News Release
NPS Photo
News Release Date: July 26, 2019
Contact: NewsMedia@nps.gov
WASHINGTON - National Park Service (NPS) Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith today announced the appointment of Dr. Herbert (Bert) C. Frost to be the new director of the Midwest Region, which will transition to Unified Regions 3, 4, and 5 under the Department of the Interior’s plan to realign its regional boundaries. Frost currently serves as the director of the Alaska Region, which will transition to Unified Region 11.
“Bert is a dedicated leader, who cares deeply about protecting America’s national parks,” Smith said. “The Midwest Region is home to stories of American ingenuity and innovation, as well as remarkable natural features like the Great Lakes and the Badlands, and I am confident in Bert’s ability to lead this unique and diverse region.”
"Working as the Alaska regional director has been an amazing and humbling experience and Alaska will always have a special place in my heart," Frost said. "As I look forward to new challenges and opportunities in the Midwest Region, I will apply the many things I've learned in Alaska to NPS operations in the American Midwest.”
Over the past five years, Frost guided the region through complex and changing conditions. He led the NPS in assessing the “State of the Parks” for all Alaska parklands. Frost hosted the region’s first Science Symposium held in conjunction with the NPS Centennial, and maintained an emphasis on the importance of science to inform decision making and management of national park areas throughout the state. In 2017, he served as the NPS Acting Deputy Director for Operations in Washington, D.C. for six months.
Prior to his role in Alaska, Frost was the NPS associate director for the Natural Resource Stewardship and Science program, serving as the chief scientist for the NPS with programmatic responsibility for all aspects of the natural resource and science programs for the agency.
Frost began his career with the NPS in 1994 as the wildlife biologist and natural resource program manager at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site. He has a B.S. in Wildlife and Range Management and an M.S. in Zoology, both from Brigham Young University, and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Maine.
Frost will begin his new assignment in early fall. Denali National Park and Preserve Superintendent Don Striker will serve as acting director for the Alaska Region until a permanent regional director is named.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Last updated: August 1, 2019