Tracey Gee has been a fixture in the Dublin Recreation Services Department for 20 years, but the foundation for her interest in the industry goes back even farther.
“There is a strong connection between my experiences as a youth athlete and the work that I do now,” says Gee, recreation administrator for the City. “Playing team sports, enjoying the outdoors and enjoying learning new things have made me the person I am, and providing those opportunities for others is basically what our division does for a living.”
As a child growing up in Enon in western Ohio, Gee played soccer and softball. In high school, she played basketball.
“Usually, I was always in some sports season,” she says.
Her love of physical activity led her to choose to major in exercise science at Miami University. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she stayed to obtain a master’s in exercise science and health appraisal and enhancement. Initially thinking she would find herself in a career in athletic training or cardio rehabilitation, Gee entered into municipal recreation by chance.
“I didn’t know that it existed when I was in school,” she says.
After graduating, she served as the corporate fitness services director at YMCA of Central Ohio from 1993-1996. While working with a youth mentorship program called Future of America, she met the then-director of Dublin’s Recreation Services Department while serving on a committee. The introduction eventually led to her first job with the City in 1996: fitness and wellness program supervisor.
Gee’s time spent at the City has taught her how rewarding public service can be. While she has heard immediate feedback from appreciative community members, she’s also heard praise over the long term. Some kids have gone through the City’s swimming program, for example, and returned to share how important the experience was to them.
As Gee moved up the ladder at Recreation Services, the City of Dublin grew and changed. Programming expanded along with the city.
“There’s been a sizeable amount of growth,” Gee says.
When the Dublin Community Recreation Center opened in 1996, some residents didn’t even realize it was a possibility, Gee says. She appreciates the city’s willingness to take risks.
“It’s nice to be in a forward-thinking community,” she says.
Gee worked with her department to create policies and procedures for the Rec Center, and she’s proud of the work it did in assessing community need. Many things they put into place are still in effect now.
Gee became Recreation Administrator in June, and since then, she and the department have been working to assess the community’s needs.
“Recreation Services is always looking for new ways to help residents reap the benefits of Parks and Recreation,” she says.
While most of the programming so far has been focused in key facilities such as the Rec Center and community parks such as Coffman, Darree and Scioto, the department is working closely with colleagues in park operations, park development, events and volunteer services to develop new programming that reaches out into more parks, including neighborhood parks, Gee says.
“We hope to do the same with outreach to Dublin businesses,” she says. “With so many small businesses in Dublin, we think we can be helpful with bringing some of our knowledge and services to the business community.”
While Gee is a leader at work, she also exhibits some of the same qualities at home, when she plays video games such as World of Warcraft. A self-described video game nut, Gee has been playing games since the early 2000s, favoring massively multiplayer online games. It’s common for her to exchange gamer tags with people she meets.
“It’s becoming a business networking tool,” she says.
A natural introvert, Gee says she has developed extroverted tendencies as a result of her career path. Other hobbies including reading fiction and watching movies help her recharge after time spent at work. Her husband, Conan, is an application engineer in the IT department for Chipotle Mexican Grill. They have a 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Miranda, and two cats: Mushu, a female Snowshoe, and Zeus, an 18-pound male Maine Coon.
Sarah Sole is an editor. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
