Meet Director Joe Fausnaugh

Joe Fausnaugh, the new Director of Parks, Recreation, and Youth Services, didn’t exactly fall in love with outdoor activities even though he grew-up on a farm with 100 acres of land in Wood County.

While his father was out farming soybeans and corn for a hobby, Fausnaugh was inside reading voraciously.

It wasn’t until he graduated from high school and started a job mowing lawns for the Metroparks did he realize how much he adored nature. “My whole mindset about the outdoors changed that summer, and I loved being outside, and I loved being in nature and working in the dirt.”

That love took him far in the Metroparks professional hierarchy. He was a historical interpreter on a canal boat, a park ranger, seasonal worker and ended his 24 years as the chief of operations.

Fausnaugh is bringing all of his experience and love of parks to Toledo. “I want to turn Toledo City parks into a point of pride. I want to make a difference in people’s everyday lives. When residents look out of their windows, I want them to see parks that they want to go to, that they value, and that they see as safe places to their spend time. I want Toledo residents and their children to enjoy what our parks have to offer as much as I do,” Fausnaugh said.