Evanston Parks Department Gets New Senior Staff Ahead Of Summer Season

EVANSTON, IL — Three city staffers were promoted to leadership positions in the Evanston Parks and Recreational Department this week.

Audrey Thompson, who had been leading the department on an interim basis, was appointed in a permanent capacity. Michael Callahan, her new assistant director, moves from the Public Works Department, where he had been forestry supervisor and arborist, and Tim Carter goes from being program coordinator at the Levy Senior Center to lakefront manager, city officials announced.

“Audrey, Michael and Tim each bring more than a decade of experience to these critical leadership roles and embody the character, values and commitment to public service necessary to serve our community,” said Interim City Manager Kelley Gandurski, in a statement announcing the appointments.

Several senior staffers in the city's parks department have resigned in the wake of last year's revelations of sexual misconduct allegations among lakefront staff.

“As we approach a busy summer season, I look forward to working with each of them to provide residents and visitors with world class recreation opportunities while continuing to implement the changes needed to ensure a positive workplace culture of safety, accountability and respect," Gandurski said.

An independent investigation commissioned by the city after the misconduct allegations became public found that former department director Lawrence Hemingway failed to effectively lead the department and attributed the city's failure to properly investigate the allegations to former Human Resources Division Director Jennifer Lin. Hemingway quit shortly before the report became public, while Lin negotiated a severance package with former City Manager Erika Storlie, who herself cut a deal to continue to get paid after her resignation.

According to city staff, Thompson has prioritized the implementation of recommendations from the independent investigation and made progress on several of them, including planning to implement all necessary staff safety training, focusing on hiring staff at all levels and revising the city's lakefront manual in light of the practices and procedures recommended by the firm Salvatore, Prescott, Porter & Porter, or SPPP, which authored the independent report.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve our community in this important role and to build on the progress we’ve made to ensure a safe, welcoming and enriching experience for all lakefront visitors and employees,” said Thompson. “We have a talented and dedicated team, and I look forward to working with our staff to exceed our community’s expectations and restore public confidence and trust in the department.”

Callahan, Thompson's new deputy, has overseen the city's Forestry Division since 2018. Before that, he worked for the Parks and Recreation Department in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the DeKalb Police Deepartment and the horiticultural services company City of Trees. He replaces Karen Hawk, who resigned to take a job in Lincolnwood during the SPPP probe.

Carter, the new lakefront manager, has worked in the parks department since 2018, helping with facilities management and program coordination at the city's senior center. Before that, he was a supervisor with Ela Township, the Rolling Meadows Park District and Timber Ridge Lodge and Waterpark. Former recreational manager Ray Doerner also resigned before the SPPP report was complete.

Evanston is also still recruiting a city manager, having started the process a second time from scratch after one of the two finalists to emerge from the first recruitment process took a job in Texas. As of Wednesday, the city's website contained no information about the status of the "national search" for its next chief executive.