East Bay Park District Hires Deputy General Manager

The East Bay Regional Park District this week named Ana Alvarez, a parks official for the City of San Francisco and a longtime advocate for sustainability and civic engagement, as the District’s first deputy general manager.

Alvarez will start work March 1.

“We’re thrilled to add someone of Ana’s caliber to our ever-growing District,” said East Bay Regional Park District General Manager Robert Doyle. “Her experience, commitment and expertise – especially in matters related to climate change and professional development - will be a tremendous asset to our District.”

As deputy general manager, Alvarez will oversee day-to-day oversight of the four executives responsible for finance, operations, planning, land acquisition, stewardship and development, and human resources. She will also work closely with Doyle to navigate long-term planning, as the Park District continues to expand and be a leader in environmental stewardship.

Alvarez has a long history of park leadership. She most recently served as deputy director of parks and open space for the City and County of San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, overseeing an annual operating budget of $80 million and directly supervising 10 management staff with indirect responsibility for 368 full-time employees and 200 seasonal employees.

Prior to joining San Francisco in 2009, Ana served as director of the City of Santa Fe Spring’s Community Services Department, director of the City of Oceanside Parks and Recreation Department, manager of the City of Burbank’s Cultural Arts Program, and teen programs supervisor for the City of Santa Barbara. Her accomplishments have received numerous awards from professional organizations, including the California League of Cities, California Recreation and Parks Society, California Association of Police Chiefs and the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment.

Alvarez holds a doctoral degree in policy, planning and development from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University Northridge. Her doctoral dissertation focused on San Francisco’s Park and Open Space Sustainability Plan that establishes climate change adaptation strategies, for which Mayor Ed Lee awarded Alvarez the city’s Green Pioneer Award.

She contributes to the development of the next generation of professionals by serving as adjunct faculty for San Francisco State University Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. She also served as faculty in the Green School for the National Recreation & Park Association, focusing on climate change planning, water conservation, sustainable landscape design and practices.

The East Bay Regional Park District is a system of beautiful public parks and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa counties east of San Francisco Bay, established in 1934. The system comprises 120,000 acres in 65 parks including over 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and nature learning.