The township board picked a familiar face as the newly-created Director of Community Planning.
Lisa Sokol was born and raised in Lake Orion, where she became a teacher and administrator in the school district for three decades, and has run the Senior Center for the past five years.
While her resume doesn’t include any parks and recreation experience, township officials are confident Sokol’s administrative experience with the schools and senior center will help redefine the top job in the department.
‘I feel that particular department has creatively found more responsibility over the years than was really there,? Township Supervisor Matt Gibb said.
Rock Blanchard, the department’s previous director, was on medical leave for a year following alleged wrong-doings before amicably parting ways with the township in January.
Jennifer Vezina, program director at the department, was the interim director while the township decided what to do about the position.
‘I looked at it from every angle,? Gibb said. ‘I looked at our existing staffing structure, and who was capable or willing to step into that role from our existing structure,? Gibb said.
Vezina was considered, but ultimately wasn’t comfortable with certain aspects of the position, according to Gibb.
Instead, the township board voted recently to consolidate the jobs and give it to Sokol. The hope is the position, and whoever fills it, will focus more on programming.
‘This decision wasn’t based solely on us trying to be economical,? Gibb said. ‘The goal was: we never brought specific focus to this area of governance.?
In the past, not everything was so defined when it came to the parks department. For instance, some duties overlapped with building and grounds.
Picking someone with the programming and administrative experience like Sokol is a step in narrowing what is expected of that position.
‘Lisa brings that ability,? Gibb said of Sokol’s administrative background.
Sokol certainly is no stranger to programming. But before she became an administrator, she was a teacher of English and Humanities at Lake Orion High School.
She was hired right out of Oakland University, where she received a BA in English and Art History, and taught for 12 years before returning to college.
At Michigan State University, Sokol received a master’s in Community Education. Upon finishing, she became the director of community education for Lake Orion schools where she oversaw programs at the Community Education Resource Center (CERC) and the Ehman Center.
Some of the programs included adult education, enrichment and Headstart, as well as many youth recreational sports.
‘I used to schedule a lot of leagues when I worked with the school district,? Sokol said.
She also managed a staff of 300 to 400 and a $3 to $4 million budget while working for the schools.
After working in the district for 30 years, Sokol retired five years ago, only to begin substituting as director of the senior center, which soon turned into a full-time gig.
The Orion Senior Center budget is $350,000.
Despite the consolidation of the directorship, the two departments will remain autonomous, Sokol said. The budget for parks and rec. is around $992,00, of which $447,000 is for building and grounds.
Presiding over both hasn’t been too daunting as far as workload goes, Sokol said.
‘It’s more of a challenge of learning,? she added.
The money saved by joining the two positions also means doing more with less.
‘The senior center took a cut because they have half a director now,? Sokol said.
But, as she gets more acclimated to the position, she hopes no one feels slighted.
‘I don’t want the seniors to think their needs are being ignored,? Sokol said.