East Bay Regional Park District Board Director Dee Rosario has been named 2024 California Special Districts Association (CSDA) Board Member of the Year, which is awarded based on experience, effectiveness and leadership.
Director Rosario was elected to the Board of Directors in November 2016. Rosario previously worked at the East Bay Regional Park District for 37 years as a park ranger, firefighter, fire lieutenant and park supervisor of Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park.
CSDA represents more than 1,300 organizations throughout California and is the only statewide association representing all types of special districts, including park and recreation, fire, police protection, utility, water, irrigation, healthcare, library, cemetery, harbor and community services districts.
“Congratulations to Director Rosario for this prestigious award recognizing his leadership and achievements over the years, first as a staff member, then as a board director,” said Park District Board President Elizabeth Echols. “His contributions to East Bay Regional Parks in both capacities are countless.”
Director Rosario was a lieutenant in the Park District’s Fire Department during the 1991 Oakland Firestorm, where he was on scene fighting the fire and helping residents evacuate. According to the book The Oakland Hills Firestorm 20 Years Later, the memories of fighting that fire are still vivid. In the book, Rosario recalls seeing “pine needles fall to the ground, catch fire, and rise again in a reverse cascade, a strangely beautiful sight. Then he heard a rumble like an oncoming train. A grove of trees exploded into flame, igniting leaves on house rooftops.”
As a Board Member, Director Rosario was instrumental in the renaming of Redwood Regional Park after Aurelia Reinhardt, one of the Park District’s five original board members – and the only woman – elected to represent residents on the newly founded Park District Board. Reinhardt played a substantial role in the formation of the Park District in 1934. A lover of redwood trees, Reinhardt later worked to acquire property that would become Redwood Regional Park.
“I am honored to receive the CSDA Board Member of the Year award,” said Director Rosario. “It has been a privilege to serve the public as a Park District employee and as a board director.”
Director Rosario is retiring at the end of 2024 after his long career with the Park District.
The Board Member of the Year award will be officially announced and presented at the CSDA Annual Conference & Exhibitor Showcase on September 10, 2024, in Indian Wells, California.
