Board of Directors 
 

Margie Maasen, President                                                            

Having served as a volunteer on the Platte County Board of Park Commissioners for ten years, Margie had the opportunity to participate in planning for the growth of the County Park system.  She served on the Platte Profile 2020 Vision committee, Northland Trails Vision committee, Platte County Land Use Plan committee, Platte County Community Centers committee and participated in other groups and committees related to parks and recreation.  Margie remains an active member of KCMO/Platte County Park Partners ad hoc group, KCMO/Platte County Trails Committee, Line Creek Valley Development Planning committee, and participates in community planning efforts with opportunities for recreation in Platte County.  Margie works in Platte County as an Educator with Parents as Teachers in Park Hill School District and as a Realtor with RE/MAX of Kansas City.  She is currently involved in developing affordable, bungalow style homes in Platte County.  She is married to Mike Maasen and they have three wonderful children together. 

Margie has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business from the University of Maryland.  Though having attended college in Iowa and Maryland, she and Mike were born and raised in Kansas City North and moved back in 1985.   

She has been actively involved with her children through various PTA’s and school committee’s, sports and church activities as they were growing up.  Their youngest child is at Park Hill High School and enjoys swimming as a team sport.  Mike and Margie enjoy community service and are actively involved in their church. 

Margie loves the outdoors – walking, riding bikes, exploring, gardening, traveling, being with friends and family as well as movies and music.

Laurie’s Burgess, Vice President
 

Appointed to the Platte County Board of Parks Commissioners in 2004, Laurie was elected Chairman in January 2007.  She serves as Vice President on the board of the newly organized Friends of Platte County Parks and Recreation.  Laurie has been a resident of Kansas City in Platte County for 35 years, and her husband John and she  raised their four children here.  They now have ten grandchildren!  She has a B.S. in Secondary Education from the University of Kansas and holds a Lifetime Teaching Certificate from the state of Missouri.  She is also a licensed real estate agent. 

In April, 2007, Laurie will begin a second “career” on the Park Hill School District Board of Education.  She previously served for nine years ( 1994-2003 ), including two terms as president.  She served on nine PTA boards in Park Hill, and was awarded the 1991 Super Booster of the Year Award.  Laurie was honored as one of the 50 All Time Park Hill Heroes, and received the Friend of Education Award in 2003 from the Park Hill NEA.  In 2006, she was chairman of the Park Hill Bond Election Committee, and served as a member of the first annual Hall of Fame Induction Committee. 

The Kansas City Symphony is another of Laurie’s passions, along with Platte County Parks, the Park Hill School District, and of course, her amazing family.  She likes to say when asked what I do, “Arts and Parks!”  She is immediate past president of the Kansas City Symphony Guild, the Symphony’s Northland auxiliary.  She is past president of the Art and Literature Club of Parkville and was a Stonecroft Bible Studies Coordinator for 20 years.  Her hobbies are their grandchildren, reading, and working crossword puzzles.  And for recreation, she loves visiting one of Platte County’s wonderful parks, trails, or Community Centers.

Neil Davidson, Treasurer                                                        

Neil is the Treasurer for the Friends of Platte County Parks and Recreation non profit group..  He is also a member of the Parkville Rotary Club, a member of the Mid America Regional Council Bike/Pedestrian & Metrogreen Committees, a member of the Platte County Land Trust,  past Chairman of the Platte County Board of Park Commissioners, Secretary of the Platte County Board of Park Commissioners, and  past Chairman of the Northland Chamber Parks Committee.  Neil is retired from TWA after working for 31 years in the Aircraft Engineering Department.

He and his lovely wife, Clarice, live in Parkville and make it their home base for their many worldwide travels.  Neil enjoys walking, biking and exploring trails, parks and canoeing .  He also plays volleyball.

Brian P. Nowotny, Secretary
 

A parks and recreational professional since 1992, Brian Nowotny is currently the Director of Parks and Recreation for Platte County and has served in that position since 2001.  Originally from Texas, Brian previously lived in Arkansas City, Kansas where he was the Superintendent of the Arkansas City Recreation Commission.  Brian received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Degree from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. 

Brian is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional and is the Secretary-Elect of the Missouri Parks and Recreation Association.  Brian also serves on the MetroGreen Technical Advisory Group and the Transportation Enhancements Committees of the Mid-America Regional Council and the Parks and Recreation and Leadership Committees of the Northland Chamber of Commerce. 

Brian lives in Weston, Missouri with his family where he enjoys the many outdoor wonders of Platte County including running and bicycling.