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Michelle Artis steps into manager’s role at racquet club

Michelle Artis is the new manager of the H-F Park District Racquet & Fitness Club. (Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)

The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s Racquet & Fitness Club has a new manager. Michelle Artis is succeeding Eileen Rohrer who is retiring.

Artis has been on the job since shortly after her appointment April 11. Rohrer will be at the club through the end of June helping Artis learn the club operations and park district management.

“I am so excited to be here,” Artis said. “I’m learning everything top to bottom, inside and out” so she can assess what upgrades and changes are needed at the club.

Artis comes to the H-F Park District from the Wheaton Park District where she’s worked the past 16 years first as a personal trainer and led group classes. She then served as the assistant manager of the park district’s fitness center, and later was promosted to the manager’s position. She also managed the district’s mini golf course and skate park and was one of the special events team leaders.

One of the H-F Park District’s projects is to put a greater emphasis on making the racquet club a community site by shifting some park programs to space in the club building. Artis said she is ready to help with the transition. She helped the Wheaton parks redesign its facility, although the pandemic delayed the work until this year.

“We had to go inch-by-inch and room-by-room to see what needed to be changed, upgraded or redone,” she said of the Wheaton work that was slated as a five-year project. She also assisted with the redesign of the layout and front desk areas for the Carol Stream Park District.

“It’s a lot of work, a lot of planning, a lot of detail but the end result is always great when you can provide for the community,” Artis said.

Growing up on Chicago Southeast Side she said she played every sport, and was on the volleyball, basketball and fast pitch softball teams all through high school. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a concentration in fitness management from DePaul University.

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