St. Helens Announces New Parks and Recreation Manager

Headshot of Shanna Duggan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 22, 2021

St. Helens, Ore. – The City of St. Helens has selected Shanna Duggan, the City’s current Recreation Manager, as its new Parks and Recreation Manager.

The position was created to oversee the City’s Parks and Recreation divisions which were recently combined into a single division. The reorganization comes at an ambitious time for the City’s parks and recreation divisions. The City currently has major improvement projects underway at McCormick and Campbell Parks, plans for improvements at Columbia View and Godfrey Parks, and recently acquired the former First Missionary Baptist Church building at 2625 Gable Road to establish a new Recreation Center and expand recreation programs and opportunities in the community.

The City launched a national recruitment process for the Parks and Recreation Manager position and received over 30 applications from candidates across the United States.

“The candidate pool could not have been any more competitive,” said St. Helens Public Works Director Mouhamad Zaher. “We underwent a rigorous process to bring the most qualified candidates to the interview table, and I am pleased to announce that our own Shanna Duggan rose to the top of the list as the most qualified candidate.”

Duggan will now be tasked with ensuring the successful continuation of the Parks and Recreation Division’s capital improvement projects as well as ensuring that the St. Helens community has sufficient recreational opportunities and safe spaces to enjoy the outdoors.

“I am passionate about creating inclusive spaces and opportunities for everyone in the community,” said Duggan. “I look forward to strengthening the collaborations we have with other community organizations, promoting   transparency, finding additional ways to foster community engagement and volunteerism, and increasing our communication efforts.”

Duggan has worked for the City of St. Helens for 10 years. She was hired in December 2010 as a Utility Billing Specialist. In 2018, she transitioned to working part time in the Utility Billing Division and part time as a Recreation Coordinator when the City first created its Recreation Program. She was promoted to a full-time position as the City’s Recreation Manager in July 2019. Most recently, she was named as one of the City’s 2020 Employees of the Year.

Duggan is a St. Helens resident and raised her three children in the community. She is the founding member of the Columbia County Sole Sisters community group. She is a member of Connect St. Helens, the Columbia County Childhood Trauma Informed Network, and the Columbia County Health Coalition.

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For further information regarding the Parks and Recreation Manager position, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at crystalf@ci.st-helens.or.us.