Staff Spotlight:

Kelly Rund has been part of the Ashland recreation department for so long, it’s hard to imagine the department without her. Since stepping into the role of Recreation Director in 2002, she’s helped support generations of local families’ memories—with summer camp friendships and youth sports victories to the kind of community traditions that keep people coming back year after year.

And while plenty of people know Kelly from the sidelines of a softball field or from checking in at an ARC program, many may not realize that her story with Ashland Recreation began long before she became director.

Born and raised in Ashland, Rund proudly describes herself as “Clocker through and through.” Both of her parents were also raised in town, making this whole experience one to remember.  She was a standout athlete at Ashland High School. She played field hockey, basketball, and softball, and helped lead the softball team to a 1996 state championship.

Sports stayed a major part of her life well beyond high school. Rund continued playing softball in college, where her team advanced twice to the NCAA Collegiate World Series. Even after graduation, she kept competing in women’s and co-ed slow-pitch leagues until officially “retiring the glove” in 2019.

But her path into recreation leadership wasn’t exactly mapped out from the start.

Like many local teens, Rund first joined the Recreation Department as a summer counselor while she was in high school. It simply began as a seasonal job, and then it turned into something that became so much bigger. 

“Many of us stayed on through college, advancing through different leadership roles,” she said. “Eventually, I became the summer program director, and I just never left.”

After college, Rund spent a year working in a kindergarten classroom before the Recreation Director position opened up. The previous director encouraged her to take the leap, and now, more than two decades later, she’s still at the center of the department’s day-to-day operations.

That role includes everything from scheduling programs and managing staff to community outreach, partnerships, and overseeing participant safety. It’s a job that requires flexibility, quick thinking, and more than a little stamina.

“‘Typical’ does not exist in recreation,” Rund said. “Every day is something different, which makes the job exciting.” During the school year, her days are often filled with meetings, planning sessions, and checking in on current programs. Summers, however, are a completely different feat. “It’s all hands on deck,” she continued. “We’re overseeing the young adults we hire, visiting programs, checking vendor sites, and making sure everything is running smoothly.”

Still, for Rund, the most meaningful part of the work isn’t the logistics—it’s the people. “The long-term mentorship is the most rewarding part,” she said. “There’s nothing quite like watching a child grow up in our programs, become a leader through our CIT program, and eventually join our staff.”

And maybe, even more special is seeing former participants return years later with children of their own. “It’s a great reminder of the lasting impact our programs have in the community,” she said.

That sense of connection is also what she loves most about Ashland itself. Even as the town grows, Rund says it still holds onto the small-town feel she remembers from childhood.

She describes the Recreation Department as Ashland’s own version of “Cheers.” It’s a place where everyone knows your name!  “Everyone is welcome here at ARC,” she said. “Our smaller groups and high resident participation make it a safe space for kids who need the comfort of familiar faces.”

In true small-town fashion, Rund also shared one fun fact that tends to surprise residents: despite spending most of her life working in Ashland, she doesn’t actually live there.

As summer approaches, Rund is once again preparing for the busiest season of the year. While she admits she’s looking forward to warmer weather, what excites her most is seeing returning campers grow into more confident versions of themselves. “It’s always exciting to see how they’ve matured during the school year,” she said. “Watching that growth never gets old.”