My Park Story: Amy Bracewell

Amy Bracewell at a Georgia football game.

Amy Bracewell

Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I earned my bachelor’s degree from Emory University and went on to the University of Texas at Austin for a Masters in Art History. I then moved back to Georgia and pursued a Masters in Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!). I’ve lived in South Dakota, Virginia, and New York as well and have enjoyed getting to know the landscapes and opportunities of our wide country.

What interested in you the National Park Service?
In my late 20s I had still not found a career or profession for my life. I really enjoyed history and research but did not know how to use that for work. In graduate school, I took an internship with the Student Conservation Association at Mount Rushmore National Memorial and fell in love instantly with the work. I loved that I could continue to research and learn, and share that knowledge with the general public. I love working in a national park everyday and welcoming millions of people to our public lands. I love the teamwork and learning from my colleagues in law enforcement, facilities, natural resources – there is an impressive gathering of skills and knowledge in the National Park Service and I am inspired by my colleagues every day.

Amy Bracewell at Mount Rushmore

Amy Bracewell

Do you remember the first park you visited?
My family would often visit the coast of Georgia for vacation and frequently stopped at the national parks in the area. Places like Fort Frederica, Fort Pulaski, Cumberland Island, among many others are my first recollections of national parks. Even before it became a national park site, I was very familiar with the history of Martin Luther King Jr. and his work in Atlanta. I am grateful for the inclusion of this history in my schooling, and the greater discussions of our collective civil rights journeys. I think all of these experiences helped me be more aware of the experiences of others, and inspired me to continue learning in every phase of life.

What is your background? College? Study?
I studied cultural anthropology and german in my undergraduate years. From there, I went to graduate school for art history and specifically for the art and archeology of the ancient Maya. After this work, I went back to graduate school and studied historic preservation, which led me to my work in the National Park Service. It was a winding and foggy path I took to find my career, but I like to think all of these subjects help us understand how people represent themselves and organize their society, both in the past and present.

Amy Bracewell in Uniform

Amy Bracewell

What has been your path in the NPS?
After my internship with the Student Conservation Association at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, I was offered a student position through the federal government’s Student Career Employment Program. I worked in interpretation and education at Mount Rushmore while I was finished my Master’s thesis. Once I graduated, I continued to work at Mount Rushmore as the Historian and worked with all teams at the park with resource protection, environmental compliance, research, and public presentations. I really enjoyed the inter-discplinary work I got to do, which led me to my interested in park leadership. I accepted the position as Site Manager at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in Virginia. In 2015 I became Superintendent at Saratoga National Historical Park in Upstate New York, and in 2020, I was selected to the post of Superintendent at the Roosevelt, Van Buren, and Vanderbilt National Historic Sites.


What’s your favorite part of the job?
I absolutely love being a part of a team that is working together to protect, preserve and make available our national treasures to our visitors and community. Every day I get to work on a variety of interesting, and often complex, situations that span from museum objects, special event planning, employee and visitor safety, gardening and landscape issues, preservation treatments on our historic homes, and making sure our workforce has what they need in terms of supplies and resources to succeed in their work. I also love engaging with visitors in the parks. To think that many people save up their time and money to travel to visit our national parks is a daunting thought to ensure they have the best and most meaningful experience. I feel very privileged to be a caretaker of these sites and humbled by the overwhelming task of protecting these treasures for future generations.

Any at the White House standing next to Eleanor Roosevelt's official portrait.

Amy Bracewell

Any favorite/funny memories?
One of my favorite experiences was at Assateague Island National Seashore. I assisted the park for 4 months in the winter. My dog, Dash, and I would take walks on the beach and often, we were the only ones out on the island. I loved the experience of having a whole beach to myself and seeing nothing but natural beauty for as far as you could see. It is rare these days, but visiting parks in their “off” season sometimes gives you such personal, intimate experiences with nature and the park resources. Those moments are priceless!

Do you have any hobbies?
I love almost any activity outside – kayaking, hiking, camping, gardening (even though I don’t have a green thumb!). I enjoy exploring trails with my dog, Dash. I also love exploring museums, cultural institutions, and attending as many broadway shows as I can!

Dash sitting at Bard Rock next to the Hudson River

Amy Bracewell

Favorite personal things:

• I love anything on tv by Tina Fey or Amy Poehler (Knope/Lemon for 2024!)

• watching and hoping the flowers I plant in my yard will grow

• museums and Broadway performances

• Watching the University of Georgia Bulldogs win football games

• Traveling and exploring

• Getting stamps in my NPS passport at all the national parks I visit!