New Lenox Community Park District President Elected Chairman of IAPD

Ted Schulz, President of the New Lenox Community Park District, was recently elected Chairman of the Illinois Association of Park Districts’ (IAPD) Board of Trustees.

Schulz joined the IAPD board in 2018. As Chairman, Schulz will assist the association with its mission of advancing Illinois park districts, forest preserves, conservation districts, recreation, and special recreation agencies in their ability to preserve natural resources and improve the quality of life for all people in Illinois. He will work with the 19-member board to advise the association in providing service, research, advocacy, public awareness, and educational programs to its membership of more than 370 park, recreation, and conservation agencies and nearly 100 affiliated business partners.

“Ted is a dynamic leader with more than a decade of service to parks, recreation, and conservation,” said Peter Murphy, IAPD President and Chief Executive Officer. “He is an outstanding champion for the benefits of parks and recreation, and his vast experience and genuine enthusiasm for enhancing the quality of life for Illinois citizens are traits that will advance IAPD’s mission of keeping Illinois park districts, forest preserves, conservation districts, and recreation agencies among the nation’s best.”

Schulz serves on the IAPD Ambassadors, Board Development, Constitutional By-Laws, Membership, Nominating, and Program Committees and is the Co-Vice Chair of the IAPD/IPRA Joint Coordinating Council. He is Chairman of the IAPD Executive and Honors and Resolutions Committees. He also serves as a commissioner representative on the Illinois Parks Association Risk Services Board.

He won the IAPD Rising Star Award in 2019 for demonstrating exemplary performance in duties and responsibilities as a board member serving his first term.

Schulz was elected to the New Lenox Community Park District board in 2013 and currently serves as Board President. During his tenure, various OSLAD and PARC grant projects have been completed, including the Lincoln-Way Special Recreation Building, Leigh Creek South Park, Walker Country Estates Splash Pad, Sky Harbor Park, and the current Hibernia Phase II development. He is also a member of the New Lenox Friends of the Parks.

IAPD was established in 1928 and is the oldest state association for parks, recreation, and conservation in America. The association serves more than 2,100 elected park, recreation, and forest preserve district board members who govern nearly 370 agencies employing more than 67,000 individuals.

IAPD strives to improve Illinois’ quality of life through park districts, forest preserves, conservation districts, and recreation agencies by establishing grants and other new revenue streams for park land, facilities, and services; educating the public about the positive effects parks and recreation have on communities; and meeting the problem of decreasing open space in Illinois.