Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners
Jack Holland, President (2019-Present)
President Holland is Managing Director of Stifel in Kansas City, Missouri. He entered the investment banking business in 1976 after receiving his B.A. from the University of Missouri where he was an Evans Scholar, and a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has participated in many of the region’s most significant financings over the last 35 years including: Truman Sports Complex, Sprint Arena, KCI Airport, Kansas Turnpike, Kansas Speedway, Springfield-Branson Airport and the Brush Creek Improvement Plan. Mr. Holland has served on a number of boards including Theater League, Avila University, Studios Inc., REACH Healthcare Foundation, Kansas City Consensus, Missouri Reapportionment Commission, The Kessler Society and the Western Golf Association.
Alejandra (Alex) Perez-Rico, Commissioner (October 2021-Present)
Commissioner Perez-Rico is the Scholarship Director at the Hispanic Development Fund in the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. She holds a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from UMKC. Alex looks forward to engaging all residents, especially students from the high schools and colleges she serves in the KC Metro Area, to learn and have access to the resources in our community which can enhance the lives of their families, and simultaneously make for a stronger Kansas City.
Stephenie K. Smith, Commissioner (February 2023-Present)
Commissioner Smith is co-founder and managing partner of Sophic Solutions and is the lead authority on operationalizing equity, executive project management, organizational structure & design and operations improvement. She has led a number of efforts to align not-for-profit policy with community investments, with a special emphasis on large-scale transformation. As well, Stephenie serves as a key community leader and advisor. She is engaged in the revitalization of community by fostering strategic partnerships and leading new program innovations. Stephenie also serves as a Graduate Adjunct Professor where she specializes in operationalizing equity. Above all, her work has been shaped by a holistic approach to wellness and the belief that equity matters. With over 20 years of experience, Stephenie has leveraged her social work background to explicitly focus on the effects of poverty and oppression. In so doing, community revitalization, change management and diversity, equity & inclusion have taken center stage. These involvements have led to her serving on a number of local government commissions, boards and national committees. Stephenie is a graduate of Fisk University and the University of Tennessee College of Social Work
Mary Williams-Neal, Commissioner (2019-Present)
Commissioner Williams-Neal is the Founder/CEO of the Get Ahead Club since 1998. She is a former 3rd District City Councilwoman (1995-2003). Ms. Williams-Neal attended UMKC, Gates Rib Tech and Harvard University. She is a member of Village Presbyterian Church, and is focused on family and community engagement.
Chris Cotten, Director
Chris Cotten is a parks professional with 30 years of experience in sports management and parks and recreation operations including 16 years as department director in the cities of Salina, Kan., Normal, Ill., Joplin and Harrisonville, Mo. He previously worked for KC Parks managing the Brush Creek Community Center from 1999-2004. Mr. Cotten received his bachelor’s degree in Secondary & Physical Education from Drury University and a Master of Physical Education with an emphasis in Sport and Leisure Management. He is also a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional.
The Board of Parks and Recreation holds public meetings every other Tuesday at the Parks and Recreation Department Administration building, 4600 E. 63rd St. All meetings start at 2 p.m. and are open to the public.
To contact the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners
Karmen Houston, Secretary
4600 E. 63rd St.
Kansas City, MO 64130
816-513-7503
karmen.houston@kcmo.org