{"id":417,"date":"2024-02-25T16:55:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-25T16:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webtecsinc59.sg-host.com\/?page_id=417"},"modified":"2025-10-24T09:55:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T13:55:07","slug":"staff","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/parks\/staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Parks Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; module_class=&#8221;wt-grey-curve-bg&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.0&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_enable_color=&#8221;off&#8221; background_enable_image=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row module_class=&#8221;valign&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.24.2&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Page Title&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Parks Staff<\/h1>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][dipl_breadcrumb breadcrumb_layout=&#8221;layout2&#8243; separator_text=&#8221;\/&#8221; separator_color=&#8221;#8fa7c5&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;DP Breadcrumbs&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_module=&#8221;3486&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/dipl_breadcrumb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.3&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;3_4,1_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.3&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;3_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.3&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>Administrative Staff<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"styled\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:jshamblin@miottawa.org\">Jason Shamblin<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Parks &amp; Recreation Director<\/em><br \/>Jason\u2019s passion for the outdoors developed during his youth while growing up on a farm in the hills of rural south eastern Ohio. Prior to his arrival in Ottawa County, Jason was the Assistant Director of MetroParks of Butler County Ohio for over six years. Jason also worked in municipal Parks and Recreation in Central Ohio where he was the Director of Parks and Recreation for Reynoldsburg, and for Grove City and Gahanna. Jason began his career working for the YMCA in Akron and is a proud alumni of Ohio University.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:cterhaar@miottawa.org\">Curtis TerHaar<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Coordinator of Park Planning &amp; Development<\/em><br \/>Curt is a landscape architect and land planner with 30 years of experience in the planning, design, and construction of recreation and other outdoor public use areas. He started with the Ottawa County Parks system in 2005 after working at private design firms in West Michigan including his own landscape architecture design company. Curt was born and raised in Grand Haven and has a degree in Landscape Architecture from Michigan State University.<em><br \/><\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:kwright@miottawa.org\">Katie Wright<\/a><br \/><\/strong><em>Coordinator of Fund Development and Major Gifts<\/em><br \/><span data-teams=\"true\">Katie brings a strong passion for helping people connect with the many benefits of natural landscapes. Before joining Ottawa County Parks, she worked with the National Park Friends Alliance, the Association of Nature Center Administrators, and the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, leading efforts to expand access and engagement with public lands. A Grand Rapids native and Aquinas College graduate, Katie spent 25 years in northeast Ohio, where she developed skills as an entrepreneur in addition to her career in parks.<\/span><em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:abodbyl-mast@miottawa.org\">Aaron Bodbyl-Mast<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Project, Data, and Grants Manager<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:ganderson@miottawa.org\"><strong>Ginny Anderson<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Administrative Assistant<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:jsharabidze@miottawa.org\">Jennifer Sharabidze<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Senior Secretary<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Visitor and Business Services Staff<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"styled\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:nsmith@miottawa.org\">Nicholas Smith\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Coordinator of Visitor and Business Services<br \/><\/em>Nick comes to Ottawa County with over 15 years of experience at the City, Township, Federal, Metro Park, and County Levels. A graduate with a degree in Parks Administration from Central Michigan University, Nick&#8217;s passion is operating, improving, and providing high-level park facilities and visitor enjoyment. Nick&#8217;s passion for the Parks and Recreation profession extends beyond Ottawa County through his state-wide leadership with the Michigan Recreation &amp; Parks Association and the Michigan Association of County Parks and Recreation Officials<em><br \/><\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:hnorris@miottawa.org\">Hunter Norris<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Idema Explorers Camp Supervisor<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:bpage@miottawa.org\"><strong>Ben