Date: August 24, 2007
Contact: Patty Rooney, 402-661-1532
Omaha, Neb.—Constantine (Costa) J. Dillon, Superintendent of the Horace Albright Training Center at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona., has been named as the new Superintendent of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Porter, Indiana. Dillon will assume his new assignment on September 30. He succeeds Dale Engquist, who retired in January following 42 years of Federal service.
In announcing Dillon’s appointment, Ernest Quintana, director of the National Park Service (NPS) 13-state Midwest Region, said, "Costa’s diverse background and expertise in interpretation, both cultural and natural resources management, and partnerships and community engagement will serve him well in his new assignment. We are excited to have Costa back in the Midwest Region."
In his 5 years at the Albright Training Center, Dillon directed Natural and Cultural Resources Management training and Visitor and Resources Protection training for the NPS. He oversaw the launch of the NPS Fundamentals training program, the first for all new NPS employees in the agency’s history, and also significantly improved the credibility and professionalism of training by securing accreditation for training programs and certification for instructors. Dillon also served as the Acting Chief of Training for the NPS during 2006 and 2007.
Prior to his tenure at the Albright Training Center, Dillon was the Superintendent of Fire Island National Seashore in Patchogue, N.Y., where he received the National Parks Conservation Association’s Stephen Mather Award for significant achievements in protecting the outstanding shoreline and wilderness resources of the park.
Dillon began his NPS career as a volunteer at Cabrillo National Monument, Calif., and went on to work as a ranger at Independence National Historical Park, Penn., Carlsbad Caverns National Park, N.M., Gettysburg National Military Park, Penn., Eisenhower National Historic Site, Penn., and Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, Ariz. He served as both a district ranger and later as the Chief of Interpretation at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Calif., before being named to his first Superintendency at Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice, Neb., in 1993.
Dillon is a recipient of the Department of the Interior’s Superior Performance Award, the NPS Sequoia Award for Excellence in Interpretation, and the Secretary of the Interior’s Award for Long Term Achievement in Diversity. During his tenure at Homestead National Monument of America, Fire Island National Seashore, and the Horace Albright Training Center, these units were recognized with the Department of the Interior’s Unit Award for Excellence of Service. He was named by the Governor of Nebraska as an ‘Admiral in the Nebraska Navy,’ a singular honor bestowed on persons contributing to the benefit of the State.
A lengthy NPS career has co-existed with Dillon’s career in feature film production. He created the concept and wrote the original feature motion picture Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (NAI Entertainment, 1978). Among his other films as author/actor are: Return of the Killer Tomatoes (New World Pictures, 1988), Killer Tomatoes Strike Back (20th Century Fox, 1990), Killer Tomatoes Eat France (20th Century Fox, 1992), and Sour Grapes (TMS Pictures, 1986).
A native of Groton, Conn., Dillon holds Bachelor of Science in Environmental Planning and Management from the University of California at Davis, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado. Dillon is a member of the American Society for Training and Development and the George Wright Society. His wife, Ellen, and daughter, Alyssa, 12, will accompany him to Indiana.
On his pending assignment, Dillon said, "Indiana Dunes has wonderful natural, cultural, and recreational resources, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue the work of my predecessors, the employees, partners, and volunteers in this outstanding park."
Authorized in 1966, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore encompasses over 15,000 acres of dunes, beaches, bogs, marshes, swamps, prairie remnants, and historic sites along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Natural features include Mt. Baldy, the park’s premiere sand dune rising 126 feet above Lake Michigan; historic sites include the 1822 Bailly Homestead the Chellberg Farm, a 1900-era family farm. The Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education and the Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center provide day-use and residential programs respectively.
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