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July 15, 2021

Boulder County advances three finalists in search for Parks & Open Space Director


Public invited to attend presentations by the finalists in person on Friday, July 23; Interested parties may submit questions to be considered by the hiring committee by Sunday, July 18.


Boulder County, Colo. -- After a rigorous national recruiting effort and a thorough interview process that involved Boulder County employees from across several county departments and our community partners, the County Administrator and the Boulder County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) have selected three finalists for the Parks & Open Space director candidate selection process.

Meet The Candidate Finalists

Note: Full bio information for each finalist is available at: www.boco.org/OpenSpaceDirectorSearch

Headshot of Kurt Carlson

Kurt Carlson

Kurt Carlson is the Open Space and Trails Operations Manager for Adams County Parks in Brighton. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of day-to-day operations of parks, trails, and open space including managing Riverdale Regional Park, five community parks, over 2,000 acres of parks/open space, areas, ROW maintenance, management of over 41.75 miles of rails, 233 surface acres of lakes and ponds, and 15 trailheads. (Learn more about Kurt)

Headshot of Therese Glowacki

Therese Glowacki

Therese Glowacki is the Manager of the Resource Management Division for Boulder County Parks & Open Space. In this capacity, she is responsible for leading the division and coordinating integrated restoration projects in forestry, grasslands, stream, and wetland ecosystems, including emergency restoration for Cal-Wood, Four Mile, Overland and Walker Ranch fires and the 2013 flood. (Learn more about Therese)

Headshot of Doug Romig

Doug Romig

Doug Romig is the Deputy Director for Polk County Conservation in Granger, Iowa. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading day-to-day operations including administration, community outreach, construction and maintenance, environmental education, equestrian center, fleet services, natural resources, and parks. (Learn more about Doug)


Finalist presentations: Friday, July 23 at 1 p.m., Beech Open Space Shelter

In-person:

Members of the public are invited to attend presentations by the finalists on Friday, July 23, starting at 1 p.m. at the Beech Shelter located east of Highway 36 on Neva Road (map).

Feedback from the public will be collected after the presentations. Carpooling and early arrival is strongly recommended, as parking and seating will be limited. However, standing room will be available outside the shelter.

Online:

Finalists will also record their presentations ahead of time and those recordings will be posted to the www.boco.org/OpenSpaceDirectorSearch webpage on Tuesday, July 20. The hiring committee will also welcome public feedback through a form on the webpage. The deadline to submit feedback about the candidates is midnight on Sunday, July 25.


Presentation Topic:

The candidate finalists will be presenting on the following topic:

As with many other locales, Boulder County has experienced a tension between protection of open space resources (agricultural, cultural, environmental, scenic/buffers, etc.) and access to parks and open space lands for passive recreation.

What do you see as the appropriate weight to give habitat protection, agricultural, and recreational uses of county open space lands? Why? In your response, please describe your vision and address how you would lead the department to achieve your vision. Please include how you would motivate staff (within existing resources in both staff and funding) and how you would evaluate and respond to community needs– not just vocal interest groups, but all interest groups in the community.

Submit Questions

Candidates will have 20 minutes for their presentations, followed by 10 minutes of questions from the facilitator. The hiring committee is seeking input for questions that should be asked of the candidates by the facilitator. The committee will develop questions based on frequently asked questions and themes. If you would like to submit a question, please do so by midnight on Sunday, July 18, using the form on the webpage.


Selection Process:

For questions about the selection process, please contact Ruth Becker, Strategic Advisor, at rbecker@bouldercounty.org. (Note: please do not forward your questions or feedback regarding the finalist candidates to Ruth, as your input may not be collected in time for the deadlines. Use the form on the webpage instead.)