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Contact: Saudia Muwwakkil, 404-507-5612
Contact: Carol Borneman, 606-246-1070
National Park Service Names Charles Sellars
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Superintendent
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Superintendent
ATLANTA — Today, the National Park Service Southeast Regional Director Bob Vogel announced the selection of Charles Sellars as superintendent of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, located at the border junction of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Sellars begins his work at the park late summer.
“Charlie is a steady, trusted leader who represents the National Park Service with honor,” Vogel said. “His experience in facilities management, preservation and stakeholder engagement will prove useful in addressing the park’s infrastructure needs and enhancing public access.”
"It is an honor to be selected as the superintendent of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park," Sellars said. "I look forward to returning to the southern Appalachian region and to working with the park staff, volunteers and partners in continuing to preserve, protect and interpret America’s first ‘doorway to the west.’"
Sellars began his National Park Service career in 1985 as a temporary engineering draftsman at the Blue Ridge Parkway. In 1986 he accepted a permanent position with the parkway as an engineering draftsman and in 1988 became a civil engineering technician. In 1996 he became the Maintenance Mechanic Supervisor within the parkway's Pisgah District.
In 1998, Sellars moved to Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, as chief of facility management. Sellars returned to the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2000 as the Ridge District facility manager. In 2002 he moved to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee as the chief of facility management.
Sellars moved to the Outer Banks National Parks Group of North Carolina in 2004 to take the position of chief of facility management. In that role, he managed facility operations at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.
In 2008, Sellars moved to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina where he served as the deputy chief of facility management. In 2012, Sellars served as the acting superintendent of Tennessee’s Fort Donelson National Battlefield and National Cemetery.
Sellars was selected to serve as the superintendent of Andersonville National Historic Site in 2014. During his time at the Georgia park, he also served as the acting superintendent of Florida’s Canaveral National Seashore in 2016 and for Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Georgia last year.
Sellars, his wife Pam and their two children will move to the Middlesboro, Kentucky area in August.
About Cumberland Gap National National Historical Park
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park preserves the mountain pass on the Wilderness Road explored by Daniel Boone and recognized as the first great gateway to the west. Buffalos, followed by Native Americans, longhunters, and nearly 300,000 pioneers all traveled this route through the Appalachian mountain chain into the wilderness of Kentucky. Cumberland Gap developed into a main artery of the great trans-Allegheny migration for settlement of the west and was an important military objective in the Civil War. Modern day explorers and travelers stand in awe at this great gateway formed by wind and water and the many miles of trails and scenic features found in the park. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park features rich history, spectacular overlooks, unique rock formations, cave environments, cascading waterfalls, and an extensive trail system in a 24,000-acre expanse.
Last updated: August 1, 2019