News Release

Eric Leonard Selected as Superintendent of Guadalupe Mountains National Park

News Release Date: August 10, 2020

National Park Service Regional Director Mike Reynolds announced the selection of Eric Leonard as superintendent of Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas. Leonard has more than 20 years of National Park Service experience and currently serves as the superintendent of Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in South Dakota. He will assume his new role on Aug. 30, 2020. 

“Eric brings a record of innovative park programming and partnerships, a commitment to maintaining high-quality visitor services, and a passion for preserving park resources for future generations,” said Reynolds. “His leadership and initiative will be a great fit at the park and we look forward to working with him.” 

“I am excited to return to the Chihuahuan Desert environment of West Texas as superintendent of Guadalupe Mountains National Park,” said Leonard. “I look forward to joining the team and collaborating with staff and partners in the best interests of the park and its visitors.” 

Leonard has an extensive background with the National Park Service and his exposure to national parks and historical sites began at an early age. His father was a seasonal ranger naturalist in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming throughout the 1970s. 

In Leonard’s current position as the superintendent of Minuteman Missile National Historic Site he has led many projects including large-scale interpretive media and infrastructure upgrades. Prior to that, he served as the chief of interpretation and education at Andersonville National Historic Site in Georgia, revitalizing interpretive programs, improving relations with scholars, and overseeing burial operations at the largest active National Cemetery in the National Park Service. Leonard also served at Big Bend National Park in Texas managing the interpretive media and website, and at Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma as a public information officer. Early in his career, Leonard spent time at Fort Larned National Historic Site in Kansas, and Fort Smith National Historic Site and Arkansas Post National Memorial both in Arkansas. 

Leonard earned his Associate’s degree at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Washington and his Bachelor’s degree in history at Fort Hays State University in Kansas. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Master of Liberal Studies degree with an emphasis on public history.  

Leonard will be returning to West Texas with his wife and their two teenagers.