Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 7-23-21

Local
City Announces New Board Members Of Mayor's Alliance For Persons With Disabilities
City Council Approves New Parks And Recreation Director
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last week, the Tampa City Council approved Ms. Sherisha Hills to serve as the new Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Tampa. Last year, Mayor Jane Castor appointed Ms. Hills to serve as Interim Di- rector. She began her duties on October 1, 2020.
Ms. Hills is a veteran employee of the City who worked for several years as a manager within the depart- ment she now leads. She re- placed former director Paul Dial, who retired.
Ms. Hills oversees the City’s third largest depart- ment. In terms of employees, it follows police and fire. The
MS. SHERISHA HILLS New City Of Tampa Director of Parks and Recreation
nationally recognized Parks and Recreation Department provides programs and serv- ices to more than 300,000 community members, in ad- dition to managing 555 spe-
cial events in 2019.
A Tampa native, Ms.
Hills attended Academy of Holy Names, where her ath- leticism on the basketball court earned her full scholar- ship to the University of Notre Dame.
She holds a Master’s De- gree in Business Administra- tion from Nova Southeastern and a Bachelor of Science in Recreation Leisure Service Management from Univer- sity of Florida.
Of her appointment, Ms. Hills said, “As a Tampa na- tive, I’m humbled, honored, and proud to lead the Parks & Recreation Department. I’m excited to continue to make great strides and im- provements for our great City of Tampa.”
The City of Tampa re- cently announced the new board members of the Tampa Mayor's Alliance for Persons with Disabilities.
Under the auspices of the City of Tampa Mayor's Office, the group serves as an advisory and advocacy group to represent the interests of persons with disabilities to promote full inclusion within the community.
Collectively, the new members bring a wealth of personal and professional ex- perience in addressing the ac- cess needs of persons with disabilities.
They have joined current leaders Ben Ritter, Chair and Brenda Clark, Treasurer.
Janet Beyer, Advocate who has focused on safety for seniors and children.
Michael Brown, Regional Director for the Epilepsy
Foundation of America; David Davenport, Man- ager of Rehabilitation Serv- ices at BayCare Health System's South Florida Bap- tist Hospital; Arizona Jenkins, Advocate and Pres- ident of New Horizon Sup- port Group; and Jule Doran Salem, Enable America Board member and advocate for persons with dis- abilities.
Organized by the Mayor's Office in September 1986, the City of Tampa was the first Florida city to establish a Mayor's Alliance. Through the years, they have advo- cated for access and ad- dressed issues which impact our community members with disabilities. We are ex- cited to have an outstanding group of individuals to guide and advise the City to ensure fully inclusive programs and services.
FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY PAGE 9-A