Page<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Seasonal Park Supervisor (Marina)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:mstanton@miottawa.org\"><strong>Mindy Stanton<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Secretary<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:eebeling@miottawa.org\">Elaine Ebeling<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em><span data-teams=\"true\">Guest Services Supervisor<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Community Engagement Staff<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"styled\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:jvanginhoven@miottawa.org\">Jessica VanGinhoven<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Coordinator of Community Engagement<\/em><br \/>Jessica joined the team as the Communication Specialist in 2015. She manages day-to-day operations at Ottawa County Parks &amp; Recreation&#8217;s Nature Center and oversees programming, education, and community outreach. Jessica has a Bachelor of Science in advertising from the New England Institute of Art and over 10 years of marketing and communication experience in a variety of industries. She is thrilled to bring her love of nature, education, and experience to the county.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:cdykstra@miottawa.org\"><strong>Curtis Dykstra<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Program Supervisor<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:nmedina@miottawa.org\"><strong>Nahuel Medina<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Program Supervisor<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:rdorman@miottawa.org\"><strong>Rylie Dorman<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Communications Specialist<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:cgarvelink@miottawa.org\">Carly Garvelink<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Volunteer Program Supervisor<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:gjaeger@miottawa.org\"><strong>George Jaeger<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Outdoor Education Program Lead<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:tcorlett@miottawa.org\"><strong>Tabitha Corlett<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Recreation and Wellness Program Lead<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Natural Resource Management Staff<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"styled\">\n<li><a href=\"mailto:nmolhoek@miottawa.org\"><strong>Nealy Molhoek<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Coordinator of Natural Resources Management<\/em><br \/>Nealy graduated from Grand Valley State University with a degree in Natural Resources Management and History. She joined the team as a Stewardship Crew Leader in 2015 before taking over as Coordinator of Natural Resources Management. Nealy is a dedicated environmental steward with over a decade of experience in natural resource management and conservation. She developed a deep love and appreciation for the natural communities of Ottawa County while growing up in the dunes and forests which included many Ottawa County Parks.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:tallyn-white@miottawa.org\"><strong>Tyler Allyn-White<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Stewardship Supervisor<\/em><br \/>Tyler is a proud graduate of Kalamazoo College where he obtained his B.A. in Biology. Prior to joining Ottawa County Parks, he was a Research Biologist with the Kalamazoo Nature Center where he studied the effects of varying management techniques on several natural communities and threatened and endangered species. Before that, he worked as a Conservation Technician where he managed invasive species, conducted prescribed burns, and installed native plantings throughout southwest Michigan.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:bjasinski@miottawa.org\">Bri Jasinski<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Natural Resources Management Specialist<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Park Maintenance and Operations Staff<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"styled\">\n<li><a href=\"mailto:jboerger@miottawa.org\"><strong>Jason Boerger<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Coordinator of Park Maintenance and Operations<\/em><br \/>Jason started in January 2014 and is responsible for the maintenance and operations including projects, policies, rule enforcement, fee collection, risk management and budgeting. Jason has 20 years of experience including programming, maintenance, law enforcement, management, and administrative roles. He has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Bowling Green State University.