The Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District is poised to hire Eric Morgan, former manager of the Fort Ord National Monument, as its new general manager July 2 at the next meeting of the MPRPD board.
MPRPD’s board selected Morgan following a nationwide search that started earlier this year following the departure of former general manager Rafael Payan, who announced Dec. 18 of last year he’d be resigning Dec. 31, which came after the MPRPD board put Payan on administrative leave Dec. 9 for unspecified reasons following a performance review.
MPRPD Administrative Services Manager Shuran Parker has served as interim general manager in the months since.
In a June 27 statement from MPRPD, Morgan said, “I’m deeply honored to be considered for General Manager of MPRPD. I’m eager to work with the Board, staff, and community to preserve our region’s open spaces, protect our natural resources, and ensure safe, accessible parks for all to enjoy.”
Morgan first started at Fort Ord in 1999 after working as the Bureau of Land Management’s recreation manager in Redding, and he’s also worked at Emerald Bay State Park in South Lake Tahoe, near where he grew up.
For his service, Morgan received a Secretary of the Interior’s Meritorious Service Award in 2022.