Parks and Outdoors

Mr. Martin is the Administrator for Chattanooga’s Department of Parks & Outdoors. Before joining the City of Chattanooga, he served as the founding Director of River Heritage Conservancy, Inc, the conservancy responsible for creating ORIGIN Park on the North Shore of the Falls of Ohio. Mr. Martin has been a part of teams in Idaho, Virginia, and Kentucky that have successfully developed some of our nation’s largest new public parks and urban open space conservation systems.

Presently, he holds a position on the Executive Board for World Urban Parks. In this capacity, he has delivered talks on urban park and conservation systems to audiences in Australia, Canada, Europe, and Mexico. His notable work has been featured in various publications, including the Australasia Parks and Leisure Journal, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Virginia Review, the National Association for Olmsted Parks, National Geographic, Creative Mornings, and the global “Nature in Cities Network”. Mr. Martin holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Boise State University (Go Broncos!), and his exceptional contributions were recognized when he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy for Parks & Recreation Administration in 2021.

Together with his wife, Mrs. Jennifer Martin, they reside in Chattanooga with their two marginally well-behaved Dalmatians. The couple finds joy in activities such as birding, hiking, and whitewater kayaking

Ms. Kinsey is a distinguished leader with over two decades of experience in operations management, administration, project management, and community engagement. A true champion of Chattanooga, Ms. Kinsey excels in strategic planning, event coordination, and program management. Her career is marked by a successful track record in managing large-scale events, including trade shows, conferences, galas, and festivals, ranging from intimate gatherings to massive assemblies of over 15,000 attendees.

She holds numerous roles and certifications, including current memberships on the City of Chattanooga Beer Board Commission, Chattanooga Chamber Board of Directors, and as President of the Southside Chamber Council. Her contributions to the arts and community have been recognized with various awards and certifications, highlighting her commitment to enhancing Chattanooga's cultural landscape.

A Tennessean by birth and an avid lover of music, travel, and vintage finds, she brings passion and innovation to every project, notably through her work with Arts Build, River City Company, multiple state agencies, Chattanooga Tourism Company, and as the founder of Caravan Tribe LLC, City of Creators and a co-founder of Track29. Her efforts continue to foster community engagement, boost the local economy, and enrich the arts scene in Chattanooga.

Ms. Hayes completed her education with a BS in Sports Management and Leisure Services, accompanied by a minor in Business, from High Point University in NC. She has been with the City of Chattanooga since May 1998, starting her career as the Manager of Frost Stadium in the Parks Department for Parks and Recreation. Hired by Larry Zehnder during the John Kinsey Administration, she has experienced five mayoral changes during her tenure. Over time, she assumed more responsibilities and was named the Assistant Director of Parks, eventually transitioning to the Director of Recreation position in 2009, which she currently holds. She is actively involved in several boards and committees, including the Sports Commission, NRYSA, EH Booster Club President, East Chattanooga community board member, TRPA and NRPA member, MLB RBI Advisory committee, and USA softball advisory committee.

She met her husband, Adrian Hayes, while working for the City, and together they have six children. Their two older daughters are currently playing sports in college. Actively engaged at their church, New Covenant Fellowship, they spend their weekends traveling to support their daughters' sports activities, in addition to attending practices and games for their four younger children throughout the week. Residing in Ooltewah, they enjoy sports, movies, traveling, and spending quality time with their family.

Ms. McCormick holds a BA, MA, and PhD from Florida State University, along with a certification as a Municipal Finance Officer from the State of TN Comptroller's Office. With years of experience in parks maintenance and a proven track record of success, Ms. McCormick has demonstrated a commitment to building preventative maintenance programs, improving processes, and fostering a culture of teamwork. Throughout Ms. McCormick's career, her leadership has been dedicated to coaching team members and empowering them to implement operational changes that enhance efficiency and safety. Her leadership has led to better preventative maintenance for Chattanooga’s park system, including a more fluent work order system. 

