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Cedar Rapids – Carrie Mardorf lived all over the United States, but her heart was always in the middle west.
Mardorf – The latest director of the Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation Department – has been working for jobs for over 20 years, which you have brought from Vermont and Mississippi to New Mexico and Hawaii everywhere.
Now the IOWA is returning to its roots.
“There was no culture shock. It feels like you're coming home,” said Mardorf. “If you drive down a country road between here and the Mississippi (river) with all the gentle hills, the corn fields and the scattered farms, I feel the most.”
The 43 -year -old Mardorf joined the Parks & Recreation Department at the end of June. As a director, she monitors operations in connection with city parks, recreation programs, forest efforts, aquatic institutions, golf courses, the releaf Derecho Recovery Initiative, Usher's Ferry Historic Village and the overall management of the department.
She replaces the former director Hashim Taylor, who resigned for another job this spring. At the announcement of her attitude, Cedar Rapids City Manager Jeff Pomeranz recognized Mardorf's earlier parking experience and her robust background in the historical condition.
“Carrie brings a strong track record of building partnerships, the improvement of public spaces and the expansion of access to leisure and cultural experiences,” said Pomeranz. “We look forward to welcoming you to Cedar Rapids and looking forward to the leadership that you will bring to the team and the city team.”
Rural roots lead to lifelong passion
Marorf grew up on the farm of her family near Monticello, Iowa, where she learned a robust, agricultural respect for the country, which promoted a healthy harvest. This respect later opened the door for true passion.
During their high school years, the Monticello Community School school built a new school building, and the students were invited to meet with the project team of the project. There Mardorf met the landscape architect, which was responsible for the elements of the project, which was responsible for the natural and responsible in the project.
“I had never heard the term landscape architecture and I was really fascinated,” said Mardorf during a recent Gazette interview. “From the first day it seemed a cool job that I had never thought about.”
Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Director Carrie Mardorf welcomes the pigs in the old Macdonald's Farm Strieting Zoo in Bever Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette) on Wednesday, July 30, 2025)
With the blessing and support of her parents, she tested her own gardening in the home garden of her family and later made a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from Iowa State University.
Mardorf enjoyed the horticultural and planning part of the profession, but it was the cultural and historical elements that they really attracted. She landed her first job in Vermont, where she also received a master's degree in historical maintenance.
First she worked in the private sector for project management and historical landscape maintenance. Then she joined the National Park service and worked at several natural locations across the country.
She brought this work to New Mexico, before a number of steps brought Mardorf in management positions everywhere from Hawaii to Louisiana. Before she returned to Iowa, she last served as a superintendent of the Vicksburg National Military Park in Vicksburg.
Each park taught her something else about relationships between people and the environment, although they had the common feature of strengthening Mardorf's internal connection between natural areas and human culture.
“Whether this cultural connection is obvious or not, at the end of the day park is a room for people,” said Mardorf. “That is why we have to invest in these rooms, improve and make sure that they are accessible to everyone.
“Quality of life” to underline future parking efforts
Mardorf searched for a new job at the beginning of this year after thinking where she wished her career next. She found the work opening in Cedar Rapids, and it seemed to be an opportunity to use her talents well and at the same time get closer to home.
“I think the job offers actually closed on my birthday,” Mardorf recalled. “It felt like a sign from the universe that told me I should go in this new direction.”
It was also of the sheer size of the city's parking system – one of the largest urban parking systems in Iowa – as well as the numerous initiatives to strengthen access to outdoor recreation.
Mardorf was ultimately selected for the role and took over the position at the end of June. The last few weeks have spent getting to know the staff and the area, and her goal is to visit all 107 city parks in her first 100 days as well as the golf courses, pools and other department facilities.
“I have an open door policy – not only for the team that comes to me, but also that I climbed into the parks and the city to see what's going on and to meet the team,” she said. “It is good for me to step away from the desk and see things for myself.”
Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Director Carrie Mardorf pets a goat in the Old Macdonald's Farm Strieting Zoo in Bever Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, challenged to visit every city park and any recreational facility within their first 100 days. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
Again, your attention will be relocated to an upcoming update of the city's comprehensive parking master plan as part of the budget of the department for the 2026 financial year.
The existing plan is more than 10 years old, noted Mardorf, and an updated look should enable numerous options for public contributions and more future -oriented goals and initiatives in line with the current reality of the department.
It also expressed excitement and commitment to the various ongoing parking projects and partnerships of the city, such as the planned improvements in the river bank to complement various flood control efforts.
“Ultimately, everything goes back to the quality of life,” she said. “There are some really visionary projects that come across the board that can tie everything together and (Cedar Rapids) a place that people want to visit and explore.”
Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com