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:czackrison@miottawa.org\"><strong>Collin Zackrison<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Parks Supervisor (East Area)<\/em><br \/>Collin manages five properties and many public rental facilities on the east area of the county including:\n<ul>\n<li>Grand River Park<\/li>\n<li>Hager Park<\/li>\n<li>Grand Ravines Park<\/li>\n<li>Spring Grove Park<\/li>\n<li>Bend Area<\/li>\n<li>Grand River Open Space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:EFrifeldt@miottawa.org\"><strong>Eric Frifeldt<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Parks Supervisor (South Area)<\/em><br \/>Eric started for Ottawa County Parks in 2006 as a Park Attendant at North Beach Park. After completing his internship for OCPRC and receiving his B.S. in Parks and Recreation from Michigan State University he worked as a commissioned Park Ranger for the Michigan State Parks. He returned full-time to Ottawa County Parks in 2015 as the West Area Supervisor and took over the role of South Area Supervisor in 2020. Eric oversees 8 parks and 3 opens spaces including:\n<ul>\n<li>Hemlock Crossing<\/li>\n<li>Pine Bend<\/li>\n<li>Pigeon Creek Park<\/li>\n<li>Riley Trails<\/li>\n<li>Paw Paw Park<\/li>\n<li>Upper Macatawa Natural Area<\/li>\n<li>Adam&#8217;s Street Landing<\/li>\n<li>Hiawatha Forest<\/li>\n<li>Port Sheldon Natural Area<\/li>\n<li>Van Buren Street Dunes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:kalvarez@miottawa.org\">Kate Alvarez<\/a><\/strong><br \/><em>Parks Supervisor (North Area)<\/em><br \/>Kate is a graduate of Grand Valley State University where she received her B.S. in Natural Resources Management. She started with Ottawa County Parks in 2016 working part time in both the Natural Resources Management and Operations divisions before becoming the North Area Supervisor in 2021. Kate oversees 7 parks, 12 open spaces, and 3 regional bike trails including:\n<ul>\n<li>Stearns Creek<\/li>\n<li>Connor Bayou<\/li>\n<li>Riverside Park<\/li>\n<li>Deer Creek<\/li>\n<li>Eastmanville Farm<\/li>\n<li>Crockery Creek<\/li>\n<li>Grose Park<\/li>\n<li>Robinson Forest<\/li>\n<li>Johnson St. Forest<\/li>\n<li>Bass River Open Space<\/li>\n<li>Eastmanville Bayou<\/li>\n<li>Bur Oak Landing<\/li>\n<li>Jubb Bayou<\/li>\n<li>Marne Bog<\/li>\n<li>Musketawa Trail (in Ottawa County)<\/li>\n<li>Idema Explorer\u2019s Trail (Robinson Township)<\/li>\n<li>Spoonville Trail<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:jcook@miottawa.org\"><strong>Jeremy Cook<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Parks Supervisor (West Area)<\/em><br \/>Jeremy oversees eight park sites on the west side of the county including:\n<ul>\n<li>Kirk Park<\/li>\n<li>North Beach Park<\/li>\n<li>Historic Ottawa Beach Parks<\/li>\n<li>Rosy Mound Natural Area<\/li>\n<li>Tunnel Park<\/li>\n<li>Olive Shores<\/li>\n<li>Ottawa Sands<\/li>\n<li>North Ottawa Dunes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:jmarzolf@miottawa.org\">Josh Marzolf<\/a><\/strong><em><br \/><\/em>Assistant Park Supervisor<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:phirn@miottawa.org\"><strong>Paul Hirn<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Seasonal Park Supervisor (Lakeshore)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:breichel@miottawa.org\"><strong>Bob Reichel<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Construction\/Special Projects Supervisor<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:jhamstra@miottawa.org\"><strong>Jeremy Hamstra<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Parks Equipment Specialist<\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"mailto:tdorton@miottawa.org\"><strong>Tom Dorton<\/strong><\/a><br \/><em>Park Operations Technician <\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:mbusscher@miottawa.org\">Max Busscher<\/a><\/strong><em><br \/>Park Operations Technician<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:tsymons@miottawa.org\">Tyler Symons<\/a><\/strong><em><br \/>Park Operations Technician<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"mailto:rhoffer@miottawa.org\">Renee Hoffer<\/a><\/strong><em><br \/><\/em>Operations Secretary<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_cta _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; title=&#8221;Love Parks? Join our Team!&#8221; button_text=&#8221;Apply Online&#8221; button_url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.governmentjobs.com\/careers\/miottawa&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#5B799E&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;][\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.3&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parks Staff<div class=\"et_pb_module dipl_breadcrumb dipl_breadcrumb_0\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module_inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"dipl-breadcrumb-wrapper layout2\">\n\t\t\t\t<ol class=\"dipl-breadcrumb-inner\" vocab=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/\" typeof=\"BreadcrumbList\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<li property=\"itemListElement\" typeof=\"ListItem\" data-icon=\"&#x24;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"breadcrumb-item dipl-home-page\" href=\"https:\/\/miottawa.org\" property=\"item\" typeof=\"WebPage\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"breadcrumb-page\" property=\"name\">Home<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<meta property=\"position\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ol>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>Administrative Staff Jason ShamblinParks &amp; Recreation DirectorJason\u2019s passion for the outdoors developed during his youth while growing up on a farm in the hills of rural south eastern Ohio. Prior to his arrival in Ottawa County, Jason was the Assistant Director of MetroParks of Butler [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":199,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<!-- wp:divi\/placeholder \/-->","_et_gb_content_width":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-417","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32596,"href":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/417\/revisions\/32596"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miottawa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}