New Superintendent Selected for Hawaii's WWII Monuments

Superintendent Jacqueline Ashwell

NPS photo

News Release Date: August 7, 2015

Contact: Andrew Munoz, 206 220-4260

SAN FRANCISCO –The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Jacqueline Ashwell to be the next superintendent of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, including the USS Arizona Memorial;and the newly created Honouliuli National Monument. Ashwell replaces Paul DePrey who left the park to lead Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites in Massachusetts.

"Jacqueline is a proven leader whose work as superintendent of the Seattle Area National Park Sites has been superb," said Patricia Neubacher, NPS Pacific West Region acting regional director. "She is skilled at
building partnerships and has a solid background in cultural and natural resources management. These will be valuable skills in her position leading World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument and establishing Honouliuli National Monument."

The 22-year NPS veteran currently serves as the superintendent of the Seattle Area National Park Sites, which include Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park –Seattle Unit, the Bainbridge Island Unit
of Minidoka National Historical Site, the Wing Luke Museum Affiliated Area, the Outdoor Recreation Information Center at REI's Seattle flagship store and the Seattle Trails & Rails program.

"It will be an incredible honor to serve as the superintendent of World War II Valor in the Pacific and Honouliuli national monuments," said Ashwell. "Visitors from around the world are able to experience history
where it happened, remember the fallen, and reflect on how the past shapes the present and our shared future. I look forward to working with dedicated volunteers, employees and partners who keep this important part of history alive."

Ashwell will assume her new role Oct. 19.

She joined the agency as a volunteer at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1993, where she was quickly brought into a student hire position. She worked to document the park's more than 150 historic cemeteries,
a project that would eventually lead to her master's thesis in historical archaeology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In 2000, Ashwell moved to Alaska, where she began as the lead seasonal archeologist for Kennecott National Historic Landmark inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks
and Preserves. She eventually moved into interpretation, filling the role of Yakutat district interpretive ranger.

In 2004, Ashwell switched tracks again to law enforcement. She served as the Dyea townsite ranger for Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway, Alaska from 2004 to 2009. She also enjoyed a long-term temporary assignment as the chief ranger of Sitka National Historic Park in 2009.

Ashwell has been deeply involved in the Seattle historic preservation community, working with the Alliance for Pioneer Square and the National Trust for Historic Preservation on projects to interpret and protect
the city's past. She has served for the past two years as a consultant to the National Park Service's Office of Relevancy, Diversity, and Inclusion. She believes in sharing the technical expertise of the NPS with other countries, and has been assigned to short-term assignments in Haiti and Nepal.

World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument preserves and interprets the stories of the
Pacific War, including the events at Pearl Harbor, the internment of Japanese Americans, the battles in the Aleutians, and the occupation of Japan. Honouliuli National Monument tells the history of internment and martial law in Hawaii during World War II. Honouliuli is a place to reflect on wartime experiences and recommit to the pursuit of freedom and justice. Honouliuli National Monument was established on February
19, 2015 and is not yet open to the public.