Interim Director of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation appointed

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Susan E. Buxton became the interim Director of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation this month – returning to manage the agency where she was once a member of the policy-making board.

The Idaho Parks and Recreation Board announced Buxton as the interim director on August 12 and she officially took over on September 1.

“I am honored to work with the Department, especially as Idaho citizens have looked to State parks and recreation facilities to find outlets to the stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Buxton said.

Buxton takes on the dual roles of overseeing Idaho Parks and serving as Administrator of the Idaho Division of Human Resources. At Parks, she replaced David R. Langhorst, who retired in August.

From August 2012 to early 2016, Buxton served on the Parks board before taking over the state’s Division of Human Resources. Previously, she worked extensively as an attorney, representing local governments and a variety of other clients in the areas of water rights, land use, public finance, employment and government relations.

Buxton graduated from Whitman College and the University of Idaho, College of Law.