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City of Long Beach Appoints Director of Public Works and Director of Parks, Recreation and Marine

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Above: Newly appointed Director of Public Works Joshua Hickman (left) and
newly appointed Director of Parks, Recreation and Marine Stephen Scott (right).

Long Beach, CA – Today, City Manager Tom Modica announced the appointment of two City department Directors: Joshua Hickman as Director of Public Works and Stephen Scott as Director of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM). Following extensive national recruitment for these leadership positions, Mr. Hickman and Mr. Scott stood out as the best candidates, each bringing with them a wealth of local knowledge, leadership, community engagement and project management experience. Mr. Hickman has served the City since 2017 and Mr. Scott since 1999.

"We are fortunate to have Joshua and Stephen, two seasoned Long Beach leaders, stepping into these director roles," said City Manager Tom Modica. "Both bring many years of City experience, and in turn a deep understanding of the unique needs of our community, our workforce and the day-to-day operations that keep our City moving and community thriving. Their institutional knowledge and longstanding commitment to public service will provide continuity and resilient leadership to some of our most visible and impactful City departments."

As Director of Public Works, Mr. Hickman will oversee an annual operating and capital budget of approximately $450 million and lead a broad portfolio of City services spanning the repair, rehabilitation and upkeep of streets, sidewalks, public trees and municipal structures. He will lead a department of over 500 budgeted full-time equivalent staff who support a healthy and sustainable city environment by providing a wide range of right-of-way maintenance, capital improvement, engineering and beautification services to both the public and partner City departments. Notably, Mr. Hickman will play a critical role in leading and further strengthening the Elevate '28 Infrastructure Investment Plan, the largest public infrastructure investment in Long Beach's history with over 180 projects and $1.1 billion in funding to enhance Long Beach parks, streets, mobility, community facilities, water quality, climate resilience and cultural assets, including major projects to prepare the City for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Under his leadership, the department will also advance other high-priority initiatives to improve mobility and safety, revamp project communications strategies, upgrade stormwater systems and improve climate resilience.

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Mr. Hickman brings nearly 20 years of experience managing complex projects, including a $50 million capital expansion at Boston Logan International Airport. He joined the City's Public Works Department in 2017, first as Capital Projects Coordinator, followed by Project Management Officer, then Business Operations Bureau Manager and most recently as Deputy Director. Under his tenure, he oversaw many key initiatives and led both the Public Services Bureau and Environmental Services Bureau through major transitional periods, stabilizing operations, filling critical workforce and management vacancies and realigning teams to improve service delivery. During this time, he aligned budget with delivery of core services, maximized fleet efficiency, improved labor relations, implemented innovative hiring efforts and launched the residential organics programs, all while keeping these bureaus on track to meet community needs.

Mr. Hickman holds a Master of Science degree in Green Building from the San Francisco Institute of Architecture and a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from the Wentworth Institute of Technology.

"I am honored to step into this role and continue building a department that listens closely to the community we serve, communicates openly, and delivers results," said Hickman. "I am excited to work with our dedicated staff and partners to serve our incredible Long Beach community."

As PRM Director, Mr. Scott will lead one of the most unique departments in the nation, combining traditional parks and recreation services with animal care services and marine and coastal operations. With an annual budget of approximately $90 million and more than 1,300 employees that includes full-time, part-time and seasonal staff, Mr. Scott will oversee the upkeep of 166 parks, 26 community centers, two historic sites, two major tennis centers, one of the busiest municipal golf systems in the country with five courses, the Long Beach Animal Care Services Bureau, the largest municipally operated marina system in the nation and over six miles of beaches. He will additionally oversee the department's wide variety of citywide community recreation programs and services, including more than 2,800 annual recreational and educational classes. Mr. Scott will also play a vital role in delivering historic Elevate '28 projects, such as the Gold Medal Park Refresh, El Dorado Park Universal Playground, Drake Chavez Connection Project, Willow Springs Park Restoration and Hamilton Loop Greenbelt, and supporting Citywide and regional initiatives related to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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Over the past 27 years, Mr. Scott has served the City in various roles across multiple departments as a Management Assistant, Administrative Analyst, Assistant to the City Manager and Bureau Manager. He has served PRM since 2013, first as Business Operations Bureau Manager before adding Deputy Director responsibilities in 2016. During his tenure, Mr. Scott was instrumental in ushering in a number of PRM initiatives including LBACS' Compassion Saves service model, the Park Ambassador Program, an update to the City's Master Joint Use Agreement with Long Beach Unified School District, and the delivery of numerous park development projects. He also managed the department's Community Information Division, responsible for providing important and timely information to the community and stakeholders about PRM's many programs, services and events. With his work, he helped to address needed funding and service gaps and enhance community engagement and project and grant management effectiveness.

Mr. Scott holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Affairs and Public Management from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to step into this role and excited to continue working alongside our talented team to build upon our many successes," said Scott. "I look forward to the work ahead as we continue the department's legacy of providing gold medal programs and services to help build strong, connected and healthy communities."

More information about PRM is available at LBParks.org. More information about Public Works is available at longbeach.gov/pw.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

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