SALISBURY — Former Salisbury Parks and Recreation Director Nick Aceves has been named the director of the Rowan County Parks and Recreation Department following the retirement of previous Director Don Bringle. The county named Aceves to the role on Dec. 9.

Aceves is a veteran of the parks and recreation field overall and in Rowan County, having 20 years of overall experience in the field and eight years of experience as the director of Salisbury’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“He has a parks and recreation background, he’s great with people, I know that he will do a great job,” said Bringle.

Aceves moved from the city to the county in September of 2023, becoming a project manager for the county. 

“I really enjoyed my time in Salisbury and it’s great to still be in the same community, just a bit larger,” said Aceves.

Most recently, his role with the county has placed him in charge of the Rowan Community Center, formerly the West End Plaza.

Aceves began in the parks and recreation field as a part-time camp counselor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While his first college degree and jobs were in television broadcasting, he said he missed the experience of working in recreation and so worked to return to the industry. Since then, he has worked with the cities of Durham and Reidsville and the YMCA of Winston-Salem along with his time in Salisbury.

“From my time as a camp counselor and then smash cut to now when I’ve been a director with both, to stay in this field and stick with it, if there’s one thing that I’m proud of it’s that,” said Aceves.

After Aceves made the decision to move to the county government, the Salisbury City Council took time to acknowledge his contributions to the city. Mayor Karen Alexander highlighted Aceves bringing the Cheerwine Festival to Salisbury, raising over $1 million in grant funding, creating the Miller Recreation Teen Center and leading the comprehensive parks and recreation master plan.

“When you think about those things being programs, facilities and events that improve the quality of life here in Salisbury and help with tourism and the economic development impact of those things, Nick you had a tremendous impact on the city and this organization and I thank you,” City Manager Jim Greene said at the time.

Aceves said his first goal after being named the director was to sit down with all of the different teams and employees under the recreation umbrella and talk about what both sides expect after the change. He said that while he had some experience with the facilities simply from living in the area and utilizing them himself, he wanted to hear from the people who have been involved with the “front-line operations” day in and day out.

“I want to make sure that everybody gets to be a part of this. I want to hear the staffs’ dreams, hopes and wants and I want to make sure that they hear mine as well,” said Aceves.

Aceves earned his bachelor’s degree in media studies in 1999 and his master’s degree in leisure service management in 2012 from UNCG. He has also completed the leadership excellence and development program at the University of Virginia, the Municipal and County Administration Program and the Public Executive Leadership Academy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a certified parks and recreation professional with the National Recreation and Parks Association.

Last year, Aceves garnered the Pacesetter award for outstanding UNCG alumni who have attained recognition through their achievements in scholarship, leadership or service during their career or through civic involvement. He has secured nearly $2.7 million in parks and recreation-related grants for the communities in which he has worked over the span of his career.

Earlier this year, Aceves was closely involved with the county’s reception of a $450,000 accessible parks grant for the renovation of the bathhouse at Dan Nicholas Park. The grant was given to the county to assist with enhancing the park’s accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Aceves attributes his collaborative spirit to traveling the country as a child of a military parent and being able to see and live in communities all over the United States. In his free time, he enjoys traveling with his family any time he can whether on day trips or longer vacations to explore beaches or parks.

Bringle retired after working for Rowan County for 20 years, finishing his career as facilities management, parks and recreation and fleet management director. His titles were split up and handed to different departments, with Director of Auditing Andy Downs taking over as fleet management director and Director of Engineering and Environmental Services Craig Powers taking over as facilities management director.

“Rowan County Parks and Recreation is in good hands with Nick Aceves as the director,” said Bringle.

Bringle said that there were several projects that were still ongoing during the transition that he had hoped to finish before his retirement, including a multi-million dollar project upgrading restrooms and other facilities at parks throughout the county to increase accessibility for individuals with disabilities. However, Bringle said that he had full faith in Aceves’ ability to finish his work and if Aceves ever had any questions or needed assistance, he was only a phone call away.

Aceves said that working with Bringle for the past few months had been a valuable experience, as he had been able to learn from the man who had shaped the current status of Rowan County Parks and Recreation.

“Luckily, I got to work with Don and absorb some of his past and what he had done while he was here. He’s a good guy, a sweet man and I’m honored to be able to follow him,” said Aceves.