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Contact: Patty Rooney, 402-661-1532
Tarona Armstrong has been selected as the Superintendent of President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site (NHS) in Hope, Ark. Currently serving as Management Assistant at the National Park Service (NPS) Northeast Regional Office in Philadelphia, Pa., Armstrong succeeds Laura Miller, who is now Deputy Superintendent at Buffalo National River in Harrison, Ark. Armstrong begins this new assignment in early October 2014. In announcing the selection, NPS Midwest Region Acting Regional Director Patricia S. Trap said, "Tarona's strong leadership skills, breadth of experience in interpretation, and demonstrated ability to form and maintain partnerships make her an ideal choice for Superintendent. We are very pleased to welcome her back to the Midwest Region to lead President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site into the National Park Service's 2nd Century," Trap added. "I am excited to have the opportunity to return to Arkansas and the park to continue to work with park staff,volunteers, partners, and the local community to preserve President Clinton's birthplace home, the place he spent his formative years, which helped him shape his understanding of the world and influence his development into the international statesman he has become," said Armstrong of this new assignment. A 22-year NPS veteran, Armstrong began her career as a seasonal ranger at Gateway National Recreation Area in New York in 1991, and became a permanent ranger at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia in 1994. In 1997, she moved to Brown v Board of Education NHS in Topeka, Kan., as the lead park ranger, and was accepted into the New Leadership Management program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's graduate school, which led to a supervisory position at Everglades National Park in Florida in 1999. Armstrong became lead ranger at Arkansas Post National Memorial in Gillett, Ark., in 2001, and was offered and accepted the position as first lead ranger at the newly designated Little Rock Central High School NHS in 2002. She was instrumental in the establishment and development of the site and the park's interpretive program. In 2009, she transferred to Cane River Creole National Historical Park in Natchitoches, La., as the Chief of Interpretation. Armstrong returned to Arkansas in 2011 as the first Chief of Interpretation for the newly established President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home NHS. She was a key contributor in preparing for the formal site dedication ceremony which hosted dignitaries such as former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and NPS Director Jon Jarvis. In 2013, Armstrong began her current position as Management Assistant in the Northeast Regional Office. This 2-year appointment was specifically designed to develop future superintendents and program managers and, in that role, she was the key point of contact for technical and program management actions by the Northeast Regional Director and Deputy Regional Directors. Armstrong also supported regionalcommunications and legislative affairs staff, and served details as acting Superintendent at President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home NHS, George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Virginia, and Thomas Stone NHS in Charles County, Md. Armstrong has earned various exceptional performance awards throughout her NPS career, as well as the Leadership Development Academy Graduate School Certificate, and was named Federal Employee of the Year in 2008. She also serves as a CORE PLUS Specialist within the Department of the Interior's integrated conflict management system. A Marianna, Ark., native, Armstrong earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Parks and Recreation from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and has earned two graduate degrees from the Webster University in Human Resource Management and Management and Leadership. Armstrong enjoys spending her free time with family and friends, and traveling. President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home NHS preserves the home where in William Jefferson Blythe III(Bill Clinton) spent his formative years and learned many childhood lessons that defined his life and his presidency. He lived in the house for the first four years of his life (1946-1950) with his mother and maternal grandparents. Clinton visited his grandparents at the house until his grandfather's death in 1956. On May 19, 1994, the birthplace home was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and on March 30, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which provided the authority to establish the national historic site. On April 16, 2011, President Clinton joined Department of the Interior officials and U.S. Representative Mike Ross in formally dedicating William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home NHS. Guided tours of the Clinton Birthplace Home are available, as is the adjacent NPS visitor center and bookstore. The visitor center features exhibits about President Clinton's childhood and family. |
Last updated: April 10, 2015