Office of the Superintendent

Yellowstone is the world’s first national park -- an idea that has spread throughout the world. The park is special because of its geothermal wonders (more than 10,000 geothermal features, including the world’s greatest concentration of geysers), its vast landscape and wildlife species (one of the last, largest, mostly intact temperate-zone ecosystems on earth), its tapestry of cultural resources that span over 11,000 years, and its unparalleled opportunities for visitors.

Managing a park like Yellowstone requires dedicated public servants at every level of the organization. With 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone has a staff of approximately 1,000 National Park Service employees and volunteers in the summer months (roughly 330 employees year-round). These people are led by a Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent who both have long, distinguished careers with the National Park Service (biographies below).

 

Cam Sholly

NPS / Jacob W. Frank

Cameron (Cam) Sholly assumed duties as the Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park in October of 2018. Yellowstone is one of the largest national park operations in the world spanning 2.2 million acres and receiving over four million visitors each year. The park has a team of over 1,000 employees and volunteers and an annual budget exceeding $60 million. Cam is a third-generation park service manager and began his National Park Service (NPS) career in 1990 in Yellowstone’s backcountry.

During his tenure, Cam has worked with Yellowstone’s team to set new strategic priorities that focus on the Yellowstone workforce, strengthening the Yellowstone ecosystem, delivering a world-class visitor experience, investing in infrastructure, and building coalitions and partnerships. Cam oversaw the response and recovery to devastating floods in 2022, reopening 93% of the park within 20 days. The park is completing a $40 million employee housing improvement project, expanding bison conservation efforts, investing a record amount to combat non-native species, and developing a more focused approach to ecosystem management, sustainability, and future climate challenges.

The park is preparing a new strategy for managing increasing visitation and is receiving over $250 million in projects as part of the recently passed Great American Outdoors Act. During the park’s 150th anniversary, Cam led significant efforts to engage American Indian Tribes to better honor their important cultures and heritage in the Yellowstone area. He is currently the Lead Partner for the Interagency Bison Management Plan Team and outgoing chair of the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee, an executive group of Federal and State managers spanning three states within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Cam has served in a variety of other senior leadership positions throughout his career. His previous assignments include Regional Director, Midwest Region where he oversaw 61 national park units in 13 states and where he led efforts to complete of the largest public/private partnership in NPS history. He has also served as the Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection (NPS HQ), Superintendent of the Natchez Trace Parkway (TN, AL, MS), Deputy Associate Director/Chief of Staff for Visitor and Resource Protection (NPS HQ), Chief of Ranger Operations in Yosemite National Park, and a variety of other field positions.

Cam holds a bachelor’s degree in Management from Saint Mary’s College of California, a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University and is a graduate of the Harvard University Senior Executive Fellows Program.

Cam was awarded the Superintendent of the Year Award for the Southeast Region in 2011 and the Department of Interior’s Meritorious Achievement Award in 2015 for his wide-ranging executive leadership actions. Cam has been married to Jill Walston Sholly for 26 years and they have one college-aged son.