Miti Figueredo will take the helm of Montgomery Parks as parks director in the new year, according to a press release from the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC).
Figueredo was selected by and will report to the Montgomery County Planning Board. She’s charged with overseeing the department’s $148 million operating budget and $296 million six-year Capital Improvements Program, according to the release. She will also oversee at least 1,145 staff members when she begins on Jan. 1, 2024.
“We have complete confidence in Miti’s ability to lead Montgomery Parks in delivering exceptional park experiences and programs for the county,” Planning Board Chair Artie Harris said in the release, citing Figueredo’s familiarity working with the department to develop Thrive Montgomery 2050 and the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan.
Figueredo will replace Mike Riley, who is retiring at the end of the year after 38 years of service with M-NCPPC. Riley assumed the role of parks director in 2014.
Figueredo was selected after a national search and will be the first Latina to hold the position. She currently serves as Parks Deputy Director for Administration, a position she has held since 2019. Previously, Figueredo was chief of staff for the Montgomery County Planning Board chair from 2017 to 2019.
“After spending the past couple of years developing a new strategic plan for bringing the Parks Department into the future, I’m excited to have the opportunity to implement it,” Figueredo wrote in an email to MoCo360. “We worked intensively to gather input and data on how to get people into our parks and make healthy physical activity and social connection a part of every Montgomery County resident’s life, and now we are moving forward quickly to create the projects and programs that will make these goals a reality.”
Prior to joining the parks department, Figueredo served as East County Regional Director, chief of staff to former County Councilmember Nancy Navarro, aide to former County Councilmember Roger Berliner and aide to then-Congressman, now U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), according to the release. Figueredo was also Director of Public Affairs for the Purple Line Transit Partners.
