Jennifer Meeks-Part Time Front Desk Attendant and Building Supervisor
Hello! My name is Jennifer Meeks and my position is the front desk at Hillcrest Community Center. I have been a part-time employee since December of 2012, so ten years with the Parks and Recreation Department. Along with reception duties, I print and mail the newsletters each month, take care of calculating group sign-in sheets, call Bingo weekly, help with setup of rooms for activities like Karaoke and Bingo. I also process payments for special event vendors, yearly memberships and communication with all Heritage Festival participants.
My husband, Joey and I have been married for 9 years and together 10. We went to high school together in Centralia and reunited later in life after divorce. I have 3 adult daughters and an autistic step son. My oldest daughter is married with my 3 grandkids, 2 girls ages 10, 4 & my grandson almost 2.
My husband and I love Blues hockey, football and baseball games. I enjoy anything to do with paper making-junk journals and any ephemera that goes in them, monthly stationery and occasional book swaps. We have two rescue pitbull mixes named Hank & Ember and 2 bratty cats named Misty & Sadie.
Courtney Deters-Recreation Supervisor and Rental Facilities
Hello! I am Courtney Deters, Recreation Supervisor for Columbia Parks and Recreation, overseeing Hillcrest and Indoor Rental Facilities. I earned my Associate of Arts degree from St. Louis Community College in 1996, and then transferred to Mizzou where I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism. I have been with Columbia Parks and Recreation in total for over 27 years. I first started as a part-time employee in 1997, and completed my internship here as well. Starting in 1999, I became the full-time Life Enrichment Recreation Specialist, and in 2024 promoted to Recreation Supervisor.
I live just outside of Columbia in the country with my husband and our two 12-year-old lab/pit mix dogs. We have two sons: Brendan is 23 years old and lives in Moberly, and Adam is 19 years old and attending college to pursue a degree in Electronic Engineering. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with family, DIY home-improvement projects, camping, canoeing, planning trips and traveling, and playing games (especially card games, Mah Jongg, and word games).
Sarah Bowman-Adapted Recreation and 50+ Programs Recreation Specialist
I'm Sarah, and I grew up in Lake of the Ozarks with my parents and my brother. I spent a lot of time on the Lake, and I miss it! I attended college at the University of Missouri in Columbia and graduated in 2005 and immediately started working with Columbia's Parks and Recreation department. I am the Recreation Specialist for Adapted Community Recreation and the 50+ Program. My family and I live in Hartsburg, Missouri and my daughter, Taylor, is in 8th grade at Southern Boone County Middle School (Go Eagles!) I love to crochet, tie dye, read, hike, hunt, play Mah Jongg, hang out with my family and travel. Taylor loves horses, so we spend a lot of time at High Spirits Farm in Ashland, Missouri. We have several pets in our family which include 2 indoor cats (Hopper and Wedgie), a ball python (Skelly), and 2 outside cats (Pinta and Floof).
Moira Theis-Special Events Recreation Specialist
My name is Moira Crowell and I am the Special Events and Facilities Rental Recreation
Specialist. I am in charge of events like the Family Fun Fest, Tons of Trucks, Movies in the
Park, Food Truck Roundup, and the Concert Series. I also will be giving tours of the rental
facilities. I am new, having only started late February, so I love getting to know everyone and
have people know me. I graduated from Mizzou this past December with a Natural Resources
Science and Management degree. I grew up in Saint Louis, but have bounced around
seasonally across Missouri. I have a long term significant other who I love to hike, go caving,
and birdwatching with.