Jon Hinkin, former sports executive and rugby player, will lead the San Diego Parks Foundation

SAN DIEGO-

Former USA rugby captain Jon Hinkin has been named executive director of the San Diego Parks Foundation, which funds recreation programs and park improvements.

Since the foundation’s inception in 2018, its day-to-day operations have been managed by the board, said founding board member Marcella Bothwell.

The board is transitioning to an oversight role and has interviewed a number of leadership candidates.

Hinkin had the unique combination of sports and business experience the job requires, she said.

“You have to have management and a love of parks, and he has both,” she said. “And he has a fabulous personality that’s just welcoming.”

Hinkin played on the United States rugby team for nearly a decade in the 1990s and served as its captain in 1997-98, according to the foundation. From 2006 to 2019, he was Vice President of Competitions and Tournament Director for United World Sports, which produces a Rugby World Championship tournament and other sporting events.

“Growing up, my neighborhood park played a central role in shaping my love of sports, friendships and a sense of community,” Hinkin, who has lived in San Diego for 30 years, said in a statement. “It is this foundation that has inspired my dedication to promoting healthy choices and creating opportunity for all throughout my career.

In his new role, Hinkin will manage the “Come Play Outside” programs, which offer free or discounted activities at recreation centers and pools in southern and central San Diego, and the Park Ambassador LEADER Academy, which initiates young adults to careers in the public service. , environment and natural resource management.

He will oversee the foundation’s urban greening program, which aims to plant trees in local parks, manage the development of the Linda Vista Community Garden and complete the installation of public Wi-Fi in all leisure centres, it said. she declared.

He will also preside over the fifth annual San Diego Parks Foundation Undertow Charity Golf Classic at Torrey Pines Golf Course to benefit city and county parks.