Local News

Van Til hired as new Shelbyville parks department director

Kentucky native Rob Van Til has been hired as the new director of the Shelbyville Parks and Recreation Department.

Van Til has worked for the Decatur County Family YMCA in Greensburg, Indiana, since early 2019 and was the associate executive director before accepting a position in Shelbyville that has not been vacant in over two decades.

Karen Martin retired Oct. 12 as parks department director – a position she held for 22 years.

Van Til will officially start Jan. 3 but will be in attendance at today’s parks board meeting – the final one of 2021.

“For me, it’s my opportunity to put my own stamp on an organization that is an important part of the community,” said Van Til Wednesday morning.

Originally from Michigan but raised in Williamstown, Kentucky, Van Til has a degree in Communications from the University of Kentucky. A career in sports journalism or radio was on his radar until a stint working for a YMCA summer camp altered his thinking.

“I started working with kids and that changed what I wanted to do,” he said. “I worked at a summer camp when I was 19 and it sucks you in. I could see the impact it had on the community and how it can affect lives. And I just kept getting opportunities after that.”

Van Til played two years of NAIA college basketball before transferring to the University of Kentucky.

Before moving to Greensburg, he worked for a YMCA in central Kentucky.

With a newly-opened YMCA in Shelbyville, Van Til’s operational experience within that organization will prove vital in creating a working relationship with the parks department.

“I hope it will. I look forward to having discussions with them so that we don’t overlap (programs),” he said.

Van Til will step into the leadership role at the parks department with an experienced staff in place.

“That excited me (about the job), that there is a long-time staff of people invested in Shelby County,” he said.

Directing parks department programs such as camps, the preschool, and sports leagues will feel familiar to Van Til based on his YMCA experience.

Learning how to manage city parks will be an early focus in his tenure.

“Both (YMCA and the parks department) operate similarly, the difference is in keeping up the parks and the management of staff,” he said.

Van Til and his wife, Sarah, have a 5-year-old daughter named Emma.

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