General Manager

Robert E. Doyle

Biography | Awards | Articles by the General Manager

For 85 years, the East Bay Regional Park District has led the charge in creating and fostering a forward-looking agency. The Park District has provided strong governance and essential services with a focus on relevance, transparency, innovation, efficiency, and inclusion. Our steadfast advocacy for park-friendly legislation and success in collaborating across agencies, community organizations, and businesses to leverage our collective resources and knowledge has enhanced the quality of life for residents in the East Bay.

Through the decades, our long-standing priority has been to keep our parks, shorelines, lakes, and trails safe and well-maintained. More recently, to mitigate the impacts of a changing climate, our integrated adaptive management has included wildfire hazard reduction practices, lake water and algae monitoring, wetland restoration, and expansion of our network of paved trails connecting users to transit hubs, schools, and work sites.

• Passage of Measure FF with unprecedented 85.6% vote
• Passage of Prop 68
• $5.1 million for Del Valle Regional Park included in State Budget
• 116 helicopter water drops on 15 fires
• Transparency certification
• Passage of a balanced budget with enhanced funding for wildfire protection

We appreciate the public’s trust, support, and investment in this beautiful regional park system.

Biography

Robert E. Doyle is a 43+ year veteran of the parks and natural resources field, currently serving as General Manager of the East Bay Regional Park District, the largest regional park system in the nation with 1,000 employees hosting 25 million visits per year at its 73 parks on over 125,000 acres. A co-chair of the California State Park Partners, he was a key advocate for advancing the successful Proposition 68, the Parks, Environment, and Water Bond to the June 2018 ballot and serves as vice-chair of the Clean Water, Natural Resources and Parks committee.

He also leads EBRPD efforts to partner with National Parks on Healthy Parks Healthy People (HPHP) in the SF Bay Area – including Kids Healthy Outdoor Challenge (KHOC), Stay Healthy in Nature Every Day (SHINE), Multicultural Wellness Walks (MCWW), and other efforts to engage the Park District’s diverse communities in healthy outdoor activities.

Doyle graduated from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga with a BA in Management. He is a member of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA); the IUCN Urban Conservation Strategies Specialist Group; and World Urban Parks.

Doyle has received numerous awards and recognition for his many decades of leadership in conservation, park policy advocacy, public health and public lands, climate action initiatives and industry innovations.

Awards

• California Special Districts Association (CSDA): 2019 General Manager of the Year, General Manager Robert E. Doyle
• Bay Nature Institute (BNI): 2019 Local Hero Award: Conservation Action [PDF] 
• American Academy for Parks & Recreation Administration (AAPRA): 2018 Cornelius Amory Pugsley Award [PDF] 
• California Parks & Recreation Society (CPRS): 2018 Special Legislative Advocacy Award
• California Trails & Greenways Foundation (CTGF): 2009 Lifetime Professional Achievement Award [PDF] 
• Save Mount Diablo (SMD): 2002 Mountain Star Award [PDF]

Articles by the General Manager

• Protecting and Managing Parklands to Reduce Wildfire Risks [PDF]

•  Messages from the General Manager