PP&R celebrates our teammates – meet Shawn Lindsey

News Article
Meet Shawn Lindsey, Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) Athletic Field Turf Maintenance Supervisor. This series highlights our staff as part of the PP&R commemoration of #BlackHistoryMonth (February). You can read the full series at portland.gov/parks/news
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Shawn leads the team which keeps our fields in top shape for soccer, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, baseball, softball, and other sports. He works in the background but is essential in the quality of the foregrounds.

"Some of the things I love about the job is helping people," says Shawn. "Helping give play opportunities to our youth, our adults, watching people play on all our facilities."

Another thing he likes: "A lot of laughter, a lot of fun!”

PP&R athletic field supervisor Shawn Lindsey smiles at Westmoreland Park's Sckavone Stadium. He is wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt and has an enviable beard.
PP&R athletic field supervisor Shawn Lindsey at Westmoreland Park's Sckavone Stadium.

Shawn is a 1995 Franklin High School graduate who also happens to be a hall-of-famer. He was welcomed to the Portland Interscholastic League Hall of Fame in 2019. He has been with PP&R for 20 years, including the last four as the athletic field maintenance supervisor.

"This is what I love, this is what I wanted to do," says Shawn.

In his spare time, Shawn has been a baseball coach at various schools across Portland over the last 16 years.

“I want to give back to others so they too can have the same opportunity as I did,” says Shawn.He was drafted by Major League Baseball teams for three consecutive years and signed with the San Francisco Giants in 1998, after an outstanding career at Lower Columbia College. Shawn said: “Parks is where it all started for me, and so I am a product of Portland Parks & Recreation.”

Shawn played extensively in the minor leagues and overseas before PP&R hit a grand slam by bringing him into OUR lineup.

“I grew up playing on a lot of the great fields and basketball courts in the city. I grew up around all the great summer programs PP&R offers young kids, especially at Brooklyn Park. PP&R gave me a way to be constructive, and places to simply play and to be a kid.”

This series highlights our staff as part of the PP&R commemoration of #BlackHistoryMonth (February). You can read the full series at portland.gov/parks/news

Want to join passionate PP&R people like Shawn in the important work that we do at PP&R?

Portland Parks & Recreation is looking for more part-time and full-time staff, in many programs! If you or someone you know could be a great fit in our inclusive, welcoming environment with fantastic colleagues, flexible hours, and great pay, please visit Portland.gov/parks/employment.