Six people will be making their case as to why one of them should be appointed to the vacant seat on the Bend Park & Recreation District board Tuesday.

Lauren Sprang, who was elected to the board in May 2017, resigned in November. In her resignation letter, she suggests she wanted to serve her community outside of the public eye.

Here is a glimpse at the applicants and why they think they should be chosen over the competition.

Karen Berky

For the past 28 years, Karen Berky worked for The Nature Conservancy, an organization that works with public and private entities to conserve land and bodies of water. For the last 12 years, the 62-year-old Bend resident has served as the division director of the Western and Pacific states, as well as Canada, before retiring in October.

Most recently, Berky has served as the board chair of the Finance and Audit Committee for Nature United, a Toronto-based nonprofit conservation organization.

She has also volunteered for years as a volleyball coach for the district.

Berky said she is interested in the position because she wants to give back to an organization she feels gave her and her family many opportunities. She also believes her experience working for a nonprofit and developing budgets could be helpful to the district.

“(The district has) made a big personal impact in our family,” Berky said. “I’m at a point in my life that I have time to pursue that passion and give back to the district for what it (has) done for me and my family.”

Zavier Borja

Zavier Borja, 26, works for Bend-La Pine Schools as mentor specialist at Summit High School. Before, Borja worked for the park district for three years in several capacities, including a program he helped create called Operation Recreation, a children’s program held on days when kids are not in school, according to his application.

Most recently, Borja started a local chapter of Latino Outdoors, a nonprofit aimed at connecting Latino communities with the outdoors.

Borja said he wants to join the board to serve the community and act as a visual representation of diversity and a voice for the Latino community.

As the youngest candidate, Borja feels he has an advantage by being able to connect and communicate with younger generations.

“(Having) spent the majority of my time living on the east side of the Bend area (now living in the south end), I have a realistic understanding of that growing area and how the district can continue to make improvements in those areas,” he wrote in an email.

Linda Crouse

Linda Crouse is a recently retired certified public accountant looking to give back to her community, according to her application. Crouse, 67, was most recently the president of the Bend River Heights Homeowners’ Association and has served in leadership roles in several professional financial groups and associations, according to her application.

Crouse said she is interested in the vacancy because she is interested in using the skills she has acquired in her career to help the park district. She also sees this as a meaningful way to spend her retirement years.

“I have a deep understanding of financial issues, and I think a lot of the issues the board faces are financial in developing the budget,” she said.

Amy Fraley

Amy Fraley, 49, is the executive vice president of J Bar J Youth Services, a nonprofit that orchestrates nine programs that work with children in crisis or need. She also serves on the Advisory Council of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon and is the founder of Backpacks in Bend, a nonprofit that provides weekend meals to students in Bend-La Pine Schools, according to her application.

Fraley is primarily interested in the position to enhance outreach and inclusivity by reducing barriers to programs and facilities, she said.

“While the pool of qualified candidates would each bring a valuable perspective and unique skill set to the Board, my extensive experience advocating for under-served populations in diverse settings has helped me recognize the intrinsic value of recreation and the disparity created by a lack of accessible resources,” Fraley wrote in an email.

Deb Schoen

Deb Schoen, 61, has a 40-year career with the Tualatin Hill Park & Recreation District. For 13 years, she also managed Camp Rivendale, a summer day camp that served people experiencing physical, emotional or developmental disabilities. She serves as a board member of the Bend Park & Recreation Foundation, according to her application.

Schoen wants to join the board because she has a passion for parks and recreation, she said, and said her experience developing and implementing budgets would be critical, as the person who will be appointed will be jumping straight into next year’s budget cycle.

“I know what’s happening in the industry, and it’s my desire to bring that to the board to continue the good work they’re already doing,” she said.

Judy Stiegler

As a self-proclaimed “service-junkie,” Judy Stiegler is a part-time political science instructor at Oregon State University-Cascades and former state representative. Over the past 40 years, Stiegler has served as the program director of CASA of Central Oregon and worked as a private attorney, according to her application.

At 66, Stiegler said she has an interest in promoting the well-being of older populations in Bend. She believes her 40-year tenure living in Bend and her years of public service could be helpful to the board.

“I don’t come to the position with any kind of agenda, except to have the parks and recreation (district) be a thriving public entity,” she said.