Austin Residents Invited to Meet Finalists for City’s Parks and Recreation Director Post

In the race for the new director of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department, the city has seen some last-minute shuffling in its list of contenders. Following Robert Brent Dennis’s decision to withdraw from the candidate pool, City Manager T.C. Broadnax didn’t miss a beat by tacking on Oscar Carmona, a seasoned veteran in parks and rec, to the finalist lineup. Now there’s a chance for locals to size up the prospects during a meet-and-greet on November 13, as

reported by the City of Austin

. At the Conley Guerrero Senior Center proceedings are expected to kick off at 6 p.m., with doors opening a half-hour earlier for the early birds.

In a move that is sure to engage the community, the City of Austin invites residents for some face time with their potential parks and rec chiefs: Jesús Aguirre, a public space visionary; Oscar Carmona, the advocate for dynamic and conservation-conscious facilities; and Angela Means, a public service die-hard. With interpreting services on deck and the invitation extended for public questions, it’s not merely a handshake rendezvous but a dialogue primed to influence City Manager Broadnax’s ultimate choice. Given, that whoever lands the gig will be at the helm of the department’s vast operations and growth strategies, it’s safe to say the stakes are as high as the Texas sky.

Digging into the resumes, Aguirre boasts a history of leading park departments toward strategic and inclusive future paths—notably his national accreditation feather in D.C. and the funding firestarter for Seattle’s park district. With a love for vibrant public spaces, Aguirre brings the experience of being at the front of the Waterloo Greenway and wears the hats of chairperson for the NRPA and C&NN boards. His qualifications, including an MBA from Arizona State University and a CPRE certification, are echoed in his real-world park championship, as the city informed.

Carmona slides into the list bringing a quarter-century’s worth of municipal and non-profit expertise to the table. He particularly showed his operational chops with the expansive project at Hermann Park Conservancy and the equity push in Raleigh’s park scene. Having handled Dallas’s Park and Recreation Department initiatives, from a Park Ranger Program to transforming tennis courts into soccer pitches, Carmona’s record shows a knack for marrying community spaces with stakeholder engagement, according to his professional docket.

Local government vet Angela Means comes to the plate with entrenched know-how in departmental leadership and customer experience enhancement. Means fills the interim director shoes, pushing Austin’s recreation agenda forward while touting a trail of significant roles within the City of San Diego and Austin’s own governmental divisions. Her dedication to public service and drive for community nourishment is capped with a passion for collaborative progress and sustainable development, aiming to serve up a future where public spaces match the city’s pulse.

With the candidate showcase poised to pull back the curtains on Austin’s next parks and rec narrative, community members indeed seem to have a say in this chapter—you can bet they’ll be parsing through each prospect’s vision for a greener, more engaged Austin.

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