Warren chosen to lead New Bern’s Parks and Recreation department
Kari Warren has been named as New Bern’s new director of parks and recreation. Warren had filled the role in an interim position since former director Foster Hughes took over as the city’s manager in September 2021.
Warren has worked for the city since 2015, when she was hired as a recreation program coordinator, a position that was reclassified in 2018 to special projects coordinator. The following year she was promoted to special programs and events coordinator.
In her new position as New Bern’s Parks and Recreation director, Warren will lead a department with a staff of 30 employees and a department budget of approximately $4 million.
Her annual salary will be $111,868.
As the new parks and recreation director, Warren will oversee city projects such as planning for the new $14 million Stanley White Recreation Center; a $147,000 extension to the Jack’s Island marsh-walk at Lawson Creek Park; the ongoing $300,000 project to upgrade Henderson Park; and the replacement of fencing along New Bern’s Riverwalk, which has an estimated price tag of $120,000.
Prior to her employment with the city, Warren spent a decade working as a recreation therapist.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Leisure Studies from Mount Olive College and a master’s degree in Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Sports Management from North Carolina State University. She is a member of the National Recreation and Park Association as well as the North Carolina Recreation and Park Association.
Warren was chosen from a pool of 93 applicants.
In a release announcing her hiring, Hughes said Warren was chosen based on her leadership skills, fiscal responsibility, and “commitment to serving residents and visitors to New Bern.”
“She brings fresh ideas for special events, seasonal themes, and education and engagement opportunities for all ages,” Hughes noted. “We are looking forward to expanding programming within the department and enhancing parks and recreation amenities in New Bern under her leadership.”
Reporter Todd Wetherington can be reached by email at wwetherington@gannett.com. Please consider supporting local journalism by signing up for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: Warren chosen to lead New Bern’s Parks and Recreation department
