Press Release: February 26, 2019 – The Cartersville City Council, based on the recommendation of the City Manager, shall consider appointing Tom Gilliam to the position of Parks and Recreation Director at the March 21, 2019 meeting date. This position was made vacant by the anticipated retirement of the former Director, Greg Anderson, on January 31, 2019.
Mr. Gilliam graduated from West Georgia University with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management. In addition to the degree from West Georgia, Gilliam also holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and Health from Kennesaw State University. Tom has over 20 years of experience working with government agencies, educational institutions, faith-based organizations and in the private sector.
He served with the City of Milton for 5 years as the Program Coordinator. He was on the front end of establishing the Parks and Recreation Department for the City of Milton upon its inception in January of 2010. He was responsible for RFPs, maintenance, program growth, grant writing and served as their interim director for nine months.
In 2015, Gilliam left Milton to work as the Director of Parks and Recreation in Canton. He was responsible for: budget, RFPs, provider contracts, managing the construction of the Etowah River Trail system that connects 2 major parks in the city, leading land acquisition for new parks, working on special events the city did through Parks and Recreation, writing grants for the City and developing new programs and partnerships. He went to Halftime Sports in 2017 as their Marketing and Operations Director. While there, he continued to work with the City of Canton and Milton on their programs that were contracted out through Halftime.
If appointed by Council, Tom will be responsible for the 23 employees in the department as well as the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the Parks and Recreation Department. Tom will bring an extensive knowledge base to his new position that will serve the department well.