Gov. Kelly Armstrong has promoted a five-year veteran of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department to lead the agency. 

Tony Hillig will become director of the department effective immediately, Armstrong’s office announced Thursday. 

Hillig has been serving as recreation division chief since December 2020. He previously served as the department’s motorized recreation coordinator.

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Prior to joining Parks and Recreation in 2019, Hillig served more than 25 years in the U.S. Army. 

A Bismarck native, Hillig earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Troy University in Alabama. 

“With more than 32 years in the military and state government, Tony has proven to be a strong and capable leader and problem-solver,” Armstrong said in a news release.

Hillig succeeds Cody Schulz, who became chief financial officer in the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Schulz had served as Parks and Recreation director since 2021.

North Dakota has 14 state parks and recreation areas, including Pembina Gorge State Park, which opened in June – the first new state park to open since 1989. The Parks and Recreation Department has a two-year budget of $62 million with up to 76 full-time employees and 400 seasonal workers.

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