My Park Story: Tom Medema

Tom Medema at Rocky Mountain National Park smiling for a photo while wearing his volunteer uniform.

"The Connection is What Matters"

To celebrate National Volunteer Week, Tom Medema, Associate Director for Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers shared his #MyParkStory. Tom started his career as a National Park Service volunteer and now leads the department that manages the Volunteers-In-Parks program! This story highlights Tom’s own history with volunteerism, the significance of volunteers, and their broader role in the National Park Service mission.

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Tom at Rocky Mountain National Park in his volunteer uniform, smiling for the photo with a young kid.

Why is volunteerism important to you?

I have a great amount of respect and appreciation for volunteers... It also happens to be how I started my career in the National Park Service, which is why volunteerism means so much to me. It is a powerful tool to advance our culture, to be civically engaged and to help others. It’s showing empathy through action. Whether it's empathy for the natural world or empathy for humankind, volunteerism is one of the greatest manifestations of empathy that one can find.


What initially interested you in volunteering with the National Park Service?

While I was in graduate school at Michigan State University, I walked into the hallway and saw a flyer that said Rocky Mountain National Park on it. I had been to Rocky Mountain National Park as a kid on vacation and I loved the Rocky Mountains. The flyer advertised an opportunity to volunteer for a summer doing interpretation and education. I was in grad school for interpretation, so I was immediately excited about the opportunity. It was honestly just the place; it was the power of the Rocky Mountain National Park that drew my attention.

Tom in his ranger uniform standing with volunteers in front of an Amtrak train.

What is an accomplishment during your volunteer service that you are really proud of?

Learning about living history, developing a character and the connection that I made with visitors because of it. I quite literally had a Facebook Messenger conversation with a woman recently; her and her family came every summer and intentionally came back to see my character. And that was 35 years ago, and we're still connected. The accomplishment was creating some joy for them and some understanding and appreciation. It was building connection with people. I thrive on that.

What would you say to encourage someone who is considering getting involved?

I would say to people, consider why. What are your motivations for volunteering and are those things going to be met with that particular opportunity? Consider all the other benefits that maybe you haven't thought about; what volunteering brings to you and what it gives to other people. You'll find it incredibly fulfilling if you think about those things ahead of time.

A recent photo of Tom behind a microphone wearing his ranger uniform.

How did being a volunteer help you grow as a leader?

I grew as a leader by learning and listening from the experts around me, people across the spectrum from the leadership of Rocky Mountain National Park to the seasonal staff. Through them, I learned that I wanted to be directly engaged and have a relationship with the people. If I go into a visitor center and there’s a handful of park staff and volunteers, I'll go introduce myself to the volunteers first. Not as an afterthought, I try to embody that right away to make sure they know I understand and appreciate them and their service. I think that starting with that as a volunteer really informed a lot of how I act as a leader today, even though I didn't know at the time.

How do volunteers today support the NPS mission?

We have a robust mission statement in the Park Service that talks about inspiration and education and expanding through partnerships around the world; it’s this incredibly powerful mission statement. Our volunteers support our mission by connecting people to the place and growing their understanding and empathy. My hope is that every volunteer recognizes that what they are doing is central to upholding that preservation mission, that inspiration, enjoyment and education mission. All that combined has given us more than a century now of protected places with many, many more centuries to come.

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The official logo for Volunteer-In-Parks.