5 Questions With New PARA Executive Director Brian Davis

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority Executive Director Brian Davis has been on the job since Monday and made his first appearance before the Tuscaloosa County Commission on Wednesday.

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As Patch previously reported, Davis comes to Tuscaloosa after serving as director of engineering and public works for the City of Vestavia Hills and also as the longtime director of Parks and Recreation for the city.

"Monday was my first official day, so it's just been kind of a whirlwind going around and meeting people and trying to remember all these names," Davis said with a laugh when addressing the Commission for the first time.

Tuscaloosa Patch caught up with Davis on Wednesday to get a first impression of how he plans to approach his new roles.

1. What is your vision for PARA as you start this new role?

"There's something for everyone so whether your 'something' is flag football or whatever it is, we have so much to offer ... Now finding out what that 'something' is, is the key."

2. What areas in need of improvement do you plan to immediately address?

"It's just my third day here, so I just think getting everybody going in the same direction is important. Right now, it seems like we have some people who want to do this and some people who want to do that, whether it's the county, the city [of Tuscaloosa] or Northport or the citizens or the staff. So, I just want to get everybody on the same train and going in the same direction and I think we can do a lot more if we do that."

3. What areas are already in good shape at present that you would like to boost further?

"The entire organization. The Alabama Recreation & Parks Association has recognized Tuscaloosa PARA numerous times over the years, whether it's Agency of the Year or Professional of the Year. I think three out of the last four Professionals of the Year have come from PARA and that made it very attractive for me to come here because I knew it was a very strong organization. That's what we do well."

4. Describe your familiarity with Tuscaloosa County.

"I attended school at the University of Alabama 30 years ago, so it's grown a little bit since then. But within the recreational field, Tuscaloosa has always been active in the state association, so I've gotten to know them and see [the state association] recognize PARA. I have two boys, one attended Alabama and is back in Birmingham, and the other is a freshman here now, so I'm very familiar with what goes on here, but I'm excited about getting into the details to understand what's going on."

5. How do you plan to work with PARA's funding partners, such as the county, the City of Tuscaloosa and Northport?

"Everybody's got their own mindset, so we're trying to get them back on that train together. It's going to take buy-in, whether it's jumping in head first or slowing down just a little bit and backing up. Let's see what the people want. Obviously, for any politician, they want to know what the people want, so if we can get buy-in from the people to say 'this is the direction we want to go,' I think we can lay that out and show it with numbers and we show it with statistics. And at that point, the leadership will see that and we can move in a positive direction."

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