A champion for parks

Today as you stroll through wellknown parks like Hermann, Memorial, Buffalo Bayou or the trails created by Bayou Greenways 2020, you can feel the excitement these green spaces are creating in our urban landscape. It is fitting that we take a moment to thank a colleague whose hard work, for the last 20 years, has contributed to the greening of Houston — Roksan Okan-Vick, the outgoing executive director of the Houston Parks Board.

Roksan began her work in parks first as the project manager then later as the executive director of the Friends of Hermann Park. Significant projects she worked on include: Hermann Park’s master plan, the design and construction of Miller Theatre’s renovation and expansion, and the construction of the Bayou Parkland Pavilion. Her leadership provided the important foundation blocks that created what is now known as the Hermann Park Conservancy.

In 2002, she was appointed as the first woman director of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. In 2004, she was asked to serve as the executive director of the Houston Parks Board. In both capacities, she has worked in concert with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department to create and improve parkland and green space for Houston.

Roksan has been a great asset to this city.

Joe Turner, director, Houston Parks and Recreation Department