The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

New Five Rivers MetroParks executive to take over in March

Becky Benna, one of two finalists for the job of executive director of Five Rivers MetroParks, meets the public Friday morning, Jan. 28, at Cox Arboretum. Benna is currently director of Parks and Recreation for the city of Glendale, Ariz.

Jan Underwood Becky Benna, one of two finalists for the job of executive director of Five Rivers MetroParks, meets the public Friday morning, Jan. 28, at Cox Arboretum. Benna is currently director of Parks and Recreation for the city of Glendale, Ariz.

Man, 68, drowns at Caesar Creek Lake
5/26/12
Water rescues prompt warning from health officials
5/25/12
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
5/25/12
Raleigh Trammell’s defense opens in felony trial
5/25/12
UD to move satellite campus to Dublin
5/25/12
> More headlines

By Steve Bennish, Staff Writer Updated 7:23 AM Friday, February 4, 2011

DAYTON — Rebecca A. “Becky” Benná will be the new executive director of Five Rivers MetroParks, Board of Commissioners President Alan Pippenger announced Thursday.

She’ll replace Charlie Shoemaker, who will retire Feb. 28. Benná is director of Parks and Recreation for Glendale, Ariz. She’ll begin her job in late March, earning $126,000 annually.

At Five Rivers, she’ll supervise 160 full-timers, 70 part-timers, 50 seasonal and 1,300 volunteers. There are 16,182 acres under management.

“I’m very excited, obviously. To be part of the organization and come back to my home state,” she said Thursday. She said she was attracted to the position by its potential to play a key role in the development of the region. “The community has been so supportive” of Five Rivers, she sad. “There are a lot of exciting things happening.”

Pippenger said, “Becky brings us an outstanding balance of relevant experience, education, managerial expertise, and team-building skills. We have the added benefit of Becky’s roots in Ohio and experience in the Kettering and Miamisburg parks and recreations departments,” Pippenger said.

Benná, 50, a native of Antwerp, Ohio, was the director of Miamisburg Parks and Recreation from 1994 until 2005.

Pippenger said finalists for the job met key criteria, including demonstrating a good fit with the culture of Five Rivers MetroParks, exhibiting high levels of integrity critical to their role in the organization and the community, and showing a commitment to the MetroParks mission and strategic direction. Pippenger said Benná has an impressive history of community involvement and volunteerism. “That is a quality that is highly valued in this community,” he said.

Benná, whose husband Jack is a retired Cincinnati Public School teacher, is a member of the National Recreation and Park Association Board of Directors and previously served as President of the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association.

At Glendale Parks and Recreation, Benná oversees a staff of 85 that manages and maintains more than 92 parks and green spaces, an extensive trail system, historical properties, recreation centers, adventure centers, aquatic facilities, and golf courses, Pippenger said.

Share this article