2022 Harry Yount National Park Ranger Award

The Harry Yount Award National Park Ranger Award is presented annually to honor a ranger who exceeds normal expectations and shows initiative, imagination, perseverance, competence, creativity, resourcefulness, dedication, and integrity. The award is the hallmark of recognition for national park rangers. It honors those who have promoted the highest degree of leadership, awareness, and appreciation for the ranger profession and the National Park Service.

Duration:

1 minute, 2 seconds

Mike Archer accepts the 2022 Harry Yount Award for Excellence in Rangering at the Intermountain Regional Office.

National Recipient: Mike Archer

Intermountain Region (6,7,8)

Mike Archer started his seasonal career in 1990 at Yosemite National Park. His first permanent commissioned position was in Shenandoah National Park, followed by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. From 2003 to 2010 Mike worked at the Grand Canyon; first as South Rim Shift Supervisor, then South Rim District Ranger, Deputy Chief Ranger, and ultimately Chief Ranger. Mike transferred to the Intermountain Regional Office in 2010 and has been the Regional Chief Ranger since 2017.

Mike epitomizes leadership and rangering at its best. He is kind, steady, and thoughtful, with the courage to make difficult choices and push boundaries. He has a wide range of experience, ranger skills, and stories to share. It is not the heroic acts Mike has performed over the years that makes him stand out, but rather his leadership at all levels of the organization.

Mike lives his leadership values by intentionally choosing diverse teams and workgroups that will voice varied perspectives and differences of opinion, and then listening to those opinions as he considers his decisions. He celebrates and empowers the development of his employees, so they have potential to impact the workgroup or a region AND affect Service-wide change. He is an authentic leader who navigates the pressures of internal and external politics while holding true to his values and a strong moral compass. He is a true servant-leader who is vulnerable, humble, and always keeps those he serves in the front of his mind. Perhaps most importantly, he is a leader we trust do the right thing in the hard moments.

While setting a positive example, Mike has also taken concrete action to affect positive change. Although he would undoubtedly give all the credit to his team, it is his leadership that has created a space which engendered creativity and forward momentum.

• He has overseen the implementation of an improved law enforcement program audit that is the model for the rest of the Service.
• He led the team that created the Chief Ranger Development Program, a first-of-its-kind cohort-based program that enables success in the next generation of leaders.
• He has mentored numerous current and emerging leaders who have benefited immensely from his guidance and support.
• He consistently steps up and volunteers for national-level projects, including the planning of the 2022 Law Enforcement Leadership Conference, and is always willing to contribute and offer leadership across the Service.
• He created a leadership discussion group shortly after graduating the FBI National Academy;: a seed that ultimately blossomed into the current GOAL Academy.

As Regional Chief Ranger, Mike continues to leave an indelible mark on the National Park Service.

Regional Recipients

• Bruce Phillips, Pacific West Region, Golden Gate National Recreation Area
• Jordan Neumann, Alaska Region, Denali National Park & Preserve
• Coty Stief, Midwest Region, Gateway Arch National Park
• Brett Koch, Southeast Region, Dry Tortugas National Park
• Matthew Huelskamp, National Capital Region, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National HP
• Meghan Farrell, Northeast Region, Cape Cod National Seashore