Blumenfeld Appointed Interim Rec and Park Director
Jared Blumenfeld has been assigned the job of Interim Director of the Rec and Park Department by Mayor Gavin Newsom. Blumenfeld has been the Director of the Department of the Environment for the last 7 years. In that role he's been at the forefront of most of the Mayor's environmental initiatives including the Zero Waste program, the massive solar installation on Moscone , the ban on styrofoam in take-out packaging, the city solar rebates, and the fight to get all the plastic water bottles out of City Hall, to mention just a few. His department has been one of the most productive and best led in the city.
Blumenfeld will need to muster all his managerial skills to manage the Rec and Park Department, even on an interim basis. The Department seems to be suffering from a bit of lethargy and a lot of low moral. Maybe Blumenfeld can bring some fresh energy and sunlight to the situation.
From the Mayor's press release:
Mayor Newsom Picks Environment Director Jared Blumenfeld as Interim Director of Rec. and Park
10/08/08 - Mayor Newsom today picked San Francisco Environment Department Director Jared Blumenfeld to serve as interim Director of the Recreation and Park Department until a permanent Director has been hired. Blumenfeld, Environment Director since 2001, has twenty years of experience across a wide range of environmental areas, and will look to assist Rec. & Park to advance recycling, energy efficiency, and other programs.
"Jared has tackled some of the biggest environmental issues facing our city and our planet, from global warming to recycling to green building," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "In addition to being a top notch manager, Jared’s wealth of experience makes him uniquely qualified to take the helm at the Recreation and Park Department until there is a permanent director."
Prior to working for the City and County of San Francisco, Blumenfeld served as Director of Global Habitat Protection for the Massachusetts-based International Fund for Animal Welfare. There, he protected more than 8 million acres of wildlife habitat worldwide in China, India, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. He also led a 5-year global campaign to stop Mitsubishi from building a salt factory in Baja’s Laguna San Ignacio, which was hailed by Cox News as "The most significant environmental victory of our generation."
Blumenfeld is an attorney, with degrees from Boalt Hall School of Law and the University of London, and was editor at Cambridge University Center for International Law. He also worked for Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.
"From neighborhood recreation centers to Golden Gate Park, San Francisco’s parks and open spaces are world class," said Jared Blumenfeld. "I am excited to work with Recreation & Park staff to help deliver a first rate experience for San Francisco residents and visitors. I consider it an honor to work alongside our gardeners, recreation coordinators, and scores of citizen volunteers." Blumenfeld also observed that the Recreation and Park Department is a national leader in reducing toxic pesticides and chemicals.
He will step into the interim Director position pending approval of the Recreation and Parks Commission.
