photo by: City of Lawrence

Lindsay Hart, who currently serves as an assistant director with the City of Lawrence's Parks and Recreation Department, will take over as interim director of the department starting Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023.

Ahead of Lawrence Parks and Recreation Director Derek Rogers’ retirement, the City of Lawrence has announced that a current assistant director with the department will serve as interim director until the national recruiting search for his replacement concludes.

The city announced that Lindsay Hart will serve as interim director in a news release Monday afternoon, with her role beginning Sunday, Dec. 3. As the Journal-World has reported, Rogers’ last day is Dec. 1. He’ll leave his role after about six years in the position. Hart, meanwhile, has served as the department’s assistant director of recreation since November 2021, and has 20 years of management experience from previous roles in Lawrence, Leawood and Lenexa.

“I am honored to take on the role of interim director of parks and recreation,” Hart said in the release. “A thriving Parks and Recreation Department is integral to the success of any city, especially one as vibrant and energizing as Lawrence. I look forward to continuing our team’s progress over the coming months.”

The release notes that the city is working with an outside firm on the national search for the department’s next director, but it doesn’t include any details about which firm that is or how long the search process may take. Rogers said at the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting earlier this month that the search for his replacement was delayed so the city could use the same search firm to hire for his position and for the city’s finance director position simultaneously.