Hiring Committees Selected to Search for Parks, HR Directors

Published on August 19, 2026

The City of Sioux Falls’ search for directors to lead the Parks and Recreation and Human Resources departments is officially underway. Mayor Christine Erickson selected individuals representing the city, Sioux Falls City Council and community to serve on two hiring committees. The committees will seek national, regional and local candidates to fill the positions.

“With the search for our next planning and development services director well underway, we’re moving forward with recruitment for two important department leaders,” Mayor Erickson said. “The Parks and Recreation and Human Resources departments each play vital, but very different, roles for our community. For both positions, we’re looking for individuals who bring strong leadership experience, a commitment to public service and visionary thinking to lead these departments and represent our city and community.”

Committee members selected to search for the next parks and recreation director include:

Jim David, chief of staff, Mayor’s Office
Taylor Fechner, executive director of operations, YMCA
Karlie Solum, member, Mayor Erickson’s transition team
Richard Thomason, councilor, Sioux Falls City Council
Jon Thum, chief, Sioux Falls Police Department

The Parks and Recreation department is responsible for the design, construction, maintenance and operations of many quality-of-life amenities, like parks, trails, green spaces and recreation and entertainment facilities, that Sioux Falls residents enjoy. Since 2010, the department has been accredited from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA), which sets the national standards for efficient and effective operations. The department has 91 full-time and more than 400 seasonal part-time employees.

The department oversees:

82 developed parks
3,474 park acres
41 miles of Recreation Trail
Park planning, design and development
Recreation and aquatic facilities, including the Westside Recreation Center, Jacobson Plaza, Midco Aquatic Center, golf courses, six outdoor pools and four spray parks
Recreation programming
Facility rentals and special events
Forestry operations
Management of partnerships with Sioux Falls Golf, Falls Overlook Cafe, Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum, Great Bear Recreation Park, Great Plains Zoo, Levitt Shell Sioux Falls, Falls Park Visitor Center, U.S.S. South Dakota Battleship Memorial, Outdoor Campus and Butterfly House Aquarium

The Parks and Recreation department supports the city’s Parks and Recreation Board. The director also represents the department on the Zoological Society of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Sports Authority and the Sioux Falls Parks Foundation, which is run by the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation.

For the human resources director, the following individuals will comprise the hiring committee:

Alysia Boysen, director, Siouxland Libraries
Lon Clemensen, self-employed
Jim David, chief of staff, Mayor’s Office
James Oppenheimer, councilor, Sioux Falls City Council

The Human Resources department serves the city employees who serve the community. The department has 19 full-time team members who support more than 1,400 full-time and more than 800 seasonal part-time employees across the city’s 12 departments.

The department oversees the following for city employees:

Recruitment and staffing
Employee relations
Learning and development
Compensation and benefits
Regulatory compliance
Labor relations
Workers’ compensation
Risk and safety

The Human Resources department supports the city’s Civil Service Board, Firefighter’s Pension Fund Board of Trustees and Employee’s Retirement System Board of Trustees.

The previous human resources and parks and recreation directors retired in March and April, respectively. The city currently has job postings listed for three director-level positions, including human resources, parks and recreation and planning and development services.

The hiring committees, with support from the city’s Human Resources team, will oversee application screening, initial interviews and finalist recommendations for the director positions.

To view the director job postings, visit siouxfalls.gov/careers.