After a national search, the City of Morgan Hill hired local resident and former employee Chris Ghione as its new Community Services Director.
Ghione, 36, has served as the Mt. Madonna YMCA Executive Director since 2010, he said in an interview with the Times. Before that, he was the City’s Recreation Manager for about four years.
As the Community Services Director, Ghione will lead the delivery of recreation services, street and park maintenance services and environmental services, according to Morgan Hill Community Services Manager Maureen Tobin. The Community Services Department has 24 full-time employees, 200 part-time employees and a $9 million operating budget.
Ghione will be responsible for advancing the City Council’s priorities, engage the community, continue efforts to balance cost-recovery at recreation facilities with community access and further the City’s sustainability efforts, Tobin said.
“I’m looking forward to coming back and working with the City and helping improve the community I live in, and helping the Council achieve the goals they set to engage the community in the area of community service,” Ghione said.
The position of Community Services Director was previously occupied by Steve Rymer, who is now the Morgan Hill City Manager.
As the City’s former Recreation Manager, Ghione was instrumental in setting up the partnership between the City’s and YMCA’s partnership at Morgan Hill recreation facilities, and developing the department’s service delivery model, Tobin said.
Ghione has a Master’s degree in Recreation Administration from San Jose State University, and his career in the field has spanned 20 years.
“Chris has consistently demonstrated a passion for the profession, a dedication to the Morgan Hill community and an enthusiastic vision for the department and our organization,” Rymer said. “I am confident that he will be successful in his new role and we all will be the beneficiary of his hard work, dedication, and commitment to teamwork.”
Ghione will start his new job in mid-June.
