I like just about anything out there. If you bring a board game to the office, I might just take my lunch break early. I am also a big Nebraska sports and football fan (Go Big Red), Chicago Bears fan, Chicago Cubs fan, a bow hunter and I love spending time with my kids.
Hometown (where you were raised) and high school; college attended; volunteer work; family, etc.
I was born and raised in Macomb, and I graduated from Macomb High School in 2007. I graduated from University of Nebraska with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2011. I am married to Mary Ann (Carlson) Severs, who teaches art at Edison school, and we have a five-year-old daughter, Georgeann, and a three-year-old son, Rudy.
