Brad Bennett To Head Andersonville
Brad Bennett has been named the superintendent of Andersonville National Historic Site, effective July 5th.
“We are very proud to have Brad joining our team in the Southeast,” said David Vela, regional director for Southeast Region. “He has a broad base of Park Service knowledge and experience and has proven himself to be an excellent manager and educator. We know he will be a great leader for Andersonville.”
Bennett has served in multiple management posts during his 18-year National Park Service career, including two Civil War sites – as acting superintendent of Georgia’s Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in 2008, and as acting superintendent of Virginia’s Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in 2001.
He also held several positions in Alaska Region, beginning with a 2002 detail as a management assistant in the remote Western Arctic National Parklands, based in Kotzebue. He went on to serve as superintendent of Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, manager of the interagency Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Anchorage, and most recently as the Alaska Region’s chief of interpretation and education.
Bennett started his National Park Service career in 1991 as a Student Conservation Association volunteer at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. During his tenure there, he served as a seasonal interpreter, visitor use assistant, park guide, park ranger, and interpretive specialist. His career progression ultimately lead him to become the first manager of the $25 million dollar orientation and transportation complex on the South Rim, which opened in 2000.
During a subsequent assignment at Harpers Ferry Center in West Virginia, Bennett worked with planning and development teams on several interpretive media projects across the National Park System, including Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail in Alabama.
Bennett grew up on the front range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and met his wife, Emma-Gray, at the University of Southern California. Prior to securing his first permanent position with NPS, Bennett worked as a paralegal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and as the volunteer coordinator for the Mountains Education Program, a non-profit organization that introduced Los Angeles children to their first outdoor experiences in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
“I am humbled and honored to join park staff, partners, and volunteers to care for Andersonville and tell its powerful stories,” Bennett said. “The ongoing commitment of many dedicated people will ensure that this special place continues to offer meaningful experiences to present and future generations.”
Brad, Emma-Gray, and their three school-aged children will journey from Alaska to Georgia in early July. They are looking forward to moving closer to family members who live in the Southeast Region.