City hires Dayton as Parks and Recreation director 

Ben Dayton will serve as the next Parks and Recreation director, according to information released Wednesday by Fort Atkinson city officials.

Prior to accepting the position in Fort Atkinson, Dayton has served as the director of recreation for the Lake Mills Area School District and has 13 years of experience in the field of recreation, information released by the city states. 

Dayton was selected as the finalist in Fort Atkinson after two rounds of interviews, a presentation and emotional intelligence assessment, the release noted. 

Offering some career history, the release stated that Dayton began his career as a recreation supervisor, working with the Cambridge Community Activities Program in 2010. In 2013, he began his tenure, working with the Lake Mills Area School District as its director of recreation. Over the last 10 years, Dayton and his team in Lake Mills have created and overhauled more than 50 programs, as well as increased program offerings, the release read. Among programs underway within the Lake Mills school district, Dayton helped to develop and implement a school-age childcare and community senior center program, according to the release. 

Dayton earned his bachelor’s degree in health, human performance and recreation, which included a minor in health promotion, from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He attending school between 2006 and 2010, according to his Facebook pate. He is a member of the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association and National Recreation and Park Association, the release from the city continued. 

“We are excited to welcome Ben Dayton to our team. After extensive discussion among the interview panel, we determined that Ben is the best candidate for the position and his knowledge, skills, personality, and ability to learn will be a great cultural fit with the organization,”  Fort Atkinson City Manager Rebecca Housman was quoted as saying in the release. 

The City received 19 applications for the position. The hiring committee went through two sets of interviews with seven total candidates. The interview panel consisted of city employees from various departments as well as a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the release noted.