Pinal County Appoints New Director of Open Space, Trails, and Regional Parks

Pinal County is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Hamilton as its new Director of the Open Space, Trails, and Regional Parks Department.

Scott joins Pinal County from the City of Scottsdale, where he has served more than 26 years as the Natural Resources Manager for the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and Pinnacle Peak Park. Together, these comprise over 30,000 acres of permanently protected Sonoran Desert and mountains, which draw over 1.3 million visitors each year. Since 2000, he has overseen the planning, construction, and operation of a system of 230 miles of multiple-use trails supported by eight major trailhead access facilities.

Scott is passionate about balancing the protection of the natural environment with the need and demand for public outdoor recreation. He said, "I am excited to join the team at Pinal County and to utilize my experience to advance the citizens' goals for protecting natural open spaces and developing public trails and regional parks. The natural resources of Pinal County are truly impressive, and I am thrilled with the opportunity to be part of protecting them for this and future generations."

Some of the priorities awaiting Scott as he begins his new role are the development of Pinal County's second regional park, Palo Verde Regional Park, the extension of the CAP (Central Arizona Project) National Recreation Trail, and improvements to West Pinal Park. The County opened its first regional Park, Peralta Regional Park, in 2023.

Himanshu Patel, Deputy County Manager, who oversees the Open Space, Trails, and Regional Parks Department, said, "We're delighted to have someone with Scott's experience join our County to lead our Open Space, Trails, and Regional Parks team. We have some exciting projects on the horizon, and Scott's vision, strategic planning, and project management experience will be a great asset in ensuring they are delivered responsibly, while meeting the needs of the community."

Scott has a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management from Arizona State University. He begins his role with Pinal County on Monday, May 12th.