Last updated: January 14, 2026
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NPS Servicewide Awards Digital Program
2025 NPS Servicewide Awards Digital Program
January 21, 2026About the Awards
Each year, the National Park Service honors exemplary work conducted in natural and cultural resource stewardship, and workforce, administration, and facilities management. These awards recognize employees who go above and beyond day-to-day duties to solve problems or create new opportunities or projects with creative thinking and action.
Use this digital program to learn more about today’s program and its honorees and speakers below.
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Programming Schedule
Welcome to Attendees
Remarks from Keynote Speaker, Comptroller - Exercising the Delegated Authority of the Director, Jessica Bowron
Conferment of Awards
- Introduction and read out of the Cultural & Natural Resource Awards by Associate Director Joy Beasley, Ceremony Host Tracy O’Toole
- Introduction and read out of the Parks Planning and Facilities Awards by Acting Associate Director Bethany Barron, Ceremony Host Tracy O’Toole
- Introduction and read out of the Workforce and Administration Awards by Associate Director Rita Moss, Ceremony Host Tracy O'Toole
Ceremony Conclusion
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Learn More About the Award Winners
Comptroller - Exercising the Delegated Authority of the Director Jessica Bowron
Jessica Bowron is the Comptroller of the National Park Service. In this role, she oversees the budget, finance and related functions of the agency. She has worked in various budget functions for the National Park Service since 2007, when she joined Federal service through the Presidential Management Fellowship. She has previously served as the Chief of NPS Budget Formulation and Strategic Planning and as the Budget Execution Lead for the NPS Fire and Aviation Program.
Jessica holds a Bachelor of Science from Oregon State University and a Master of Science in Natural Resource Economics from the University of Arizona.
Ceremony Host Tracy O’Toole
For more than twenty years, Tracy has worked in the fields of community engagement and international affairs to support public land management, heritage tourism and visitor experiences. She currently oversees the National Heritage Area System serving 62 sites throughout the country. Previously, she led the NPS Northeast regional communications, tourism, philanthropic partnerships and congressional affairs programs for 84 park sites.Her work seeks to develop strategic communications, elevate successes and leverage partnership initiatives to build greater awareness of national parks and systems. She has also worked extensively on conservation and economic development initiatives in the Pacific Northwest and ecotourism development through Latin America and the Middle East.
Associate Director Joy Beasley
Joy Beasley has served as the Associate Director for Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science since 2017, first in an acting capacity and assuming the permanent position in August 2020. In 2025, she became Acting Associate Director for the Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate. She is the senior NPS official responsible for guiding a preservation program supporting the work of the national parks as well as heritage resources throughout the nation. Her responsibilities include providing parks and regional offices with policy and technical guidance for the management of more than 82,000 identified archeological sites, 26,000 historic structures, 400 ethnographic resources, 50.4 million museum objects, 85,719 linear feet of NPS archives, and nearly 900 documented cultural landscapes. Ms. Beasley also serves as the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, representing more than 1.8 million buildings, structures, sites, and objects; advises the Secretary of the Interior on designation of National Historic Landmarks (2,598); and manages over 1,000 active grants awards totaling more than $370 million annually. Ms. Beasley oversees the Historic Tax Credit program, which results in billions of dollars annually in investments in the rehabilitation of privately-owned historic structures, and administers the Secretary of the Interior's responsibilities under the National Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
Acting Associate Director Bethany Barron
As a registered professional engineer with over 35 years of distinguished experience in engineering and management, Bethany has excelled in diverse environments, including the private sector and federal agencies such as the Bureau of Reclamation and the United States Forest Service. Currently leading the Denver Service Center (DSC), Bethany has made a profound impact on the National Park Service. In her previous role as Deputy Associate, her strategic leadership was pivotal in guiding the Major Construction Division and significantly advancing the Great American Outdoors Act initiatives. She established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) Program Management Office, redefining standards for construction and conservation across national parks. Through her leadership, Bethany has ensured sustainable stewardship and enhanced visitor experiences throughout the nation's treasured landscapes.
Associate Director Rita Moss
Rita Moss has more than 26 years of leadership experience in Federal human capital within several departments and agencies. She joined the National Park Service as Associate Director, Workforce in January 2021. Her responsibilities include taking care of the organization’s workforce through planning, developing, directing, and evaluating the organization’s human capital, learning and development, and youth programs by partnering with and providing proactive programs to leadership, managers, and employees within the organization.
Moss began her career as a Human Resources Specialist with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, followed by a few years in a similar role at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where she served in all aspects of human resources including staffing, classification, performance management, and labor and employee relations. Moss then moved on to become the Director of Human Resources for the Appalachian Regional Commission, followed by roles as the Chief of the Human Resources Service Center and the Chief of the Organization Development and Consulting Division for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. She has also served as the Director of Human Resources for the Defense Media Activity and Managing Director of Human Resources and Administrative Services for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, setting direction for human capital programs, domestic and overseas human resources, and building and facilities services. One of her most notable assignments was a detail to the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) as part of a “tiger team” to stand up the human resources function for the Command.
Moss has a Master of Science degree in Organization Development from Johns Hopkins University. She also possesses a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with an emphasis in Human Resources from the University of Maryland. She also attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis where she majored in General Science.