PARA To Host Public Forums For Executive Director Candidates

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority (PARA) Board of Directors is set to begin interviewing finalists for its open executive director position and announced that it will hold two public forums to give the community a chance to meet two of the candidates.

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The first forum will be held on Feb. 20 from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. and feature candidate Brian Davis, who currently serves as Director of Public Services of the City of Vestavia Hills. The event is open to the public and will be hosted at the McDonald Hughes Community Center.

The second forum will also be held at the McDonald Hughes Community Center on Feb. 22 from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. This forum will spotlight candidate Sean De Palma of Panama City, Florida. De Palma currently serves as director of quality of life for the City of Panama City.

“Residents interact with PARA programs, services, and properties throughout the year, resulting in 1M+ contacts annually," Board Chair Tony Johnson said. "With a prime directive to serve the public, and in an overabundance of transparency, we are offering our community a way to be involved in the process as well."

Vice Chair Elizabeth Winter said preliminary interviews have been completed, with a plan to bring top candidates to the PARA Board of Directors for the final hiring decision.

As Patch previously reported, longtime PARA Executive Director Gary Minor retired at the end of the last calendar year after serving more than a decade in the position.

PARA’s Chief Financial Officer, Mike Crady, is serving as interim executive director and will continue as CFO after a new executive director is hired.

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