Information | Press Releases
Buffalo Grove Park District Board Appointment
The Buffalo Grove Park District Board of Commissioners is excited to announce that Adriane Johnson has been selected to fill the vacancy left by former Commissioner Jeff Weiss. Johnson will fill the remainder of the first two years of Weiss’ term until April 2013. The full term expires with the April 2015 election. Because the majority of the term has not passed, state law requires that the balance of the term be up for election during the next consolidated election in April 2013.
Johnson comes to the Buffalo Grove Park District with a wide range of professional experience, in addition to her years as a Park District and community volunteer.
A thirteen year resident of Buffalo Grove and member of the Buffalo Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, Johnson is a Certified Professional in Human Resources and the managing principal at Populus XP, LLC, a human resources consulting services company. She has over 16 years of progressive human resources and corporate legal support experience, and possesses a broad range of business skills with a diverse technical background in project management, employee relations, talent acquisition and development, policy development, training, compensation and benefits, and performance management. Her consulting experience includes six years of human resources advisory services and significant nonprofit human resources management experience.
Johnson holds a Masters of Jurisprudence in Business Law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from Columbia College. She also completed course work at DePaul University in E-Commerce and Communication.
In addition to having assisted with coaching her daughter’s soccer team, Johnson has volunteered with the Grove United Soccer Association, the Raupp Museum, and the Village of Buffalo Grove’s Arts Festival. Johnson is also a founding member of a developing charity, Visual Aid Soccer Foundation.
“My experience with the Park District centers around the activities of my daughter and family recreational activities. My daughter participated in the Park District's Clubhouse program from kindergarten through six grade, and she has also participated in soccer and various summer camps, including the Broadway Bound,” said Johnson.
She added, “I want to be a part of building on the great work the Board and Park District staff have done over the years in terms of developing policies and programs that reflect the needs and interests of all residents in the Buffalo Grove Park District. I also want to make a meaningful impact on envisioning and implementing programs and services that attract a diverse mix of Buffalo Grove residents. My goal is to get to know the people who shape our community and to build long-lasting relationships.”
Johnson was interviewed by the Buffalo Grove Park District Board of Commissioners on October 17, and six other qualified candidates were also interviewed in October. The Board developed an open and transparent selection process. All candidates provided the Board with an application and resume showing their experiences, along with statements on their interest in the position. Johnson’s experience and past participation in Park District programs made her the best choice to fill the remaining eighteen months of the term.
The Board was impressed with the quality of all of the candidates and has invited them to participate in other volunteer opportunities, including the Environmental Action Team, Friends of the Parks Foundation and Raupp Museum.
Buffalo Grove Park District Performing Arts Receives National Award
Big Deal Productions, the performing arts division of the Buffalo Grove Park District, was recently selected to receive a National 2011 Dorothy Mullen Arts and Humanities, Class IV Award by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). NRPA will present the award publicly at a special reception at the association’s 2011 Congress and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia on November 2, 2011.
Each year, NRPA National Awards are presented to individuals and agencies across the U.S. to honor their efforts—both professional and personal—in the field of parks and recreation. Recipients are selected from a pool of applicants by NRPA’s National Forum Awards Committee, and are chosen for excellence in a variety of topics, including professional and voluntary service, programming, leadership, research and public outreach.
Big Deal Productions includes the production of one major community theatre musical, three children's theatre musical productions, a young adult nonmusical production, a 75-member community chorus and a wide range of music and theatre related classes and private lessons. Big Deal Productions offers performance opportunities to community members of all ages and backgrounds. There are multiple performing arts programs running at any given time, creating an ample assortment of arts opportunities for participants.
"This is a tremendous honor for Big Deal Productions and the Buffalo Grove Park District. We are very grateful to the National Park and Recreation Association for selecting us to receive the award. This program is successful due to the efforts of so many wonderful staff, participants and volunteers. We are very lucky to have such incredible people involved in this program, and we happily accept the award in their honor," said Lindsay Grandt, Performing Arts Coordinator for the Buffalo Grove Park District.
“NRPA is pleased to honor our nation’s park and recreation heroes—agencies and individuals who work tirelessly and with passion to improve the lives of their citizens and make their communities great,” said Barbara Tulipane, CEO of NRPA.
The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people. Through its network of 20,000 recreation and park professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles, recreation initiatives, and conservation of natural and cultural resources.
For more information, visit nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks and Recreation, visit parksandrec-magazine.org.