Malcolm Matthews, Director of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department since 1998, is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional and licensed landscape architect. He oversees a multi-service department employing 800 permanent and 2,000 seasonal staff with an annual operating budget of $55 million and a current annual capital improvements program of $30 million. The department manages 190 parks, 22 pools, 8 golf facilities, 26 recreation centers, 155 after school sites, cemeteries, and historical/tourist facilities including the River Walk, Hemisfair Park, Botanical Gardens and Market Square.
The City of San Antonio adopted a Parks and Recreation System Plan in 1999, which will help guide the future of the department. Passage of a park bond issue and voter approved sales tax proposition for parkland during the past two years and a recent financial commitment to improve the San Antonio River have resulted in approximately $200 million in capital improvement funds for the park system over the next few years.
The City passed in 2001 its first park dedication requirement for new subdivision development to provide neighborhood parks.
Malcolm graduated from Texas Tech University in 1978 with a degree in Landscape Architecture. In addition to AAPRA, he is the past president of the Texas Recreation and Parks Society and past board member of the NRPA Southwest Regional Council and a member of NRPA and TRAPS since 1979. He is a member of several local boards and committees in the San Antonio and Central Texas area.