The City is pleased to announce the appointment of Damon Sparacino as the new Director of Parks & Recreation. Damon is an accomplished leader with over 25 years of experience serving in Recreation management positions for three Bay Area cities. He joins us from the City of Sunnyvale, where he has served as Recreation Superintendent since 2018.

Damon was born and raised in Fremont, where he spent a majority of his career with the City's Parks & Recreation Department, serving in a variety of roles before working his way up to Recreation Superintendent.

In his role as Recreation Superintendent with the City of Sunnyvale, Damon led the development and completion of the Master Plan for Public Art, Washington Community Swim Center and other key park renovations. Damon worked with the City Manager's Office to launch Sunnyvale’s first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, forming the Sunnyvale Employees for Equity and Diversity team. In addition to managing Sunnyvale’s recreation services division, Damon oversaw 38 full-time employees and the department’s 14.3M budget. 

Damon has strong ties to the region and brings a deep focus on community engagement and collaboration. His first day with the City will be November 12, 2024.

The City is also excited to announce the appointment of Afshan Hamid as the new Director of Community Development.

Afshan holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture from MIT, beginning her career as a Principal Planner for the Village of Arlington Heights in Illinois. After moving to the Bay Area with her family in 2012, she took Planning positions with the City of Walnut Creek and then the City of Concord before advancing to Planning Manager at the City of Vallejo.

In her current role as Planning Director for the Town of Moraga, Afshan successfully secured State Housing Element certification, implemented a Specific Plan for the zoning of downtown Moraga, and has engaged with the community, local businesses, and the City Council to prioritize affordable housing. She has developed long-range policy, utilizing objective design standards, form-based code, and robust community engagement to improve long-term development outcomes. Throughout her career, Afshan has worked on a range of commercial, residential, and mixed-use development projects while balancing community needs, sustainability goals, and community-driven placemaking.

Afshan’s first day with the City will be November 18, 2024.