Ms. Barille joined Outdoor Chattanooga in October 2022, inspired by the opportunity to provide more entry points for people of all backgrounds and abilities into outdoor spaces. She brings with her over 25 years of experience working within organizations specifically focused on outdoor recreation, inclusion, and youth development and a portfolio of nationally recognized adaptive recreation programs, events, and facilities. Ms. Barille moved to Chattanooga in 2019 to join Southeast Conservation Corps and work in collaboration with the National Park Service, US Forest Service, and a variety of non-profits and conservation teams. Passionate about how she could help build our next generation of land stewards, she spent three years connecting local youth and young professionals to career paths in outdoor recreation and public land management. Ms. Barille has lived throughout the US and brings with her the knowledge of best practices, and missteps, from other recreation cities and communities throughout the Pacific NW, Rocky Mountains, and the Northeast. You can find her and her family daily on a trail, waterway, or greenway; adventuring with a variety of backpacks, helmets, camping, and paddle gear. A proponent of enjoying rest as much as activity, Ms. Barille also spends time listening to Chattanooga’s local music, checking out the variety of food, and exploring the diversity of our region’s plants, insects, birds, and animals.

Ms. Carmen's arts, culture, and promotions background began at the University of Memphis while obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Journalism. During her time in school, she worked with the Collegiate Connection, leading to three prestigious internships in the entertainment industry: Def Jam Records as a representative for the South Eastern Region, Commercial Appeal Newspaper in Advertising, and the Memphis Arts Festival in Communications.

With over twenty years of experience and extensive knowledge of the entertainment industry, she has been instrumental in selecting and securing talent for various events such as RISE Chattanooga, Nightfall Music Series, Riverbend Festival, Tunnel Arts Festival, Bessie Smith Heritage Festival, House of Chapple Halloween Bash, and Jazzanooga.

For thirteen years, Ms. Carmen served as the Curator and Program Director for the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. In 2015, she embarked on a new journey and career in Corporate Philanthropy. Ms. Carmen joined the City of Chattanooga in September of 2022.

An urban designer and architect, Mr. Bailey has dedicated his career to creating built environments that prioritize natural resources and prioritize the safety and comfort of all individuals. With a diverse background, he has previously worked as a consulting architect and business owner, with a focus on adaptive reuse and new construction. Additionally, he served as the Administrator for the Chattanooga Department of Transportation, where he strived to ensure that streets functioned as exceptional public spaces, accommodating all users safely.

In his role as the Director of Design for Parks and Outdoors, Mr. Bailey is responsible for overseeing the citywide planning process for parks and outdoor spaces, including greenways and blueways. He also manages development projects such as the construction of a new skatepark and the implementation of the University Greenway. Hailing from Chattanooga, Mr. Bailey has deep roots in the city and possesses professional experience in various fields, including mathematics, education (teaching and coaching), and historic preservation.

As a seasoned finance professional, Mr. Wilson has been a dedicated employee of the City of Chattanooga for 16 years. In his current role as Finance Manager, Mr. Wilson’s responsibilities include managing the department’s operating budget, and capital budget, providing analytical support to the Parks and Outdoors leadership team, as well as supervising the fiscal staff responsible for processing all Parks and Outdoor procurement, payables, payroll, and personnel transactions.

As an Air Force non-commissioned officer stationed in Great Falls, Montana, Mr. Wilson graduated from the University of Great Falls with a degree in Business Administration and Finance. After completing seven years of military service, Mr. Wilson and his wife, Mrs. Carolyn Wilson, moved to Chattanooga where they have been residents for 33 years. They have two children, Miss Tiffany, age 34, and Mr. Johnathan, age 31, as well as two granddaughters, ages one and two, and two grandsons, ages three and five. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson both enjoy serving in their church, spoiling their grandchildren, and traveling.

Mr. Smith comes to the city with over 20 years of experience in communications, broadcasting, and public relations. For the past eight years, he worked on air for Chattanooga’s NewsChannel 9, first as host of “This N That” and then as morning and noon meteorologist. Prior to those roles, Mr. Smith spent three years as a public relations coordinator for the city of Chattanooga, where he worked with the then-called Parks and Recreation Department to promote the city’s park system to the community, earning the department several Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association awards, including the prestigious four star award recognizing excellence and community impact. His love for parks and outdoors started at a young age through Boy Scouts, where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and served as a Venture Crew leader and assistant scoutmaster.

Leads, manages, guides and promotes natural resources stewardship and management for the Parks Maintenance Division. Collaborates with the Water Quality Program on green infrastructure projects and maintenance. Coordinates sustainable land management on City lands.