New Director of Junior Leadership Medina County Named
Carrie Park has been named Director of Junior Leadership Medina County. She will be replacing retiring director, Susan Vlcek, March 22, 2018. The extensive search for a new director was conducted this past year by the Junior Leadership Succession committee. The result was an impressive pool of candidates from which to choose, with the final interviews being held last Friday.
Although relatively new to Medina County, Park was a member of the Signature Class of Leadership Medina County in 2016. “I’m excited to be a part of this program and can’t wait to continue to build on what Susan has already done,” Park said.
Originally from Wisconsin, Park headed to Indiana for college and graduated from DePauw University with a degree in English and Communication. She realized quickly that a double major in her native tongue did not result in many lucrative job offers. She went back to school and obtained her teaching certification from the University of Michigan. She taught 4th and 5th grade while completing her M.A. in education from Marygrove College. In 1997, she moved to Australia and taught U.S. History. After coming to Ohio, she attended Case Western Reserve University Law School and went on to practice law in Cleveland at Baker and Hostetler.
Vlcek offered a warm welcome, saying, “Carrie is a dynamic, passionate change agent. She lives out what matters to her. That makes her an incredible resource for our great young people, and a wonderful addition to Junior Leadership.”
Park has been an active member of the community, serving as a board member for United Way of Medina County, SHC/the Arc of Medina County, and as a member of the Medina County Juvenile Detention Center’s Citizen Advisory Committee. In 2016 and 2017, she was the chairperson for Taste of Medina County and will be taking on that challenge again this year.
“I’m thrilled to get a chance to help shape future leaders and share what our county has to offer them as well as invite them to see what they can do for our county,” Park commented. “Junior Leadership is one of those rare programs that has the ability to make real changes in young people’s lives.”
Junior Leadership Medina County is designed to shape the future of high school students by promoting teamwork, developing leadership skills, and fostering self-confidence, personal growth and respect for diversity.