News Release

David A. Smith Selected to Lead Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

Date: April 28, 2011

Date: April 28, 2011
Contact: Patty Rooney
Phone: [phone]

Omaha, Neb. — The National Park Service (NPS) has appointed David Smith, a Legislative Affairs Specialist in the NPS Washington, D.C., Office, as the next Superintendent of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kan. This new assignment takes effect July 3.

"David is an ideal selection for this leadership position at Brown v. Board," said George J. Turnbull, acting director for the NPS 13-state Midwest Region. "The breadth of David's park experience, as well as his service to Congress and in the NPS Washington, D.C., Office as a Bevinetto Congressional Fellow will serve him very well," he added.

Smith began his NPS career as a seasonal interpreter, then a supervisory environmental education specialist, at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah and Colorado, working the off season at Point Reyes National Seashore. In 1994, he began his first commissioned position as a back country ranger at Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Following a one-year break from the NPS, during which time he completed the Federal Law Enforcement Training Course and received his commission as a federal agent, Smith worked with the U.S. Border Patrol. He returned to the NPS as a biological technician at Cabrillo National Monument, California. Smith transferred to Joshua Tree National Monument, California, for a position as interpretive ranger. In 2001, he began work as the interpretive specialist for the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, working from the trail office in Oakland, Calif.

In 2005, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona became home to Smith, then a district interpreter supervising a staff of 20 interpretive rangers. While at the Grand Canyon, Smith was selected as one of two 2010 Bevinetto Congressional Fellows. The two-year training and development program for mid-career professionals provides the opportunity to be involved in the interaction between Congress and the NPS on key policy issues. Smith headed to Washington, D.C., to work on the House Committee for National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, followed in 2011 by his current assignment with the NPS Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs.

In addition to his selection as a Bevinetto Congressional Fellow, Smith was honored with the 2005 National Freeman Tilden Award for Excellence in Interpretation. Smith also graduated from the Intermountain Regional Generating Organizational Advancement and Leadership Academy, specializing in outreach to diverse audiences.

Smith is trained in high angle technical rescue, is a nationally certified EMT-B, an AHA First Aid/CPR instructor, an NPS certified structural firefighter, and an Operational Leadership Instructor. He is fluent in both French and Spanish.

Of this new assignment, Smith said, "At a time when we are seeing economic segregation in school districts across the country, the story at Brown is just as important to students today as it was in 1954. What an honor to be entrusted with this story and to be able to share it with the next generation of Americans."

Born and raised in San Diego, Calif., Smith graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1990, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Studies. During his time at the Grand Canyon, he completed his Masters of Science in Resource Interpretation at the Stephen F. Austin University. He met his spouse, John Evans, while at Berkeley, and they delight in raising their son and daughter, Dante, 9, and Jakiah, 7. They share the household with their dog Tori, as well.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site was established by Congress on October 26, 1992, to commemorate the 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended segregation in public schools. The site, which was dedicated on May 17, 2004, interprets the integral role of the Brown v. Board of Education case in the civil rights movement.