News Release
NPS
News Release Date: May 10, 2023
WASHINGTON – National Park Service Director Chuck Sams has selected Frank Lands to serve as the next NPS Deputy Director for Operations. Lands is currently the NPS’s pacific west regional director. He will assume his new role on June 5, succeeding Deputy Director Shawn Benge who is retiring at the end of May.
As Deputy Director for Operations, Lands will oversee the day-to-day operations of the National Park System playing a critical role in how the NPS implements once-in-a-generation investments from the Great American Outdoors Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Inflation Reduction Act.
“Frank is a mission-focused and results-driven leader who has a demonstrated track record of improving the complex programs he oversees. His depth of management experience and his ability to lead and motivate large teams make him the right leader at the right time for the NPS,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said. “I’m grateful that as a U.S. Army veteran, Frank has chosen to continue serving our great nation as a steward of America’s most significant places at here at home.”
“I’m honored to continue serving with National Park Service in this new role and thank Director Sams for the confidence he’s placed in me,” Lands said. “I look forward to working with our 424 national parks, dozens of NPS community assistance and historic preservation programs, and the communities we serve.”
As the NPS pacific west regional director, Lands leads a team of 5,300 employees and oversees more than 60 national parks spanning 13 million acres across seven time zones in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, parts of Arizona and Montana, and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. These parks host 65 million visitors a year and contribute $5 billion to local economies.
Lands joined the NPS in 2021 from the U.S. Army where he had more than 20 years of experience managing natural and cultural resources and conservation programs. He began his career with the U.S. Army as an environmental specialist and forester in 2000. In the decade prior to joining the NPS, he held deputy garrison commander positions at five large Army posts and installations. He has been deployed to Iraq twice to support infrastructure and installation management activities for the U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development. In addition, he served seven years in the U.S. Army Military Police.
Lands holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas, a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, and a Bachelor of Science in forestry and natural resources from Ohio State University.
Last updated: May 10, 2023