Staff Spotlight: Claire Finn

Claire Finn in uniform

NPS Photo

Claire and some of her Northwest Youth Corps trail crew members on their way to start a backcountry hitch in Salmon-Challis National Forest

Photo Courtesy of Claire Finn

How did you find yourself at the NPS?

My NPS experience began at Devils Postpile National Monument as a 16-year-old on a month-long youth corps trail crew through our partner, the Student Conservation Association. That experience changed my life. I got my undergraduate degree in Geography during which I spent some more time doing trails conservation work. This included being a youth crew leader with Northwest Youth Corps in Idaho. Next, I became a Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA), and after that I joined the Youth Programs team in the Intermountain Regional Interpretation and Education Office in Denver for my first job wearing the “Green and Grey” (the name we use for those who wear the NPS uniform, though many employees are not uniformed). After that, I worked as an administrative professional for the Intermountain Regional Office’s Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, primarily with the Submerged Resources Center. They do incredible work, so check them out! I also did a short but amazing stint with the Denver Service Center Visitor Use Management Planning team before landing where I am now. I’ve been completely humbled to work with such amazing teams in the NPS so far!

The Yosemite Volunteer Office celebrating the NPS Centennial during the summer of 2016

NPS Photo

What did you do during your time as a Community Volunteer Ambassador?

As a CVA at Yosemite National Park, I enjoyed learning about the park's extensive volunteer programs office and amazing team. I loved learning more about the role of partnerships in managing our parks and contributing to efforts to engage and include underrepresented communities while doing so. Some special projects I worked on included jumpstarting a drop-in volunteer program for visitors, coordinating the park's Earth Day festival to celebrate sustainability alongside NPS staff, park vendors, and visitors. I also assisted with the Yosemite Facelift, an annual multiday volunteer event co-hosted by the park and the Yosemite Climbing Association in September that typically removes thousands of pounds of trash from the park, including hard-to-reach places like steep terrain, cliff faces, etc. There are also multiple fun events for volunteers that are centered around the climbing community. It’s generally a blast to attend no matter who you are, but especially if you're a rock climber.

What do you do for the NPS?

I am a Youth Program Specialist with the Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC), a central office of the NPS located in Frederick, Maryland. HPTC delivers quality preservation services and develops courses that fulfill training requirements of NPS employees for specific career fields related to preservation maintenance.

I manage the NPS Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP), an apprenticeship-style internship program that provides aspiring young adult preservationists—especially those underrepresented in the trades—with a unique opportunity to work on important, real-world projects while building preservation trades skills and a life-long connection to America’s national parks. TTAP also provides experienced NPS preservation professionals the opportunity to pass on craft skills that ensure national park histories continue to inspire and educate the next generation of visitors, as well as build the next generation of preservation trades employees.

I find myself spending a fair amount of time on communications and coordinating with multiple stakeholders, partnership management, financial management, and program analysis to both maintain and develop a national program that places upwards of 50 interns in parks throughout the country each year. I am inspired by the work of these interns and parks, which include projects like performing masonry repairs to the Great House at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, interior woodworking on historic houses in Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, and preserving historic backcountry cabins in Haleakalā National Park. My favorite part about this job is the creativity it takes to improve the program and provide career altering, life changing experiences for the young adults in our program. We want to ensure our participants get what they need to be successful and have a great experience during their internship. The role is an exciting challenge and a joy – I love it!

Claire and her sister at the Denver PrideFest Parade

NPS Photo

What has your experience been like working at a park, region, and now the national level?

Each level has given me a different perspective on what it takes to collectively run this giant collection of places, missions, programs, activities, and services that we bundle up as the NPS. While I am nowhere near close to having a comprehensive knowledge of the NPS (and never will be!), working at these three levels has given me a lot of insight into the inner connections and workings of our organization. This includes how the three levels complement each other (and how they could better complement each other), how things get done, and context for why some things are the way they are. I hope I can use this knowledge to make more of an impact as my career progresses.

What advice do you have for youth and young adults interested in working for NPS?

Do your research to learn about all the different ways you can work for the NPS (check out Explore Careers | U.S. Department of the Interior (doi.gov) to start). The public-facing Park Ranger positions most people associate with our national parks is just one of many, many kinds of jobs available. Learn about opportunities to get involved through internships and fellowships and check out a list of our youth partners (not exhaustive). Understand the difference between a non-federal resume and federal resume, and work hard to make sure your federal resume is up to date and tailored to the position you’re interested in applying to. Familiarize yourself with federal hiring authorities that may be available to you and how to use them. These might include the Public Lands Corps, student/recent graduate, Schedule A, Veterans Preference, Peace Corps/Americorps VISTA, among others. Ask NPS employees for help learning about these pathways and making connections. Don't be afraid to cold-email people to ask questions and expand your network!

What do you want to say to the women out there who don’t know if they can make it in this field?

You can do it! There are plenty of role models out there, even if women’s representation in a particular field is not always in the majority. Find other women, allies, and mentors in areas you want to get into to be on your team and ask questions. Ask for help, view mistakes as lessons to learn, be adaptable, and work to overcome imposter syndrome. Also, get through "professional vertigo" (a favorite made up phrase of mine referring to that feeling of looking over your shoulder asking yourself: surely there is someone better prepared to tackle this issue that seems so important/high-level/impactful). Leaning on support networks to get through hurdles is a huge help.

Claire on a cross-country ski adventure outside of Crested Butte, Colorado

Photo Courtesy of Claire Finn

What do you feel is the most rewarding aspect of your job, and what are some of the challenges?

This is kind of cheesy, but honestly it is the knowledge that what I do helps provide young people experiences that are often not just first or early career jobs but life-changing experiences. As a former NPS youth programs participant, I know how impactful these experiences can be, and it is incredibly rewarding, humbling, and motivating to work toward providing them to young people. My job is also rewarding in that this work is building the future NPS workforce and trying to increase representation from all backgrounds in the NPS workforce so our staff can better reflect the diversity of our country. If you ask around enough, you'll learn that so many of our colleagues got their start through an NPS internship program, the Youth Conservation Corps…you name it, so I really believe youth programs is a proven pathway to working toward this. As far as challenges, I'd say sometimes bureaucracy and a “this is how it is” attitude can create roadblocks to accomplishing our goals. This can be frustrating, but I also love getting creative with bureaucracy, so it can be a fun challenge!

What hobbies do you enjoy when you’re not working?

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, volunteering, and quilting. I also love reading and enjoying the abundance of outdoor spaces in my region of Northern California. This includes camping, hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, and cross-country skiing. I’ve visited national park sites in nearly all regions of the country (Alaska is still on my list). I consider Yosemite National Park to be my heart park.