Credit: HUE12, LLC
Credit: HUE12, LLC
“I am incredibly grateful for his service to not only the board, but to all of Montgomery County. During his tenure with the board, MetroParks further established itself as an indispensable asset for the community following the COVID pandemic,” Hesser said in a Five Rivers MetroParks social media post.
“His leadership helped people find respite during trying times. The Five Rivers MetroParks team mourns this loss.”
Monita replaced Alan Pippenger on the Board of Park Commissioners in April 2019. He served as vice president of the board from January 2025 through his death this month, according to Five Rivers MetroParks.
Monita served on the boards of Kettering Health Foundation and the Ohio Federation of Independent Colleges and was the former board chair of the Dayton Art Institute and Sinclair Foundation.
The Dayton Art Institute over the weekend sent its condolences to Bear’s wife, Barbra, and their loved ones. Monita and his wife served on the DAI Associate Board, chairing the museum’s Art Ball in 2010. Bear also served on the Board of Trustees.
“Bear will forever be part of the museum’s history,” Dayton Art Institute officials shared in a social media post on Sunday.
Monita was a former partner of LWC Incorporated, the Dayton area’s oldest architectural, interior design and planning firm, retiring from the firm in 2024 following 28 years of work.
Before joining LWC, he served as the district director for U.S. Congressman Tony Hall and the government affairs manager of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, according to Five Rivers MetroParks.
Under Ohio law, Five Rivers MetroParks is governed by a three-member volunteer board of park commissioners who are appointed by the probate judge of Montgomery County. A new commissioner will be appointed to fill the vacancy, Five Rivers MetroParks officials said.
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