Long Beach names new parks and rec leader

The Parks, Recreation and Marine Department in Long Beach has a new leader following the City Manager Patrick West’s hiring of Marie Knight, who headed the parks department in Orange before accepting her newest assignment.

“Long Beach’s parks, beaches, marinas and golf courses are some of the best in the nation, and I will devote my energy to making sure they continue to thrive and are accessible to everybody,” she said in a statement provided by City Hall.

Long Beach officials aounced Knight’s appointment on Friday. She has served for the past nine years as the director of Orange’s Community Services Department, which manages parks and recreational programs in that city.

“She also has valuable experience in project management, customer service, public engagement and organizational development, and will be a great addition to our City Management Team,” Long Beach City Manager Patrick West said in a statement.

Knight’s work experiences also includes positions with the cities of Newport Beach and Garden Grove as well as the Boys & Girls Club Orange County Alliance.

She succeeds interim Long Beach parks and recreation chief Stephen Scott, who has managed the department since former department leader George Chapjian departed in June 2015 for a job in Santa Barbara County govement.

Knight eaed a bachelor’s degree in business communications from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, according to the city’s aouncement.

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