“I’m glad to be here and I’m looking forward to working with this wonderful organization,” said Brigner during his first board meeting as a park commissioner.
Brigner, a Dayton native, is a former journalist, family law attorney, Montgomery County judge and acting Dayton Municipal Court judge. He was named a professor emeritus at Sinclair College in 2021. Brigner now serves as Sinclair’s hearing officer for Title IX sexual harassment cases.
Brigner said in a Five Rivers MetroParks press release that he’s a longtime advocate for the parks. In addition to his role in founding and leading the Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation, a nonprofit that raises philanthropic funds to support the Five Rivers MetroParks, he has also been a MetroParks volunteer.
Brigner earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Wright State University and a law degree from Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase School of Law. He is a Leadership Dayton alumnus and currently serves as a judge on the Dayton Regional Walk of Fame committee.
Brigner replaces the late William “Bear” Monita, who served on the MetroParks Board of Park Commissioners from 2019 to June 2025, most recently serving as vice president. Monita was a former partner of LWC Incorporated, the Dayton area’s oldest architectural, interior design and planning firm, retiring from the firm in 2024 following 28 years of work.
Five Rivers MetroParks officials said that during his tenure, Monita provided leadership that helped the community identify MetroParks as a safe place to find respite during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brigner will work alongside newly appointed Vice President Jessica Turner and President Jessica Salem.
By Ohio law, Five Rivers MetroParks is governed by a three-member volunteer board of park commissioners appointed by the probate judge of Montgomery County.
The board establishes rules and regulations, approves developments and land acquisitions and oversees all funds. Each commissioner serves without pay for a three-year term, with one member’s term expiring each year.
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