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Contact: John Harlan Warren, 215-908-3159
Glen Jean, West Virginia – National Park Service (NPS) Regional Director Gay Vietzke has selected Charles Sellars as the new superintendent of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia. He will also manage both Gauley River National Recreation Area and Bluestone National Scenic River, in southern West Virginia. He is expected to begin his new assignment after the new year."Charlie has the steady, consistent leadership that will continue to guide this new national park to a bright future," said Regional Director Vietzke. “His extensive experience in facilities management, preservation and working with park partners will guide him as the park continues to better serve visitors from West Virginia and across the country.”
“I am honored to have been selected for the superintendent position at America’s newest National Park,” said Sellars. “Being born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains gives me a great appreciation for the culture that is very much part of southern West Virginia and the New River Gorge region. I look forward to meeting with local communities, user groups, park partners, staff and our elected officials to learn more about New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Gauley River National Recreation Area and Bluestone National Scenic River.”
Sellars comes from Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, where he has served as superintendent since 2019. Before that, Sellars was superintendent of Andersonville National Historic Site, where he served for five years. He also served as acting superintendent of Canaveral National Seashore in 2016 and Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in 2018. In 2012, Sellars served as the acting superintendent of Tennessee’s Fort Donelson National Battlefield and National Cemetery.
Sellars began his National Park Service career in 1985 as a temporary engineering draftsman at the Blue Ridge Parkway, a park where he later served in multiple positions. In 1996 he became the Maintenance Mechanic Supervisor within the parkway's Pisgah District. He served as chief of facility management at three parks: Bandelier National Monument, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Outer Banks National Parks Group of North Carolina (managing facilities at three parks), and as deputy chief of facility management at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
He moves to West Virginia with his wife Pam and their children, Michael and Maddie.
-NPS-
Last updated: November 8, 2022