Joel Siderius: Creating Budget Solutions for the Denver Service Center

Joel Siderius and his family hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park.

What is your name and job title? Joel Siderius, Denver Service Center (DSC) Supervisory Budget Analyst.

What experience and education do you have? I have worked for the Denver Service Center as a budget analyst for six years. Prior to that I worked in the Comptroller’s Office in Washington D.C. for WASO (Washington Support Office) budget.

I also have served stints for the National Park Service as an Interpretive Park Ranger at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and as a Biologist for Crater Lake National Park.  I have a master’s degree in Geography from the University of Utah. 

What made you choose a career in the National Park Service? Like many of my colleagues I was initially attracted to the National Park Service (NPS) because of the mission and the resources. As my career evolved with the NPS, I appreciate the generally respectful nature of my colleagues. It makes coming to work each day easy.

What is a typical day like? After six years at the Denver Service Center (DSC) I am still looking for that typical day. Overall, I would say that a typical day is a whirlwind of answering budget questions – whether we have the money to do this or that. Also, the day changes quickly from dealing with conceptual DSC future visions, to answering questions about how many pennies we spent on an item.

What career advice would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar path? My advice is that you learn more by listening then talking. Find people you respect and genuinely listen to them. There is a lot of NPS wisdom. Also, find ways to learn about as many pieces of the National Park Service organization as you can. Focusing on your craft will take you only so far. Each time I moved from unit to unit, regional office to WASO, WASO to program work. Each part of the organization is quite unique.