It’s expected that the DeKalb Park District will have a new executive director May.

Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates have been commissioned to find the executive director of the DeKalb Park Board.

The director acts as a connection link between the day-to-day operations and the park board.

“They’re compiling all of the input from all of the board members, as well as a bunch of community members, as well as staff input, and they’re going to put all of those traits together, and key their search on that input,” said Per Faivre, DeKalb Park Board vice president.

Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates is working on cultivating a pool of candidates, then working with the park board to narrow down the pool of candidates to three to five people.

“We’re looking for a director who brought in a new direction, and we want to look for a new director that, at least in my view, will work close with the board, and someone who will help us go through some of the challenges that we have in the future,” said Phil Young, DeKalb Park Board president. “I’m looking for someone that has a diverse background.”

Young said some of the challenges the director will face are working with the budget and Hopkins Pool.

“Two or three characteristics I would think are important are a collaborative personality that could work easily with staff, citizens, board, and other governmental bodies,” said DeKalb Mayor John Rey. “An individual with park district operation knowledge, leadership skills and an effective communicator.”

The park board will meet with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates on Jan. 29 to examine the results of the search thus far.