The county recreation department now has a new face.

Kay Green, originally from Ohio, has set her roots in Richmond Hill and just recently took on the position of the new rec director for Richmond Hill.

"I think the county wanted some fresh ideas and new blood," she said of being selected. "I think it was my energy and my ready-to-do-it attitude. I’m an idea person and I’m really good at smoothing things out and acting as a liaison. I also have a team member approach, I’m not a micromanager."

County Administrator Phil Jones said five applicants were selected for interviews and, while all had significant experience and excellent credentials, Green was unanimously chosen.

"Kay stood out as being very dynamic, open minded, innovative, creative and she thought that recreation is not only for children but for adults, right up through the senior citizens ranks," Jones said. "She has excellent verbal skills, meets the public well and her previous employer said they would love to have her return."

County Director Pratt Lockwood will remain at Hendrix Park as the rec director for the north end of the county. He said Green’s presence is much needed in Richmond Hill.

"Right now, we’ll be working together but she is the person people in the south end need to get in touch with. Richmond Hill has grown dramatically and they need someone there to help full-time," he said.

This is actually Green’s third time living in Richmond Hill. She first came here with her military husband in 1989 and again in the 90s.

"At that point, we didn’t sell our house because I decided I really liked Richmond Hill. We made some very tight bonds with people in the community, so my goal was to move back here when my husband retires, which will be next year," she said, noting she has two children in middle school and one in elementary. "We are here and we are here for good."

A couple years ago, when Green heard about the plans for the new Henderson Park she figured the county would eventually be looking for someone new.

"I’ve thought about this for a couple of years because this is where I want to be," she said. "The last 19 years, we’ve moved 11 times and we’ve seen a lot of places but this is it for me."

Prior to this, Green was the rec director in Tyrone, or Peachtree City, near Atlanta. She said she hopes to achieve similar accomplishments she had in that position.

"I hope to increase the communication and the effectiveness. There are a lot of kids who run through here with the programs and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. I’m hoping to help make that a little more efficient," she said.

While the county recreation program generally focuses on youth sports, Green would like to expand on that.

"One of the things I’d really like to do is with the older age groups of kids, in the areas where you really start to lose your numbers of involvement," she said. "I hope to work with Hendrix Park as well as Pooler, Hinesville and surrounding rec groups who would like to pool their resources and get more kids playing together."

But Green said she has no intention of ‘recreating the wheel.’

"I would really like to work together and improve on what’s already successful in this program here," she said. "I want to work with everyone."

Falling into that category, Green hopes to create working relationships in areas such as community education, the city of Richmond Hill, schools and coaches, businesses, the rec associations and the seniors.

"I want to gain unity with everyone working together, making the program stronger," she said.

An additional goal Green has is to apply for grant assistance.

"During the interviews, I said, ‘we could be more profitable’ and Phil Jones said, ‘well, we’re a non-profit.’ But I’m not talking about making a profit, I’m taking about being more responsible with what we do have so that it goes further," she said. "I have a lot of ideas and I really want to hear from the community."

Green can be reached at 756-4075 or kay.green@bryan-county.org.