Above / During his dedicated tenure as Executive Director of the Naperville Park District, Ray McGury has given time generously to show community spirit, especially with a little luck of the Irish when he served as Grand Marshal for the WSI St. Patrick’s Parade back in 2010. Prior to the parade that year, he posed at DuPage River Sports Complex with his two pups for a photo that appeared on the cover of PN to help promote local St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Thanks, Ray McGury! (PN File Photo)
Executive Director Ray McGury, who has led the Naperville Park District as its Executive Director for more than 13 years, has resigned from the agency’s lead role, effective at the close of business on February 1, 2022, to pursue another opportunity. Under his leadership, the District achieved a multitude of accomplishments and received a wide range of awards and recognition, including national accreditation from the National Park and Recreation Association.
McGury also was responsible for the completion of many key projects that expanded District services including, most notably, Nike Sports Complex, the remediation of Sportsman’s Park, Fort Hill Activity Center, Knoch Knolls Nature Center, renovation of Centennial Beach, as well as the development of the 95th Street Community Plaza and Wolf’s Crossing Community Park.
The Park Board of Commissioners has named Brad Wilson, the District’s current Director of Recreation and Facilities, as the District’s next Executive Director. Wilson has grown his experience and leadership during his 23-year tenure overseeing the Recreation Department, which consists of the programming, facilities, customer service, aquatics, and volunteer divisions. Additionally, he has been primarily responsible for the largest portion of the District’s budget and has managed major projects such as the implementation of new registration software, the addition of programming at several park developments including Nike Sports Complex, Frontier Sports Complex, Commissioners Park and Wolf’s Crossing Community Park and the addition of indoor programming at the Fort Hill Activity Center, the Nature Center and the 95th Street Center.
Wilson also has held primary responsibility for widely visible initiatives including the Community Interest & Opinion Survey. In recent years, Wilson has won several awards recognizing his accomplishments and leadership including the Community Impact Award presented by the Illinois Park and Recreation Association during the 2020 statewide conference held in Chicago and the Paul Harris Fellow distinction from the Rotary Club of Naperville Downtown in 2017.
According to the news release, Wilson’s contract will be presented to the Park Board of Commissioners for formal approval at their next meeting slated to begin at 6:30PM on Thurs., Jan. 20, 2022, at the Fort Hill Activity Center.
The Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners and staff are dedicated to continuing to serve the community by way of the organization’s mission, vision, and core values.
News submitted by Sue Omanson for Sameera Luthman, Director of Marketing and Communications, Naperville Park District.
Editor’s Note / Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners meetings are broadcast live streamed/saved online for community viewing. The regular Park Board meetings (2nd and 4th Thursdays) may be viewed via the Park District’s YouTube channel.
