Oxford announces new Parks and Recreation Director; first day set for May

One month after Oxford Parks and Recreation Director Casey Wooddell announced his departure from the city, Oxford has hired a new director.

Chad Smith, an Oxford resident and current Deputy Director of Butler County MetroParks, will step into his new role as the parks and recreation director on May 5. Smith was born and raised in Oxford and has previous experience in town, working as executive director for Three Valley Conservation Trust from 2017 until 2019.

When Smith first attended college, he planned on going into business. After getting a job at Hueston Woods State Park, though, he changed course.

“I had never really considered that as a career, but starting to work at the state parks, I learned this can be a career, and parks and rec can be a profession,” Smith said. “That excited me, and I decided to pursue that.”

Smith studied natural resources at Hocking College and worked for the state park system for 18 years. During that time, he returned to college at Miami University and earned a Bachelor of Science in commerce and business management in 2018. He and his wife are Miami Mergers and are currently raising their three children in town.

Oxford’s Parks and Recreation Department oversees several community amenities including the Oxford Community Park, the aquatic center and the newly constructed Barkham Park, in addition to helping maintain the Oxford Area Trail System. Smith already has experience as a user of those resources and is looking forward to getting involved from the management side.

“Our kids are involved in lots of sports, and so we find ourselves at the community park quite a bit,” Smith said. “I’m thrilled to be able to have a more hands-on role with the Oxford Community Park and the aquatic center, the bike trail … We have a diverse set of parks in Oxford, and I think we’re really poised to do even more great things.”

City Manager Doug Elliott said he received 37 applications for the position. A panel of city staff, plus TRI Board president Doug Curry, interviewed five finalists before choosing Smith.

The Parks and Recreation Department is based in the TRI Community Center, which the city leases and operates from Talawanda Recreation, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded to create recreational space in Oxford. The TRI Board and the city are considering a major expansion of the community center in the coming years, which Smith will now be involved with.

As deputy director for MetroParks, Smith has worked closely with private organizations in public-private partnerships, worked with operations and visitor services and more. Elliott said Smith’s financial experience in his current role will be helpful with the TRI expansion project.

“One of the things that impressed us was his fundraising,” Elliott said. “[The TRI] is just starting a fundraising effort for a new TRI facility, so that’s exciting for our community.”

Smith will also take on other facility needs including a skatepark update, increased demand for pickleball space and playground updates, Elliott said.

As he moves into the new role, Smith said he’s looking forward to everything from event planning to working with partners including Miami and the Talawanda School District.

“It’s a small town, but you have a major university in that small town,” Smith said. “It’s kind of the truest college town where it’s a bit of a microcosm and a great place to raise a family.”