On May 30th, Galveston Park Board CEO Kimberly Danesi officially resigned from her position. This resignation was announced and confirmed by press release, and during a special meeting held by the Galveston Park Board of Trustees on Monday morning. Danesi will receive no severance with her departure.

The CEO’s resignation letter was submitted on Friday evening, including a statement that the current situation was “not conducive” to continuing in the role and that it was “best for me to move on to other opportunities.”

Jason Hardcastle, board chairman, confirmed Danesi’s resignation Friday evening, stating that her departure is “regrettable”, praising both her professionalism and critical thinking.

In Danesi’s public statement, she expressed her deepest gratitude to her Park Board employees and coworkers as well as both current and past trustees. She stated that she was lucky to serve the community and that she would miss them deeply.

Leading up to her resignation, Danesi faced months of pressure concerning the Park Board’s handling of expenditures. These tensions resulted in legal action on Thursday when the city sued the Park Board for alleged violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act. This suit was followed by a temporary restraining order being issued by a judge in the 405th District Court. This order prohibited the execution of new severance agreements for Danesi, in addition to CFO Bryson Frazier, and Chief of Beach Patrol Peter Davis.

Prior to the issuance of the restraining order, the Park Board had been working on severance packages for Danesi, Frazier, and Davis; however, the order halted those packages. Under Danesi’s prior contract, if mutual separation occurred, she would have received 1 month’s salary per year of service, capped at 12 months, meaning her final salary would have been $250,000/year. However, due to the resignation, no severance applies in this situation.

The conflict between the City Council and the Park Board of Trustees began more than a year ago, after an employee under Chief of Beach Patrol Peter Davis was convicted of stealing money from both the Galveston Lifeguarding Association and hotel occupancy tax funds. This led to a series of audits of Park Board finances, which increased tensions between the two groups. There were additionally two state bills related to hotel tax oversight that sparked disagreements between the two, as the city believed that the Park Board was involved, but the Park Board denied initiation of the bills.

Danesi’s Career Timeline

• 2016: Received job as Human Resources Director
  • Later promoted to Chief Operations Officer
    • Oversaw Coastal Zone Management, Beach Nourishment, and Parks
• 2022: Got promoted to become the Interim CEO
• 2023: Officially named CEO after a nationwide search of over 180 applicants

Danesi’s Successes

• Oversaw a period of growth and record tourism levels
• Guided many successful projects, including:
  • The Washed Ashore art exhibit
  • Environmental/adaptive beach initiatives
  • Launched a cutting-edge tourism website
• Described by board chairman Hardcastle as having “incredible ability” and leadership