Experienced park district leader to take Wilmette reins in interim capacity

The Wilmette Park District is bringing on an experienced parks leader to temporarily take over for resigning Executive Director Steve Wilson.

The district announced on Friday, Jan. 17, that Margaret Resnick will begin as interim executive director of the organization on Jan. 20. Wilson’s resignation goes into effect Jan. 31. Resnick reportedly will stay on board until the park district finds a permanent executive director.

Resnick will come to the Wilmette Park District with more than 30 in parks and rec management, the biggest chunk of that time (13-plus years) spent as executive director of the Mundelein Park and Recreation Department until her retirement in 2020. She has also worked in leadership positions for the Bolingbrook Park District, Village of Libertyville Recreation, and Illinois Park and Recreation Association, according to her LinkedIn profile.

“The board is delighted to welcome an interim executive director with the wealth of experience Margaret brings,” Park Board President Kara Kosloskus said in a statement. “Her leadership will support our staff, oversee operations and ensure a smooth transition as we begin our search for the next executive director.”  

The park district announced Wilson’s pending resignation in early January. Wilson, who began with the park district in 2007, became its executive director in 2011. His contract was expiring this month (January 2025), and it is unclear if the Wilmette Park Board considered renewal.

Neither Wilson nor the Wilmette Park Board responded to The Record.

In a statement, the district said Wilson informed the Park Board of his pending resignation in December and sent a message to district staff on Monday, Jan. 6, saying he was planning a “new chapter.”

Wilson was the subject of an internal park district investigation in the fall of 2023 when the Park Board reviewed his hiring and promotional practices and placed him on a performance improvement plan, according to a 2024 investigation from The Record.

At least part of what prompted the internal review were allegations of misconduct from the district’s former Superintendent of Human Resources Liz Cox. Following Cox’s death in December 2023, the claims became the subject of a lawsuit against Wilson and the park district that was filed by her family.

The lawsuit remains unresolved in Cook County Circuit Court.

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