Park Board Names Bob Belote as New Director
The Springfield-Greene County Park Board has named its new Director of Parks.Effective May 6, Bob Belote will officially take on the job. The 49-year-old has been serving as Interim Director since November 2011, when Jodie Adams retired.
Belote received a unanimous vote in a closed session following last Friday's regular Park Board meeting.
Belote was Assistant Parks Director for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board 2006-2011 He also served as Superintendent of Recreation from 2004 to 2006.
"Bob is outstanding in his field, recognized and respected by the recreation industry," says Jerry Clark, chair of the Park Board, in a news release. "He's from here, he lives here, he knows how this community works and he can collaborate with anybody."
Belote's annual salary will be $110,780.80.
"As we near the Park Board's 100-year anniversary, we're lucky to have him leading Parks into our next 100 years," says Springfield City Manager Greg Burris in the same news release.
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A native of Springfield, Belote spent 12 years managing parks departments in Missouri and Iowa before returning to Springfield in 2004, including: Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Independence, Mo., 1998-2004; Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Sioux City, Iowa, 1997-1998; and Assistant Parks Director, City of Blue Springs, Mo., 1992-97. Belote was also the Youth Baseball Program Director for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board in 1989 and served a graduate-level internship with Parks in 1988.
Belote earned a master's degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1995 and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Missouri State University in 1987. He is also a 1997 graduate of the National Recreation and Park Association Executive Development School. He is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Springfield and now serves as a program advisor. He was President of the Missouri Park and Recreation Association 2003-2004 and has served on the MU School of Natural Resources Advisory Council S ince 2002.
Belote and his wife, Deana have two children: Alex and Abbey. His family was named 2011 Tennis Family of the Year by the Missouri District of the United States Tennis Association, and the Belote household routinely calls the Cooper Tennis Complex their "second home." He is a graduate of K ickapoo High School and a member of South Haven Baptist Church. Belote grew up playing in Sequiota Park and spent several years in the Park Board's youth baseball and basketball programs. He picked up tennis and golf during college and still plays today.
Belote said the appointment is an honor, especially having grown up in the Park system and been mentored by former directors Dan Kinney and Jodie Adams.
"I'm really proud to have this special opportunity," said Belote. "The best things about our Parks system are the people who use it and the great partners and groups that our staff has the privilege of working with. I'm really looking forward to celebrating the Park Board's centennial in 2013 with our community."
