New CEO of Dix Park Conservancy is a familiar face in Raleigh
Former Raleigh City Manager Ruffin Hall has been named the new president and CEO of the Dix Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that helps maintain and involve the community in the park.
Hall succeeds Janet Cowell, now Raleigh’s mayor, who resigned from the position before the election. He was the city manager of Raleigh from 2013 to 2020, when he retired.
The search for a new CEO attracted 150 applicants from 21 states and six foreign countries, according to a news release.
Hall has a long history in local government having served in Charlotte as the assistant city manager and the city’s budget and evaluation director, the release stated. In 2020, he co-founded Walton & Hall, a local government and nonprofit consulting firm.
“Ruffin brings the experience we were looking for in this next chapter of the Dix Park Conservancy,” Conservancy Board Chair Bill Ross said in the release.
“His proven capability in managing a multi-faceted public program with the City of Raleigh in a fast-paced and dynamic environment is exactly what we need in our next leader,” Ross said.
‘Enormous opportunity’
In a statement, Hall said he is “deeply passionate” about Dix Park and remembers touring the property in 2013 and “feeling the enormous opportunity for Raleigh.”
“It was one of the reasons I decided to uproot my family and make a move from Charlotte to Raleigh,” he said. “We care about the future of Raleigh, and I want to lend my experience, skill, and passion to help make great things happen at Dix Park.”
Dorothea Dix Park sits on 308 acres near downtown Raleigh. The park hosts events like the Dreamville Festival and Fourth of July fireworks.
Recently, the Conservancy restored the park’s historic Stone Houses and launched a public art initiative.
Next spring, the park will reveal the 18.5-acre Gipson Play Plaza off Lake Wheeler Road with fountains, play areas gardens and art.
Hall will officially begin Jan. 1.
This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 5:31 PM.