The Town of Parker announced the official appointments of Jim Tsurapas as Police Chief and Mary Colton as Parks and Recreation Director in June.
"It gives me great pleasure to announce the promotion of Jim Tsurapas to Chief of Police and Mary Colton to Director of Parks and Recreation,” said Town Administrator Michelle Kivela. “Over the past few months, I have witnessed Jim and Mary excel as Acting Directors under the most unusual and trying of circumstances. Through their actions, they have demonstrated expertise in their fields, as well as strong leadership abilities, and they have my full support in their new roles."
Mary Colton has worked for Parker’s Parks and Recreation Department since 2007. She was hired as the Assistant Director of Programs and then promoted to Recreation Manager. Colton has served as the Acting Parks and Recreation Director since March 2020.
"I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to lead our award-winning Parks and Recreation Department,” said Colton. “I’m incredibly proud of our team of professionals who demonstrate tremendous adaptability, creativity and teamwork as we work to support and promote an active and healthy community, and I look forward to serving alongside them."
Jim Tsurapas began his career with the Parker Police Department in 1993 as a volunteer reserve officer and was hired on as a full-time officer in 1995. He has since been promoted through the ranks as a Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and, in 2016, he was named Deputy Chief. He has served as Acting Police Chief since January 2020.
"I am honored to be appointed Chief of Police for the Parker Police Department," said Tsurapas. "This position comes with a tremendous amount of opportunity and an enormous responsibility. The Parker Police Department has an outstanding reputation for community collaboration and policing excellence. I look forward to leading our dedicated officers and staff, building upon the strong foundation of this department and providing continued success."