Three finalists make a splash as they vie for position of Aquatic Division manager

Last Thursday, the Parks and Recreation Department held a public meeting to introduce the three remaining candidates in the running to become Austin’s next Aquatic Division manager, who the department expects to name in early January.

The Aquatic Division manager is responsible for staffing and recruitment, public pool operations, instructional swim programming, aquatics maintenance and safety. Austin has an extensive system of pools and aquatics amenities for a city of its size.

The position opened in May due to a promotion within the department, and the recruitment effort began with a job posting on Aug. 11. After a nationwide marketing campaign, the city fielded 46 applications, and in late November met with 16 candidates for the first round of interviews.

On Dec. 15, the hiring team met with three finalists, who joined a public Zoom meeting to talk to the community about their backgrounds, experience and plans for their first months on the job.

“Pools and safe access to water for adults and for youth is as important to us as it is to you, and we’re happy to be here tonight with three great candidates,” said Lucas Massie, assistant director of the parks department. The new division manager will report to Massie and to Director Kimberly McNeeley.

The first presenter was Jake Murphy, who spent eight years with the aquatics department in his hometown city of Euless, and served as aquatics supervisor at the start of the pandemic in 2020. He and his wife moved to Austin earlier this year and he currently works in financial compliance for private equity and hedge funds.

Murphy said he worked to implement new community events such as movie and date nights, expand training and swim lesson programs, and reduce the department’s budget deficit by more than 80 percent, with the help of new cooler and locker fees.

“I have no choice but to take a financially responsible approach to anything and everything,” Murphy said. “That led to becoming more of a profit-driven operation.”

Murphy said his first actions on the job would be to take stock of the division’s chemical record keeping and meeting with current staff. He would also find ways to assist with the city’s lifeguard recruiting efforts.

The second presenter was Ashley Wells, Austin’s aquatic program manager. She has 20 years of aquatics planning experience, including 10 in a supervisory role. Wells referenced her experience with operating budgets, media relations and community outreach, aquatics certifications and risk management safety protocols, and mechanical, filtration and pumping systems.

“I am very in tune with the community’s desire and expectation to have a fully operational aquatics system this summer, coupled with an end to the current lifeguard shortage,” she said. “Addressing these needs is a crucial piece of my action plan.”

In the first months of her tenure, Wells would act to streamline the division’s hiring process, address and mitigate maintenance issues early, and include a more diverse set of stakeholders in decision-making. She would ensure Barton Springs will be ready to resume operations before spring break, and create a maintenance uplift plan for Deep Eddy Pool.

The third and final presenter, Kerri Thompson, has worked in the Parks and Recreation Department since the spring of 1995. She spent 15 of those years in aquatics and was responsible for duties including maintenance, swim lessons, swim teams, hiring and training.

Thompson is currently parks ground manager for the parks and green spaces in North Austin. “I am here to serve you, that’s why I’m in recreation,” she said. “Spending my time helping, promoting others and making sure that we have a safe, fun environment that everyone can partake in.”

In the first 30 days, Thompson said she would meet with staff to identify long- and short-term goals and challenges facing the division. In the next months, she would meet with community stakeholders to hear their vision for the future of the pools in their neighborhoods. She would also evaluate staffing and put in place new processes to support maintenance staff.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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