Acting Superintendent Named for Wind Cave National Park

Steve Thede is serving as the Acting Superintendent of Wind Cave National Park this spring.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: January 25, 2017

Contact: Tom Farrell, 605-745-1130

WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, S.D. – Steve Thede is the Acting Superintendent of Wind Cave National Park while Vidal Dávila, the park’s superintendent, is on a 120-day detail as Acting Superintendent of Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Thede, a 34-year veteran of the National Park Service, is the superintendent of Niobrara National Scenic River in Valentine, Nebraska. He is expected to serve as Wind Cave’s superintendent until early May and will be overseeing daily operations during this period.

“I’ve always wanted to work at Wind Cave National Park,” said Acting Park Superintendent Steve Thede. “This is a remarkable national park with a great staff dedicated to taking care of it and our visitors.”

During his career, Thede has worked in 11 parks ranging from Grand Canyon National Park to working as a special assistant in the National Park Service Director’s Office in Washington, D.C. He served as Deputy Superintendent of Badlands National Park from 2009 to 2014. He assumed his new role at Wind Cave National Park on January 17.