Mayor Ryan Appoints Bill Barber as Director of Parks & Recreation

From the Office of the Mayor:

Mayor Matt Ryan today announced that he has appointed Bill Barber as the City’s Director of Parks and Recreation.

“Bill brings us a great wealth of experience and expertise in parks management,” said Mayor Ryan. “Our parks and recreation programs are central strengthening our neighborhoods and sustaining our local quality of life, and Bill will play a lead role in these efforts in coordination with our Department of Public Works and other offices. On behalf of my administration, we’re pleased to welcome Bill to our team.”

After earning both a BA and MA in Recreation Education from SUNY Cortland, Barber held various management positions under County Executives Carl Young, Tim Grippen and Jeff Kraham, including Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, Commissioner of Public Works and Deputy County Executive for Physical Services. Since then, Barber has served as Vice President at New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, a Transportation Analyst at the New York State Department of Transportation and, most recently, operations manager at F.W. Webb. He also has taught Recreation Education as an Adjunct Professor at SUNY Delhi and served as president of New York State Parks and Recreation Society.

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve the City in this important capacity,” said Barber. “Parks and Recreation has been my focus for many years, and I look forward to working with the administration and its many partners to respond to residents’ needs as effectively as possible.”

Barber replaces Acting Director of Parks and Recreation Carol Quinlivan, who will return to her position as the department’s Assistant Director, where she focuses on programming.