Forty Under 40: Sara Deuster

Sara Deuster is committed to public service. Having a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees in fields that will help that public service, Deuster is now a doctoral student of public administration at West Chester University.

She joined the City of Fort Smith’s Parks and Recreation Department full-time in January 2014, became deputy director in 2016, interim director in 2023, and director in March.

There, she advocates for the need for the parks system to be inclusive to individuals of all abilities.

She designed the city’s first all-inclusive playground at John Bell Jr. Park near the Arkansas River and is supervising the redesign of all of the city’s park playgrounds into inclusive areas suitable for all ages regardless of their mental or physical limitations. She has also supervised the replacement of restrooms at all of the parks and most recently supervised the demolition of the 85-year-old bath house at the Creekmore Park swimming pool and the design of a new one now under construction.

Deuster also is committed to maintaining and expanding the city’s park system, including implementing new recreational programming for citizens.

“I think the most important thing is to make sure you get community feedback. We need to know what the residents want, not just what we think would be good,” Deuster said, noting citizen meetings and polling are some of the main criteria the city wants from whoever is chosen to develop a master plan for a park at the former Acme Brick Yard, which will eventually become a city park.

Deuster, born and raised in Fort Smith, serves on the Girls Shelter of Fort Smith board and is president of the Zonta Club of Fort Smith.