Mayor Purzycki Appoints Ian Smith as Parks and Recreation Director

June 1, 2021

The veteran youth worker and advocate for children and families will start his new position today

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki said today he is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Smith as the City’s next Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Smith, who lives in Wilmington with his family, moves to City government from State government where he has been the Delaware Program Director of Youth Advocates Programs, Inc. (YAP) since 2016. The Mayor said Smith will start his new position today.

“Ian brings a wealth of experience and an infectious energy and enthusiasm to this position,” said Mayor Purzycki. “We eagerly await his review of the $3 million department operating and capital budgets and his plan for moving forward. Ian will have a team of about 40 full-time employees and scores of part-time and temporary workers who are on the front lines every day delivering life-affirming services and critically needed recreational programming to children and families across the City. The Parks and Recreation team is also responsible for the care and maintenance of Wilmington’s beautiful parks system, which covers most of the available green and open spaces in our City. We wish Ian well. I am also very grateful to Deputy Parks and Recreation Director Wayne Jefferson for his continued service to our City and for assisting Ian in his new post.”

“I am eager to listen to our employees and the community, to strengthen existing programs, and to add whatever we need to do an even better job of serving neighborhoods, young people, and families throughout the entire City,” said Smith. “I appreciate the Mayor’s confidence in my ability to lead the department.”

Ian Smith’s work since 2016 in Delaware with YAP has included:

•Executive responsibility for all aspects of the daily YAP operations and expansion of programs that have served more than 150 youth re-entering the community from detention. The services include educational support, job readiness training, employment, wraparound services, and mentorship

•Developed new afterschool programs at four key elementary schools by implementing Peaceful Alternative to Tough Situation (PATTS)

•Managed Peaceful Alternatives to Tough Situations, a curriculum that teaches students alternative methods for dealing with conflict, crisis, and trauma

•Served as Policy and Advocacy Center (PAC) Liaison for Delaware where he identified opportunities to leverage local outcomes, emerging issues, and national policies for strategic implementation into local, regional, and national programs

Smith previously held management and community-based positions with YAP programs in Sierra Leone, on the southwest coast of West Africa, where he reviewed the program for funding renewal, and in Baltimore, Maryland, where he lived for much of his life. In Baltimore, Ian served as court-appointed support for young men (ages 14-18) who had been committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice and ensured that his clients were complying with all areas of their court order, such as probation and drug treatment. Smith was also a Therapeutic Behavioral Specialist with Maxim Health Services in Baltimore where he worked in the homes and in the schools of families and children diagnosed with mental health issues. Smith engaged clients in life skills activities, including field trips to various cultural events around the city and state. Smith also worked for the Boy Scouts of America, Baltimore Area Council.

Ian Smith’s community service also includes serving currently as Vice-President of the Browntown Civic Association; as a current Board Member of Delaware Greenways and Innocence Delaware, Inc.; a former member of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Group; and former Board Member of the Light Up the Queen Foundation.

Ian replaces former Parks and Recreation Kevin F. Kelley, Sr. who retired from government service on February 1.