Olympia hires new director of parks. She’s a familiar face in city government
Sylvana Niehuser, who has worked for the city of Olympia for 21 years, including the last several months as the interim director of the city’s parks, arts and recreation department, is now its director, the city manager announced at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
City Manager Jay Burney told the council that after concluding a nationwide search, the city realized it already had the best candidate for the position.
“As I got through the interview process and finished up talking both to staff and community members that sat on the (hiring) panel, it became very clear to me what I already knew: how well-respected Sylvana is, both out in the community and with the staff in parks, arts and recreation,” Burney said. “So I’m excited to welcome her.”
Her hiring salary wasn’t immediately available, but the position was advertised with a salary range of $149,472 to $224,208.
“I’m very thankful to be selected to serve our amazing community,” Niehuser said after Burney spoke. “I work here, I live here, and I love Olympia very much, and I just feel very honored to be selected and to be able to lead an amazing department. My colleagues that I work alongside are so dedicated to this community, and they’re dedicated to excellence, and I just couldn’t ask for a better team.”
The Parks, Arts & Recreation Department has 67 full-time staff, as well as 25-30 contract staff for recreation programs, she said. During the summer, employment swells when 60 temporary recreation staff and 20-25 temporary positions for parks maintenance are added, Niehuser said.
The city is has 45 parks, according to city information.
Now that Sylvana is director of the department, she was asked about priorities in her new role.
“Right now, my first and foremost goal is budget sustainability,” she said. “While the parks department has predictable and reliable funding (the city has a Metropolitan Park District) it’s not endless, and we’ve been in periods of significant growth, and we’re about to start construction of the Yelm Highway Community Park, and we have the Olympia Armory closed because we are going to be renovating there.
“And I want to have a plan that looks out six years to having a very sustainable budget, so that we’re not growing too fast,” she said. “And if there’s, you know, pinch points, that we know about those ahead of time and can plan for.”
Niehuser’s hire received a round of support from council members.
“I was lucky enough to sit at a parks table at the employee barbecue a month or so ago, and the whole team at the table was super enthused about your leadership and what you are all doing together,” council member Clark Gilman said. “So I just think that’s really high praise, and I wanted to pass that along.”
“The thing we appreciate the most about you is you figure out how to get to ‘yes,’” said council member Dani Madrone. “There are so many ideas that come up in terms of what we can be doing with parks, arts and recreation, and you figure out how to get to yes.”
Mayor Dontae Payne congratulated her as well.
“I know that you love this job, and you know how I know it? Because every single time I see you, I’ve never seen you, like, not smiling or not in a good mood. I don’t know what it’s like before I arrive, but when I show up to an event, it doesn’t matter what’s going on. You’re smiling away ear to ear, and I think that means you love what you do.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
