Joe Turner was named to HPARD's top spot in July of 2004. Appointed by Mayor Bill White and approved by the Houston City Council, Turner's previous position was heading up Harris County Precinct 4's Parks Department. Working with County Commissioner Jerry Eversole, Turner supervised a staff of 100 employees and was responsible for the operations, maintenance and development of 20 county parks including the internationally renowned Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens and Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center.
During his tenure with Harris County, Precinct 4, Turner worked to further the creation and enhancement of Precinct 4's parks, trails and recreational programming. In 2003, Turner installed new playgrounds, built new park pavilions, constructed a new walking trail and completed Phases I and started Phase II of Dyess park expansion, constructing new parking lots and soccer fields. Turner's department also launched the Spring Creek Greenway Project, which would develop the last tracts of land along Spring Creek's south side and incorporate them into an ambitious, 10-mile, nearly 2,000-acre linear park. When complete, the park trail system will stretch 7.5 miles from the soon-to-be-developed John Pundt Park to Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center and another 2.5 miles to Highway 59 North.
Customer service and satisfaction have been important components of Turner's career. While with Harris County, Turner worked to meet citizen needs and respond to citizen feedback. Prior to joining Precinct 4, Turner amassed extensive experience in the retail food industry, owning and operating four Burger King restaurant franchises and serving as Director of Operations for Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores, where he was responsible for overseeing 82 restaurants in Dallas/Fort Worth, with an $80 million operating budget.
Turner's tenure as Parks and Recreation Director has been marked with tremendous success. In 2006, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department added an Adaptive Recreation office responsible for providing invaluable exercise and recreational programs for people with disabilities. The Playgrounds Without Limits campaign was initiated with the goal of providing Houston with multiple playgrounds equipped to accommodate children of all abilities. The City of Houston's park landscape will soon grow by nearly 4,920 acres thanks to the transfer of Lake Houston State Park to municipal control. For the past two years, Turner's work ensured the on time, coordinated openings of all City owned public swimming pools and this year Houston will add four "beach entry" swimming pools designed for zero depth entry. Houston's MacGregor Park hosted the 116th Official State of Texas Arbor Day Celebration in 2005. Houston will once again participate in Challenge Day, a worldwide campaign emphasizing health and fitness by encouraging regular physical activity. Turner's commitment to healthy parks and healthy people works daily to fulfill the Department's mission statement: to improve Houston's quality of life through the maintenance of a vibrant urban park landscape and the encouragement and support of a healthy, active citizenry.
A Houston native, Turner earned his BBA from the University of Houston. He married his high school sweetheart, Lynda in 1970 and the couple has three grown children. The Turners reside in Kingwood, where Joe was active in several civic associations, including President of the Humble Intercontinental Rotary Club and the Kingwood FFA Booster Club. He is on the Board of the Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Garden. He also serves on the advisory committee of Trees for Houston, The Park People, the Memorial Park Conservancy, and the Hermann Park Conservancy.
Joe Turner was named to HPARD's top spot in July of 2004. Appointed by Mayor Bill White and approved by the Houston City Council, Turner's previous position was heading up Harris County Precinct 4's Parks Department. Working with County Commissioner Jerry Eversole, Turner supervised a staff of 100 employees and was responsible for the operations, maintenance and development of 20 county parks including the internationally renowned Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens and Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center. 