Great leadership builds more than facilities: Exemplary Public Servant Cory Tobin
Souce: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/, Lori Tobias, First Published Oct 16th, 2025
Playing outdoors and in youth athletics was as natural to Cory Tobin as the mountain ranges and coastal waters of his North Carolina home. So, when Tobin discovered those pastimes could be part of a productive adult life, he set a path in that direction and hasn’t looked back.
“Everyone loves a playground,” said Tobin, parks and recreation director for Thomasville, North Carolina, a city of about 27,000 people in the Piedmont region of the state. “Once I figured recreation was actually a career, to be able to still be involved with the outdoors, with athletics, it was just something I naturally gravitated towards.”
Tobin joined the city staff in 2011 and moved into the Parks and Recreation leadership role three years ago. The Exemplary Public Servant award winner is earning kudos for leadership skills that have “elevated the quality of life for residents and enhanced the department’s long-term sustainability,” said Thomasville Deputy City Manager Eddie Bowling.
Tobin has led the completion of Thomasville’s $7 million aquatics and community center, the city’s first new recreational facility built from the ground up in more than seven decades. The project required “meticulous planning, stakeholder collaboration, and adherence to tight schedules and budgets,” Bowling said, and Tobin delivered.
With the project spanning less than two years from conception to completion, the state-of-the-art facility now serves as a hub for community engagement and wellness.
“Cory ensured the project was completed on time and within budget, delivering a modern facility that meets the needs of current and future generations,” Bowling said.
While meeting those criteria was of the utmost importance, Tobin said he also made sure the center serves everyone year-round.
In overseeing the facility design, Tobin studied similar centers nationwide but also found plenty of inspiration close to home.
“I’m very proud of the North Carolina Recreation Association, which offers a lot of support for recreation,” Tobin said. “I think that North Carolinians, in general, appreciate the outdoors and being able to play outside and have a good time, and with that comes activity centers.”
