Jesús Aguirre is Chief Executive O?cer of Waterloo Greenway
Conservancy, a non-pro?t organization creating and maintaining an innovative
linear park system around a restored Waller Creek in downtown Austin in
partnership with the City of Austin. Waterloo Greenway is committed to ensuring
that all communities have meaningful access to all aspects of the parks,
including workforce opportunities, programmatic engagement, and community
partnerships.
Jesús Aguirre brings experience from City of Seattle, where he
served as Superintendent of the Department of Parks and Recreation for nearly
six years, as well as more than 20 years of public service leadership experience
in several major metropolitan jurisdictions, including Los Angeles, New York
City, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and Seattle.
During his term in Seattle overseeing the City’s robust parks and
recreation department, Aguirre led initial implementation of a park district
infusing $50 million annually to the department’s budget. Further, he drove the development of a
long-term strategic plan anchored in equity and aligned with the City’s open
space plan and the upcoming comprehensive plan update.
Prior to his work in Seattle, he served as director of the
District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation, where he oversaw more
than $115 million in facility design, construction, and redevelopment efforts
in the nation’s capital. Aguirre led the
municipal agency through an organizational development process resulting in
refocused mission and values, as well as a long-term strategic plan.
Aguirre holds a BA in Biology from the University of Texas at
Austin, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Arizona State
University.
Prior to his work in parks and recreation, Aguirre worked in the
public education sector, starting as a middle school science teacher, and
ultimately serving as the State Superintendent of Education for the District of
Columbia. Aguirre and his wife co-founded and ran a nonprofit K-8 dual-language
charter school in Phoenix for 10 years.
He serves as Chair-elect of the board of the National Recreation
and Park Association and current chair of the board of the Children and Nature
Network. Aguirre is also a Certified
Parks and Recreation Executive (CPRE) and is a member of the American Academy
for Park and Recreation Administration. [updated 5-2023]