Rev. Dr. Walker is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and an active member of the Akron community. He is a former member of the Akron Board of Education where he served five four-year terms, three as president. He has served on the Ohio School Board Association Board of Trustees, Urban School District Advisory Network and Northeast Regional Executive Committee, Board of Trustees for the Girl Scouts of the Western Reserve, Summit Chapter of the American Red Cross, NAACP, Summit County Housing Trust Fund and many others. He is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Ohio School Board Association Northeast Ohio Outstanding Board Member Award and the National School Board Association Council on Urban School Boards Benjamin E. Mays Lifetime Achievement Award.
Originally from Hartford, Connecticut, Rev. Dr. Walker graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He received his Master of Divinity from Livingstone College/Hood Theological Seminary, where he is a member Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, and later earned his Doctorate of Ministry from Emory University/Candler School of Theology.
Lisa King, Executive Director
Appointed in September 2015, King is the seventh director of Summit Metro Parks, which was established in 1921. In this role she serves as the chief executive and chief financial officer, leading and directing the organization to ensure achievement of its mission, financial viability, short and long-term growth, and stability.
An employee since 1998, King has also served as the park district’s landscape architect and its chief of planning and development. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University, a state-registered landscape architect, a champion of sustainable design, and a certified parks and recreation professional through the National Recreation and Park Association. King has managed a variety of facility and trail improvement projects for the park district, including the construction and certification of two LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified “Platinum” buildings.