Folsom’s new parks and recreation director brings wealth of experience from Elk Grove work

The city of Folsom has hired a new director of parks and recreation.

Kelly Gonzalez, a former division head at the Cosumnes Community Services District in the Elk Grove area, will start on Monday, according to a news release from the city.

Gonzalez’s hiring follows the retirement of Lorraine Poggione on April 28. Poggione worked with the city for 21 years, the last five of which she served as parks and recreation director.

Gonzalez put in 16 years in both administration and parks and recreation at Cosumnes CSD and holds a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration from Sacramento State. During her time at the district, she also served as a stakeholder for the district’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

“Kelly joins our leadership team with a wealth of experience in parks, recreation, leadership, and administration, as well as a proven track record of cultivating a strong sense of community,” said City Manager Elaine Andersen in a news release. “I am confident Kelly’s leadership and expertise will serve the Folsom community extremely well by providing abundant opportunities to learn, play, grow and do.”

Serving Folsom, she will oversee the operations of 48 parks over 50 miles of paved trails, facilities and programs.