Ziegler resigns from GVR

Jeff Ziegler, 53, executive director of Green Valley Recreation, Inc. for the past 24 years, resigned that position Monday to start a new job as general manager of Heritage Highlands, a gated, 1,300-home adult community in the Marana Dove Mountain area.

Ziegler tendered his resignation to the GVR Board of Directors, giving 30 days notice as required in his employment contract, he said.

His resignation is effective April 27 and he starts his new job May 2.

Ziegler wrote the following statement for publication in the Green Valley News and “Keeping Current,” GVR’s newsletter .

“It has been a very difficult and emotional decision prodding me to leave a community that has been my professional focus since 1983,” Ziegler wrote.

“Over the past two decades many of the GVR staff and members have become part of my extended family. However, in the final analysis, I believe the time is right for me to assume new challenges in my life.

“I definitely feel proud of what we have all accomplished together during my tenure as your executive director and wish to thank so many people for their encouragement and support.

“As I make plans to depart, I am confident that GVR can remain as one of the pre-eminent leisure service providers in Southern Arizona. ”

Ziegler said he believes the Heritage Highlands position offers “a unique opportunity” to manage an 18-hole golf course and 225-seat restaurant, in addition to working with the newly created homeowner association and its committees.

U.S. Homes is in the first year of transition in turning over Heritage Highlands to the HOA, but has committed to a $2.8 million capital construction project at its clubhouse, where the restaurant is located, he said.

Heritage Highlands also offers some familiar turf for Ziegler in that, like GVR, it provides recreational amenities, such as tennis, a fitness center, pool and spa.

He said most people view the 6,200-acre master-planned Dove Mountain community in the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains as “a jewel.”

He said he’s also excited about the prospect of another golf course being built at Dover Mountain and Heritage Highlands’ proximity to The Gallery at Dove Mountain, which recently hosted the Accenture Match Play championship golf tournament, which drew such notables as Tiger Woods.

There are also plans to build a Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Dove Mountain, he said.

In addition, he said, working there will cut his commuting time in half, since he lives in the Tucson Mountain area, on the west side just outside the city limits.

Ziegler declined to reveal the salary he was offered at his new job. His base salary at GVR is $89,000 per year, plus benefits.

Statement from Burt

Jim Burt, president of the GVR board, issued the following statement Tuesday.

“While it is difficult to think of GVR without Jeff, the board is happy for this new opportunity before him. He has never been one to shirk from challenges. GVR has definitely been blessed with the stability and leadership which Mr. Ziegler has provided GVR over the past 24 years.

“As the new board reorganizes next week, we will make the creation of a search committee our top priority. In the interim, the board will look to appoint an interim director from within the staff at GVR to assist with the internal transition as Jeff leaves Green Valley,” Burt’s statement said.

Past President Glenn Lundell said he was stunned by the news, but said he was surprised “Ziegler wasn’t lured away earlier.”

“He’s the best-qualified person I know in the recreation business, with his education and experience. GVR will face a real challenge in replacing him. He was an excellent balancing force, and consistently moved GVR forward. I definitely do not think he was overpaid,”

Another past GVR president, Stan Riddle, called Ziegler’s leaving “a great loss.”

He’s a fine administrator and a good people person with lots knowledge and is a great inspiration to the staff. He will be a great asset in his new surroundings,” Riddle said.

Past GVR President Roberta Konen also had high praise for Ziegler’s abilities and leadership of the nearly 13,000 member household organization, which has 92 employees and $16.8 million in assets.

“It’s very sad that he’s leaving. I worked with him for four years, and I think he’s wonderful. He knows so much about GVR and I think the organization is losing a really unbelievable person,” Konen said.

Ziegler was not without his critics during his tenure at GVR, most notably Richard Long, who, along with others, frequently expressed their belief that the executive director was overpaid.

That criticism prompted several surveys on the salaries of other executives in the recreation field that consistently found that Ziegler’s salary at GVR was below market compared to those with similar responsibilities.

In an interview Tuesday, Ziegler declined to enumerate at length what he believed were his most significant accomplishments.

“I think we’ve made a number of improvements in the last two decades,” he said.

“But we have a long way to go. I regret I will not be here to see the completion of the Canoa Ranch Recreation Center and the third phase of the Las Campanas center,” he said.

An avid golfer, swimmer and tennis player, Ziegler and his wife, Terre, a pharmacist at St. Mary’s Hospital for the past 27 years, have two grown children.

kengle@gvnews.com|547-9732