After five years of directing Long Beach’s Parks, Recreation and Marine Department, Brent Dennis will retire from public service, the City announced Tuesday.
Dennis ran the department since July 2020, and held various positions in city leadership and community services throughout his 47-year career. His last day will be Aug. 8. Current Deputy Director Stephen Scott will serve as Acting Director while the City searches for a replacement, which they hope to fill by the end of the year.
“Brent is a true leader who brought to this role an undeniable culture of positivity, care and respect for our Parks Department and the valuable services we provide our community,” said City Manager Tom Modica in a public statement. “His leadership has left a lasting impact on our parks and recreation programs, our city organization and our Long Beach community. We appreciate him for his years of dedicated service and wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement.”
As Director of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM), Dennis oversaw activities related to community recreation programs and services citywide, as well as operations for Long Beach Animal Care Services. His team was responsible for the upkeep of 166 parks, 26 community centers, two historic sites (Rancho Los Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos), two major tennis centers, one of the busiest municipal golf systems in the country with five courses and six miles of beaches.
Dennis championed park beautification and the importance of a healthy urban forest, during his tenure, encouraging positive activation of parks, and collaborations throughout the community. He oversaw several impactful PRM initiatives, including new vision plans for Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Scherer Park, a citywide pickleball master plan, and feasibility studies for skateparks and a North Long Beach pool.
To commemorate Dennis’ career in Long Beach, the city is hosting multiple ribbon cutting ceremonies for renovations this week at El Dorado West and East Regional Parks, Bixby Park and Bandshell, and MacArthur Park.
“After an unforgettable five years in Long Beach, it is with bittersweet emotions that I announce my retirement and begin my next chapter,” said Dennis in a public statement. “My coining the title of our team as the ‘Department of Fun and Furry Friends,’ is more indicative of the culture I tried to help shape over time – striving each day to ensure our parks, beaches, marinas and recreational facilities are safe, clean, welcoming and beautiful for our community. During my time in Long Beach, many trees were planted, exciting new playgrounds and park amenities added, and a new respect for the spirit of responsiveness attributed to our passionate professionals and volunteers who proudly serve the Long Beach community.”
Dennis began his 47-year career in public service in Columbus, Ohio for the city’s parks department where he was an entry level landscape architect after graduating from Ohio State University. His professional journey to Long Beach included significant leadership roles in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park; San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park; Anaheim’s Community Services Department; and the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department.
