Oxford Parks and Recreation Director to leave role for Eaton
Casey Wooddell is leaving his role with the City of Oxford after a 17-year career that spanned from sports coordinator to director of Parks and Recreation.
After 17 years working with the City of Oxford, Casey Wooddell will serve his last day as Parks and Recreation Director on March 14.
Wooddell began his career with the Parks and Recreation department as a sport coordinator. He steadily rose through the ranks before becoming director in 2016. On March 17, he’ll move to a similar position in Eaton, where he lives with his family.
In his time as director, Wooddell has overseen major developments both with Oxford’s recreational facilities and with programming. The Oxford Aquatic Center opened in 2019, while the Oxford Area Trail System has expanded significantly in the past few years. Most recently, the city celebrated the completion of Barkham Park, a new dog park which recently opened off of Bonham Road.
While making the jump from an athletic focus to the head of the department was stressful, Wooddell said, he was able to lean on the expertise of other staff, both within Parks and Rec and at the city.
“Our work culture here has always been, do whatever it takes to get the job done, no matter what your title is,” Wooddell said. “... All they have to do is ask, and everybody else here will say ‘Yes, we’ll help make sure it happens.’”
City Manager Doug Elliott began his career with Oxford just before Wooddell joined the team. When Wooddell was promoted to director in 2016, Elliott said they began working closely together on some of the city’s most major projects like the aquatic center.
Wooddell’s role often involved coordinating with businesses and the Oxford Chamber of Commerce on events like Red Brick Fridays, Elliott said. Through Wooddell’s leadership, the Parks and Recreation department has been able to offer a wide array of programming throughout the year.
“He was an important member of the management team for the city,” Elliott said. “He’ll be hard to replace. The person that we find will have big shoes to fill.”
The job as director has been rewarding to see community support for everything from the new aquatic center to yearly pumpkin launches around Halloween, Wooddell said. Events like the yearly holiday festival Uptown and the Freedom Festival in Oxford Community Park contribute to the quality of life in Oxford in a tangible way.
“I don’t know that I could pick one specific event or activity and say that’s the one that makes me the most proud,” Wooddell said. “Ultimately, they all have the same goal, and I love them all for different reasons.”
The Oxford Bee Festival is one of the most recent events Wooddell and his department have helped coordinate. The inaugural festival is set for this April. Wooddell enjoyed coordinating the festival with city officials and businesses, he said, and he’s sad to miss it for a same-day event in Eaton.
During a City Council meeting March 4, city staff and council members alike had plenty of positive things to say about Wooddell as he prepares for his new position. Council member Alex French serves on the city’s Recreation Board, and she commended Wooddell for his ambition in bringing new events and facilities in town to life.
“You’re a great asset to this community, and you’re going to be a great asset to Preble County and Eaton,” French told Wooddell at this meeting. “I am just gonna pack all of my selfishness away and not be sad that you’re leaving.”
As Wooddell steps out of his position, Oxford is now searching for a new Parks and Recreation director. Elliott said the city had received almost 30 applications as of March 5, and the application window closed March 7. A five-person panel of Elliott, French, Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene, Police Chief John Jones and TRI Board President Doug Curry will interview finalists. Elliott hopes to have a decision on Wooddell’s replacement in about a month.
Wooddell said he’s excited to step into his new position, but it is still a bittersweet goodbye.
“It really is hard to express how grateful I am for what this community has done for me as a person, as a professional, and then really for our department,” Wooddell said. “… It really is a town of people that care so much.”
