South Suburban Parks and Recreation has selected Andy Bass to be its next executive director. Bass’ experience in leading parks and recreation departments, as well as high-ranking municipal positions, made him the top candidate and ideal fit for the organization.

Bass has served as the Deputy City Manager for the City of Chandler in Arizona since January 2022. In his role, he assisted the city manager in the day-to-day operations and oversaw several city departments including Cultural Development, Public Works & Utilities, Development Services, and Neighborhood Resources. The breadth of these responsibilities ranged from the city’s special events and downtown development, to streets and water infrastructure, to planning and engineering as well as code enforcement, public housing and resident engagement.

Bass previously served as Chandler’s community services director from 2019-2022, managing the Chandler Public Library and the city’s recreation/aquatics, park operations and park development divisions. He has more than 15 years of progressive leadership experience in parks, recreation and community services, including 12 of those years working in director-level positions. He holds a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional certification. Bass graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado.

“The Board of Directors is extremely pleased to welcome Andy Bass to the South Suburban team,” said South Suburban Board Chair Pam Eller. “We are confident his extensive experience and dedication to public service through parks and recreation will be a tremendous asset to our organization. The search for this important role included comprehensive conversations with extremely qualified candidates, as well as feedback from our partners and stakeholders. We look forward to Andy’s thoughtful leadership guiding our mission and serving our community.”

Prior to his time in Chandler, Arizona, Bass worked in similar roles for the City of Reno in Nevada, New Territory Residential Community Association in Sugar Land, Texas, Cortez and Bayfield in Colorado, and the City of Midland, Texas.

Bass will begin his new role on Sept. 8, 2025.

About South Suburban
South Suburban Parks and Recreation serves more than 151,000 residents in six cities and three counties south of Denver, Colorado. Its mission is to foster healthy living through stewardship of the environment, parks, trails, and open space and by providing recreational services and programs. South Suburban is a CAPRA accredited agency and an NRPA Gold Medal Award recipient (2024). Learn more at ssprd.org.