Highlands Ranch park & rec chief takes Jeffco post
Tom Hoby
JEFFERSON COUNTY –The director of the Highlands Ranch parks and recreation program, Tom Hoby, will lead Jefferson County’s Community Resources Department, the county announced Tuesday.
Hoby will manage the county’s Open Space agency, the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, the Boettcher Mansion, and Jeffco’s Colorado State University Extension service office.
County administrator Ralph Schell said Hoby takes a “collaborative approach” to problem solving.
“Tom has the whole package of skills that we need to manage Jefferson County Open Space and our diverse Community Resources divisions,” Schell said. “He has worked extensively with landowners, has a passion for land preservation and environmental education, and is known for engaging citizens of all ages, helping them connect with the land.
An interview panel made up of representatives of local parks departments, the Open Space Advisory Committee, Plan Jeffco, the Fair Advisory Board and others unanimously recommended Hoby for the position.
Jeffco’s Open Space program is the nation’s oldest county operation of its kind and has acquired and preserved more than 51,000 acres since its creation in 1972.
Hoby will work with the three-member Board of County Commissioners, the county administrator and the Open Space Advisory Committee. Jeffco Open Space has 94 full-time employees. As many as 1,000 volunteers participate in the program each year.
As director of the Community Resources Department, Hoby will have broad executive oversight of Open Space, and also Boettcher Mansion, the historic Lookout Mountain home of the Boettcher family that is now an event and wedding venue; CSU Extension, which provides 4-H youth programs, family and consumer assistance, horticulture and natural resources programs; and the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, which each year hosts more than 500 events.
Hoby, who was director of Parks, Recreation and Open Space for the Highlands Ranch Metropolitan District, will start as Open Space director March 31.
“Leading the Community Resources Department and one of the finest public open space programs in the country to continued success is an exciting new challenge,” Hoby said. “I look forward to working with all the good folks in Jefferson County to sustain and enhance the quality outdoor experiences that are so close to home for so many people.”
During his 17 years with the Highlands Ranch Metro District, Hoby worked with the public, elected officials, developers and other stakeholders to secure $130 million of funding for open space, parks, parkways and trails projects and initiatives. He also led efforts to create a model “green infrastructure community” while overseeing a parks and open space system that totaled 3,000 acres and included 24 parks, more than 70 miles of trails, 33 buildings and numerous amenities.
Hoby has served as director of Parks and Recreation for Essex, Vt., and Lafayette, Colo. He also was associate executive director for Special Olympics Colorado, where he led statewide and regional programs serving 5,000 people with developmental disabilities participating in 18 sports. He started his career as an outdoor recreation planner with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Pinedale, Wyo., and Kremmling.
Hoby graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Outdoor Recreation Administration and is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional. He is past president of the Colorado Parks and Recreation Association.
