Pick For New HF Park District Leader Was 'Right In Our Back Yard'

HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR, IL — The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District has appointed its new executive director, ahead of the current leader's anticipated retirement in June.

Longtime Homewood-Flossmoor resident and team member in various roles with the park district, Doug Boehm will step in and take over where Debbie Kopas leaves off.

"Since the announcement of our current Executive Director, Debbie Kopas’ planned retirement in June, the H-F Park District Board of Commissioners has been hard at work in fulfilling its most important role as a Board: recruiting, interviewing, identifying and ultimately hiring the next Executive Director of the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District," the park district said in a release.

The Board conducted a national search in collaboration with GovHR, a highly reputable executive search firm specializing in running executive level searches for park districts and other governmental agencies.

"It was an incredibly competitive application process, resulting in dozens of qualified candidates applying for this coveted role," the park district said.

From this talented pool of applicants, the Board selected a subset of finalists with whom they met and individually interviewed over the course of the last two months. Each of these candidates brought a unique set of strengths and experiences to the table that any agency would be very fortunate to have, officials said. That said, one of these candidates stood apart from the others.

"While our executive search brought us amazing candidates from across the state of Illinois and the country, it also reinforced for us that the best Executive Director candidate was right here in our back yard all along," officials said.

A longtime resident of the H-F Community, Boehm joined the H-F Park District in 2006 and has held a variety of leadership roles over his tenure, including Ice Arena manager, Superintendent of Recreation, and Superintendent of Parks and Planning. Committed to the continual growth and development of HFPD staff, Doug is a valuable mentor to many, the park district said.

"And while his experience is certainly admirable, it is only matched by his heart and his longtime love and commitment to the H-F community," officials said.

Boehm will work with Kopas, the H-F Park District leadership team and the Board over the coming weeks to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

"Congratulations to Doug on his new role," the park district said in a release, "and thank you to Debbie for your 30+ years of tireless service and commitment to the H-F Park District and our community."