Andrew Bass has been selected to serve as South Suburban Parks and Recreation District’s new executive director, following Rob Hanna’s resignation in February.
Bass has worked as director of parks, recreation and community services in the City of Reno, Nevada, for seven years before joining the City of Chandler, Arizona, as its director of community services. He served in that role for nearly three years, then became Chandler’s deputy city manager in 2022.
South Suburban extended the offer to Bass on June 24, and as of press time, he had yet to accept the offer.
“My vision for the future of the district (is) one where we’re unified in purpose, and that includes all of our cities, counties and partners that we work with,” Bass said during his interview with the district’s board of directors on June 6. “(I want) our staff to be empowered to be in action — I don’t want staff coming to me for approval on every decision — I want to give vision, direction and guidelines to execute. The final vision is to be deeply engaged. Hopefully, residents can feel like they can reach out to us.”
Bass emphasized the importance of the district’s workplace culture of encouraging open communication and trust among staff and directors.
“I want all team members to feel valued and connected,” he said.
Regarding South Suburban’s organizational chart, Bass said during his interview that he hopes to improve department structure by reducing redundant tasks, and enhancing communication by potentially implementing cross-functional leadership teams. He explained these teams are composed of key department staff who meet regularly to address problems and provide updates.
During the June 24 board of directors’ special meeting, boardmembers shared that they enjoyed Bass’ positive approach to the role.
“He was solid … Across all different (topics), he excelled,” said Elizabeth Watson.