Meredith Petit Selected as Parks and Recreation Director
Meredith Petit has been hired as the new Parks and Recreation Department Director for the City of Corvallis. Petit will begin work on October 26.
The announcement comes after a nationwide recruitment effort to find the department’s next leader. Petit brings a broad background in parks management and recreation programming. Her previous work includes leadership positions at the City of El Segundo and the City of Agoura Hills in southern California. In those roles, Petit oversaw large-scale capital improvement projects, developed innovative revenue programs, and collaborated with community partners on shared recreation facility projects.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the City of Corvallis as the next director of the beloved Parks and Recreation Department,” Petit said. “I look forward to working with the members of the community and with the dedicated staff to continue to provide the high quality parks and recreation programs they have come to expect and deserve.”
Petit succeeds Karen Emery, the longtime Parks and Recreation Director who retired this year after a rewarding career at the department.
“I would like to invite the entire community to join me in welcoming Meredith to Corvallis,” said City Manager Mark Shepard. “I am confident she will nurture the programs, facilities, and natural spaces that are so special to our community. And I am delighted to wish Karen Emery the best as she begins her retirement.”
As the Corvallis Parks and Recreation Director, Petit will oversee a department with about 40 full-time employees and more than 200 casual/seasonal employees. The parks division manages more than 2,000 acres of parks, playgrounds, playing fields, trails, and open spaces, as well as a diverse urban forest canopy. The recreation division is responsible for three recreation centers – Osborn Aquatic Center, Majestic Theatre, and the newly renovated Corvallis Community Center – which provide a diverse array of programs to a broad spectrum of the Corvallis community.
