Longtime Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services administrator Kent Kilpatrick has been named the department's new director.

Kilpatrick has been the interim director since Pam Reidy left in June 2016. ACC Manager Blaine Williams announced late Friday that he made the title permanent.

"Kent has proven over his many years of service in this field for our community to be completely dedicated to the mission of the Leisure Services Department to build a healthier and more livable Athens-Clarke County," Williams said in a news release. "I believe that he will provide exceptional leadership as we continue to provide high-quality services and programs our community expects, while also expanding and improving our facilities and offerings throughout the community.”

Kilpatrick started his career in Athens in 1987 as the outdoor recreation manager for the former Clarke County Parks Department, which became the Arts and Environmental Education Department after unification in 1991. That department merged with Recreation and Parks in 1996, and Kilpatrick became the internal services administrator, a position he's held ever since, with the exception of three stints as interim director.

Leisure Services oversees local parks, Bear Hollow zoo, the Lyndon House Arts Center, Sandy Creek Nature Center, the North Oconee River Greenway and other trails and greenspace, and numerous sports, arts and nature programs for children and adults.