News Release
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Contact: Deborah Coble, 907-280-8739
Contact: Elizabeth Centeno, 340-227-0999
ATLANTA — National Park Service (NPS) acting Regional Director Pedro Ramos today announced the selection of Angelita “Angie” Alvino as the new superintendent for Christiansted National Historic Site, Buck Island Reef National Monument and Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. She will begin working with the parks on October 4“With more than 20 years of experience with coastal parks, the majority of which were gained here in the South Atlantic-Gulf region, I am pleased to welcome Angie back as the newest superintendent for our parks on St. Croix,” said Ramos. “Angie is an innovative leader who offers holistic growth and development for park staff. Her ability to bolster support for park programming to provide mutual benefit for the park, its stakeholders and visitors will ensure the continued protection and interpretation of the parks’ cherished resources.”
“I am honored to have been selected as the next superintendent for Christiansted National Historic Site, Buck Island Reef National Monument and Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve. I look forward to building relationships with staff, partners, and the local community to preserve and protect these unique sites. I am also excited for the opportunity to return to my Caribbean roots,” said Alvino.
Alvino started her NPS career in 1999, near her hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico as a park guide at San Juan National Historic Site. In 2001, Alvino moved to Florida where she began as a park ranger with Everglades National Park and advanced to administrative officer with De Soto National Memorial and Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas national monuments. She continued her trek up the Atlantic coast as administrative officer with Fort Frederica National Monument in 2010 and has served as Assateague Island National Seashore’s chief of administration and business services since 2013. At Assateague Island, Alvino has managed a robust portfolio including the park’s housing, fee program, commercial/special use program, concessions, information technology, human resources and other administrative responsibilities. At various times during her tenure at Assateague Island, Alvino served as acting superintendent. Alvino also recently completed a temporary assignment as acting superintendent for Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works national historic sites.
During the span of her career, Alvino was twice recognized as an “Emerging Leader” by the NPS South-Atlantic Gulf Region. She is co-chair of the NPS Hispanic Organization on Relevancy, Advising, Leadership and Excellence and has taken an active role in leading programs to promote park safety and employee well-being.
Alvino, a second-generation “parkie” who was inspired by her mother to join the NPS, studied business administration at Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts. She recently married last year on leap day, just shy of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Alvino prides herself on having a witty sense of humor, demonstrating kindness toward others and sharing precious time with her husband, four children, seven grandchildren and two Yorkshire terriers.
About Christiansted National Historic Site: Christiansted National Historic Site, known locally as the gem of the Caribbean, preserves the historic structure and grounds within its boundaries and interprets the Danish economy and way of life in Christiansted between 1733 and 1917. Rich and vibrant history abounds centered around colonial administration, the military and naval establishment, international trade and enslaved people, religious diversity, architecture, skilled artisanship and crime and punishment. The park consists of seven acres centered on the Christiansted waterfront with five historic structures for visitors to view and enjoy: Fort Christiansvaern, the Danish West India & Guinea Company Warehouse, the Steeple Building, Danish Custom House and the Scale House. Visitors are encouraged to tour the grounds while enjoying a picnic lunch and majestic ocean views. No place in the Caribbean still demonstrates the architectural, economic, and political influence of Europe like Christiansted National Historic Site.
About Buck Island Reef National Monument: Buck Island is a small uninhabited located just 1.5 miles north of the island of St. Croix. While there are numerous islands of similar size and appearance in the Lesser Antilles Buck Island possesses a distinctive feature which sets it apart, namely the magnificent elkhorn coral barrier reef. For over 50 years, the National Park Service has monitored the parks’ marine and terrestrial ecosystems and conducted and supported scientific research. It has one of the world’s most important turtle nesting beaches for hawksbill sea turtles and provides safe nesting for local and migratory species of birds, including brown pelicans and least terns. The elkhorn coral barrier reef that surrounds two-thirds of the island has survived hurricanes and diseases, remains extraordinary with dramatic coral formations, deep grottoes, diverse reef fishes, sea fans and soft corals. Buck Island is also the scene of history and culture including historic accounts of enslaved Africans from St. Croix who were sent to Buck Island to harvest ironwood trees and to gather shellfish and lobsters, and to tend goats that were released on the island to free range and forage.
About Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve: The Salt River Bay watershed, located on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, has drawn human settlement for over two millennia. From the island’s first settlers who arrived by canoe from the Orinoco River delta nearly 2000 years ago to early English and Dutch colonists in the early 17th century, to Danish sugar planters of the 18th and 19th century, the rich and diverse natural resources of the watershed have been attractions for settlement. Additionally, the park contains the only known site where members of the Columbus expedition set foot on what is now U.S. territory. Salt River Bay preserves upland watersheds, mangrove forests and estuarine and marine environments. Since its creation in 1992, Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve has protected the lands surrounding the bay from encroaching development.
Last updated: September 16, 2021