Julie McHale, director of the Greenbelt Recreation Department, is retiring at the end of the year after a 33-year career. During that time she has worn many hats, won many distinctions and developed many enriching programs for the old and young. She has seen the department and its recreational facilities grow tremendously over that period. She declared that Greenbelt is “a very unique community,” and its “employees are very passionate. People don’t leave. It’s a great place to work.”
She began her career with the Recreation Department as a college intern in the summer of 1985. In the fall of 1985 she was hired full-time as a recreation coordinator acquiring and maintaining necessary materials and equipment. In 1997, she became recreation supervisor. Using a team management style, she saw to the needs of the full-time staff and over 80 part-time employees, including their training. She was responsible for the creation and distribution of a quarterly brochure for all department events. She also aided in the promotion of citywide events, including program-specific budgeting and concerns.
In 2001, McHale became assistant director of recreation. Her new duties included fiscal management of the recreation budget and presenting findings to city council, liaison to committees and boards, and initiating partnerships throughout Greenbelt. During her term, revenues in recreation programs increased by over five percent and attendance in programs increased by ten percent. She actively embraced 21st century marketing techniques and a going green approach. In 2012, with the retirement of Hank Irving, the post of director became vacant. With grown children now and more available time, McHale applied for the job, feeling “that I was more than qualified for the position.” She was part of a national search for a replacement and had to go through two rounds of interviewing before finally becoming director. Said McHale, “I guess timing is everything.”
The role of director focused more on the administrative end, with McHale reporting directly to the city manager. Said McHale, “The buck stopped with me. I had department-wide say and signature on purchases, staffing, scheduling, closings, etc.” Yet, McHale was still vitally involved in overseeing program development and implementation, clearly one of her passions.
McHale was the architect of many innovative and positive programs, designed for a diverse clientele, including children, teens, adults, individuals with disabilities and senior citizens. For her, two stand-outs are Get Active Greenbelt, which promoted comprehensive physical wellbeing for the Greenbelt community, and Be Happy, Be Healthy Employee Health and Wellness Program, which has served as a template for similar programs throughout the nation.
Around 1990, she created the Kinder Camp program and Mom’s Morning Out, both of which are still in existence, of which McHale feels great pride. Said McHale, “Senior/adult fitness classes are popular. The arts programming is second to none and both the visual and performing arts classes are filled to capacity. Special events offered throughout the city are busting at the seams, and the children’s classes and camp programs of all varieties continue to be in demand.”
In the 1990s and early 2000s, McHale was present for a period of enormous growth in facilities and staffing. New facilities included the skatepark; the indoor pool/fitness center and renovations to the outdoor pool; Schrom Hills Park/the Greenbelt East Community Center; and the transformation of the former Center School into the existing Community Center, which then focused on senior and arts programs. With this expansion, McHale said “we doubled our staff in the matter of a few short years.”
McHale has always worked from a family first mindset, which she feels is a strong part of the Greenbelt psyche. She said, “In today’s world everybody has a story and they are either supporting their children, a sick relative and/or their own parents and it is so hard.” She is grateful for a flexible schedule that allowed her to care for her own four children in a marriage of 33 years and to have a successful career in recreation. She added, “I wanted staff to have the same flexibility that was provided for me.”
McHale hopes to continue in the recreation field after her retirement, most especially in the arena of programming for children, special events, health and wellness. Regarding her experience, she remarked on “the professionalism and passion of the staff. Whether staff is responsible for managing a facility, developing and implementing programs, devising policy and procedure, or what have you, staff is committed to providing the best possible.” When asked what was most challenging she asserted that every challenge was, in the end, an opportunity to expand the department and develop something new, exciting and helpful.. In that role, she was responsible for creating new programs, recruiting new staff and