Jesús Aguirre
Chief Executive Officer, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, Austin, Texas
Jesús Aguirre is Chief Executive Officer of Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, a non-profit organization creating and maintaining an innovative linear park system around a restored Waller Creek in downtown Austin in partnership with the City of Austin. Waterloo Greenway is committed to ensuring that all communities have meaningful access to all aspects of the parks, including workforce opportunities, programmatic engagement, and community partnerships.
Jesús Aguirre brings experience from City of Seattle, where he served as Superintendent of the Department of Parks and Recreation for nearly six years, as well as more than 20 years of public service leadership experience in several major metropolitan jurisdictions, including Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and Seattle.
After graduating from UT, Aguirre received a Master’s in Business Administration from Arizona State University. Prior to his work in Seattle, he served as director of the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation, where he oversaw more than $115 million in facility design, construction, and redevelopment efforts in the nation’s capital. In addition, Aguirre has also worked in the education sector, starting as a middle school science teacher, and ultimately serving as the State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia. Aguirre and his wife co founded and ran a nonprofit K-8 dual-language charter school in Phoenix for 10 years. He serves on the boards of the National Recreation and Park Association and Children and Nature Network, and is a member of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration.