Deputy Superintendent Steve Iobst Receives High Honor

Date: June 28, 2016
Contact: Morgan Warthin , [phone]

Steven F. Iobst, deputy superintendent at Yellowstone National Park, received the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Meritorious Service Award during a recent event at Old Faithful. As the second highest honor bestowed by the Secretary of the Interior, the Meritorious Service Award is given to employees who make exceptional and continuing contributions to DOI or one of its bureaus. 

National Park Service Director Jonathon B. Jarvis  noted that Iobst, “Made significant and ongoing contributions to both facility and park management issues…and led efforts to improve the visitor experience while protecting the resources of the park.” 

Iobst began his career as a student engineer in 1971. In 1974, he accepted his first permanent position as a civil engineer at the Denver Service Center after receiving a B.S. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. As a designer and construction supervisor he was responsible for facility improvement projects in over 40 parks, which included short-term assignments at Shenandoah, Yosemite, Acadia, St. Gaudens, Gateway, Fire Island, and the Virgin Islands national park sites. He practiced engineering at Yellowstone beginning in 1979 in maintenance and concessions management and worked directly for the superintendent overseeing planning and development. He left Yellowstone in 1988 to take the position of chief of facility management for Rocky Mountain National Park. He also served as the acting chief of facility management in Washington, D.C. in 1996. In 1997 Iobst returned to the greater Yellowstone area as assistant superintendent at Grand Teton National Park and served as acting superintendent at Grand Teton from November 2000 to February 2002. 

Iobst was appointed deputy superintendent of Yellowstone National Park on August 14, 2011. He directs day-to-day operations of the 2.2 million acre park, supervising the largest park operations program in the National Park Service. Operations include emergency medical, law enforcement, search and rescue, science and research, business management, resource education, youth programs, wildland and structural fire programs, as well as contracting, property control, and human resources.  

During his tenure at Yellowstone, Iobst has lead partnerships with leadership in the Federal Land Highways Program and with local and state governments in order to develop park road improvements, including the Beartooth Highway. In conjunction with the Yellowstone Park Foundation and their corporate donors, Iobst improved operations and sustainability for park facilities. These efforts resulted in the installation of a micro-hydro plant, reduced carbon energy sources at the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch, installation of energy efficient windows in government facilities throughout the park, and improvements in the energy efficiency of the park vehicle fleet.

Editor’s Note:  A photo of Mr. Iobst is available at www.flickr.com/photos/yellowstonenps/27932483736/