July 10. The Town of Davidson has hired Leslie Willis as its Parks & Recreation Department director.

Willis has been with the town since 2011 as the Parks and Recreation Department’s program manager, and she most recently served as the department’s interim director for the past six months.  During her tenure, Willis developed recreation programs based on the needs of the community including the Davidson Scholars lecture series, CPR classes, after-school programs and summer camps.

She also led the effort in the department to coordinate youth athletic leagues with community partners as well as other towns in Mecklenburg County. Willis has managed include Plum Creek Park, the redesign of the Mary Beaty Tot Lot, and the schematic design of Beaty Park.

Prior to joining the town staff, Willis served in roles including director of Campus Recreation at Missouri Southern State University, director of Youth and Adult Sports of the Joplin Missouri Family YMCA, and head volleyball coach at Southwest Baptist University. Willis holds a master’s of science degree in exercise physiology/sports studies from Bemidji State University and a B.S. in kinesiology from Angelo State University.

Willis  lives in Davidson with her husband, Chris, the Davidson College head women’s volleyball coach, and their two children.