SPEAKER

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Aguirre brings 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. In his role at the helm of Seattle’s municipal parks and recreation agency, Aguirre oversees a $260-million annual budget, almost 1,000 full-time staff members, and stewardship of 6,400 acres of parkland, 480 public parks, and dozens of facilities including pools, golf courses, athletic fields, family play spaces, and more. 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 off 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.