Akron Roundtable

Akron Roundtable inspires and promotes community dialog and networking by presenting speakers who inform and educate listeners on diverse topics of importance to the region, the nation, and the world. You can hear a broadcast of this forum every fourth Thursday of the month at 8 p.m. on WKSU.

Lisa King, Summit Metro Parks: Embarking on Our Second Century

By Jon Nungesser

Published April 28, 2022 at 5:25 PM EDT

Lisa King, Executive Director of Summit Metro Parks. [ AKRON ROUNDTABLE] — Lisa King, Executive Director of Summit Metro Parks.

This presentation was originally recorded on April 21, 2022.

About the Presentation:

Widely recognized as one of the defining features of our community, Summit Metro Parks celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2021. With the support of Summit County residents, the park district protects 15,000 acres of green space and hosts nearly six million visits each year. Informed by the stories of its past and its vision for the future, the park district enters its second century with a renewed approach to protecting natural resources and connecting people to nature.

About Lisa King:

Appointed in September 2015, King is the seventh director of Summit Metro Parks, which was established in 1921 and is the first woman to lead the park in its history. In this role she serves as the chief executive and chief financial officer, leading and directing the organization to ensure achievement of its mission, financial viability, short and long-term growth, and stability.

An employee since 1998, King has also served as the park district’s landscape architect and its chief of planning and development. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University, a state-registered landscape architect, and a certified parks and recreation professional through the National Recreation and Park Association.

King is currently a board member for ArtsNow and Child Guidance and Family Solutions and also participates as a committee member for Summit Environmental Task Force, Natural Resources Assistance Council- District 8, Ace Mentors Program, Age Friendly Summit, Sojourner Truth project, ArtsNow DEIA Advisory Committee, Barberton Stormwater Task Force, and Senior Summit, among several others.

More information at akronrountable.org.