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Contact: Jane Ahern, 215-597-0865 Contact: Gregory Schwarz, 603-675-2175
Rick Kendall has been named superintendent of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and the National Park Service (NPS) Stewardship Institute, both in Woodstock, Vermont, and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, New Hampshire. He replaces Michael Creasey, who assumed duties as superintendent at the National Parks of Boston in June. Kendall will start in this new role immediately. Filling this position is the first of three management hires that will also include a Deputy Superintendent and Director of the Stewardship Institute to increase capacity and sustain collaboration between the two parks, the Institute, and their many partners. "Rick is one of the Northeast Region's most talented superintendents, and comes to this position already having deep knowledge of both parks and the Institute, and the collaboration opportunities among all three entities," remarked Mike Caldwell, regional director for the Northeast Region of the NPS. For the last five years, Kendall has been serving as superintendent of Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. For the last three years, he has been leading Saint-Gaudens's collaborative efforts with Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP and the Stewardship Institute. He also recently completed a four month assignment as interim superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site in Pennsylvania. Kendall's career has taken him from coast to coast in a variety of different positions with the NPS. He began his career in the backcountry office of Olympic National Park and since then his career as an interpreter and manager has taken him to Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area as the park's education specialist, to Death Valley National Park as supervisory park ranger, and to the USS Arizona Memorial as interim chief of interpretation. Kendall is also an alumnus of the Bevinetto Congressional Fellowship where he spent a year detailed to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources and a year detailed to the Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. "Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP and Saint-Gaudens NHS are two small parks with stories that reach across the nation, touching upon our shared conservation history and artistic history," said Kendall. "Add in the Stewardship Institute and its national reputation for leading initiatives that are pushing the National Park Service in new directions and this corner of New England is a center for creatively thinking about the role of national parks in our society as we start our second century as an agency. I look forward to working with NPS staff, partners, and communities as we continue the great work of these organizations in Vermont, New Hampshire, and nationally."" Kendall holds a bachelor's degree in archaeology from the University of Georgia and a master's in archaeology from the University of Arizona. Kendall, his wife Laura, and two children, ages 11 and 8, live in Vermont. About the Parks: Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park was home to pioneer 19th century conservationists George Perkins Marsh and Frederick Billings and 20th century conservationists Mary and Laurance S. Rockefeller. The park was established to explore the history and evolution of conservation and demonstrate contemporary stewardship practices. The park is also home to the Stewardship Institute. . https://www.nps.gov/mabi Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site preserves the home, collections, gardens and studio of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), one of America's greatest sculptors. The park holds the largest museum collection of Saint-Gaudens artwork in the world, interprets Saint-Gaudens public monuments in large cities around the United States, and interprets the Cornish Colony of artists which formed around Saint-Gaudens in New Hampshire. https://www.nps.gov/saga The Stewardship Institute works to advance innovation in collaborative conservation for the stewardship of the National Park System and other public lands. The Institute has a wide range of programs that identify and share best practices, reflect on lessons learned, exchange leadership experience, and maintain a dialogue on the best thinking and practice in the evolving field of conservation. The Institute focuses their work on Collaboration and Engagement, Research and Evaluation, Leadership for Change, and Education. https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1412/index.htm About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 408 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov. |�T:q0 |
Last updated: July 19, 2015