Colorado Springs selects new director for Parks & Recreation Department

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The City of Colorado Springs announced Monday that Britt Haley has been selected as the Director of the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department (PRCS), pending city council confirmation.

According to the city, Haley has been serving as the acting parks director since Karen Palus’ departure on June 3, 2022. Prior to that, she served as manager of park design and development in addition to overseeing the Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) sales tax program since 2017.

Also according to the city, before working in the PRCS department, Haley was the corporate division chief in the Colorado Springs City Attorney’s Office, served as a deputy district attorney in Colorado’s 5th Judicial District, was the executive director for the Western Business Roundtable, the director of the State Board of Land Commissioners, the chief council and chief deputy legal counsel for the Office of the Governor of Colorado, and the assistant attorney general in Denver. Through this work, she focused on land and water rights acquisitions and exchanges, land stewardship and management, and gained specialized experience in government law. She has a bachelor’s degree in international affairs and a law degree from the University of Colorado.

“In the course of her final interview, Britt indicated that in essence she’s been preparing for this job for her whole life, and when you look at her experience and qualifications that’s very true,” said Mayor John Suthers. “Her focus has been on preserving and protecting parkland and making it available for public use. The City of Colorado Springs would be fortunate to retain and promote someone with her impressive background.”

The parks director is responsible for managing the operations of the PRCS department by establishing and implementing the department policies and procedures; creating strategic plans for the department’s goals and objectives in alignment with the City's overall plan; and researching, developing, and administering new service delivery methods, trends, and emergency response plans.