Park Leaders Show

Have you noticed the National Park Service Find Your Park campaign? There is a park for everyone, is what the National Park Service wants you to know with the Find Your Park campaign. But don't assume parks are only wilderness or wooded parks. If that were the case, not everyone would find their park. Many people are finding their park in Washington D. C. in the form of monuments, historic sites,...

Spencer Cox, Lt. Governor of Utah, joins the Park Leaders Show to talk about the value of state and national parks to the state of Utah. Utah is fortunate to be home to five national parks, several national monuments and a thriving state parks system. The parks boost the economy and create jobs. Perhaps more importantly, Lt. Governor Cox suggest parks are part of the fabric of the Utah lifestyle....

Carol Quinn returns to the Park Leaders Show to explain how to hire great people. If you missed the first half of the interview with Carol Quinn, you can find it here . In this episode, Carol will discuss how to improve your hiring process. Making small changes in the interview process can move you towards hiring high performers. If you have ever made a bad hire, you understand the long-term impac...

Lee Cockerell has said "Your most important responsibility is to hire and promote the right people for your organization." If that is true, we need to take a hard look at the way we hire people. Carol Quinn, CEO of Hire Authority , joins the Park Leaders Show to talk about how you can improve your hiring. Carol has helped many companies, including Disney, hire the right people. In this episode, we...

Recently,  Eric Watilo issues a document to parks in his region of Washington State Parks giving ideas to make sure visitor's have a better experience when they visit parks. When I saw the information Eric was getting out to people in parks, I knew I had to share it with you. Eric did not create this list for people to read and check a box. This is content meant to be discussed and considered. Eri...

Big Bend National Park is one of the most remote parks in the lower 48 states. Allen Etheridge, Chief Ranger at Big Bend, shares the experience of working at such a remote park. Allen explains the lifestyle of living and working in a remote park. A remote park fosters a tight group who work together and play together. It becomes even more important to involve everyone on the team socially and in w...

LaJuan Tucker received an introduction to conservation with the Texas Conservation Corps . She started as a crew member and eventually became a staff member. LaJuan worked directly with young people of color who were interested in college or careers related to conservation. In this interview, LaJuan explains the common questions and concerns young people have about careers in conservation. LaJuan...

County Parks play a vital role in the grand scheme of parks. A County Park system usually manages parks that range from urban to wilderness. County Parks are often a stepping stone between City Parks and a family making the leap to recreating in State or National Parks. Mary Ann Bonnell, Visitor Services Supervisor with Jefferson County Open Space Mary Ann Bonnell has experience in City Parks, Sta...

This week is a short episode to provide updates on what is going on with Park Leaders. Thank you for the great feedback about the episode with Betty Soskin . It was a delight to interview her, and I am pleased you liked it as well. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, you don't want to miss it. I have some upcoming trips. Perhaps we can meet up? I will be in Dallas in early August, and Ash...

This episode of the Park Leaders Show felt like I was talking to history. Betty Soskin is the oldest park ranger in the United States. Betty is 93 years old. Betty Soskin, Oldest Park Ranger. Photo by NPS Yes, that is impressive. But even more impressive is Betty did not become a park ranger until she was 85 years old. Talking with Betty, I got the feeling she did not necessarily become a park ran...

Lee Cockerell, former Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World, returns to the Park Leaders Show to talk about how parks can create magic. Previously, Lee has been on the Park Leaders Show to talk about what parks can learn from Disney and nine customer service rules . Since the last time Lee joined us, he has published a new podcast, Creating Disney Magic. Creating Disney Magi...

When I was a park ranger, the former director of our agency used to preach the concept of the well-rounded ranger.  I believe his message was that our agency needed to train rangers for more than law enforcement. He wanted us to think in terms of service, and not enforcement. If focusing on service is what he meant, he was correct. But the concept of a well-rounded park ranger is hurting parks. Su...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular National Park in the United States. People come from all over the eastern half of the country to visit the Smoky Mountains and drive visitation higher than park service icons such as Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon. The key to operating Great Smoky Mountains is not necessarily the visitors who come from other places, the key is connecting to...

I am on a mission to get parks to start podcasting. Podcasting is a way parks can serve visitors in a new and unique way. To explore the idea of podcasting in parks, I went straight to one of the best podcasters around. Jeff Brown is the host of the Read to Lead podcast . Read to Lead is recognized as one of the best-produced podcasts. Not only does Jeff Brown have the best voice in podcasting, he...

Amanda Llanes returns to the Park Leaders Show to talk about her first season as a seasonal law enforcement ranger with the National Park Service. At the time of her first interview , Amanda was a cadet in the law enforcement academy. Now, she has been a seasonal ranger for one year. Amanda talks about her experience, what she looks forward to in her next seasonal assignment and her career ambitio...

On the Park Leaders Show, I often talk to leaders in the National Park Service. Chief Interpreters , Chief Rangers and Park Superintendents have all been guests on the show. The one thing they all have in common is they all started as seasonal park rangers. That means the future leaders of the National Park Service are seasonal rangers right now. Kaitlyn Kunce, Seasonal Park Ranger with the Nation...

If you have listened to the Park Leaders Show for a while, you know Jack Hartt was a mentor of mine while I was a park ranger. It was my conversations with Jack early in my career which led me to believe that you would enjoy hearing similar conversations with leaders from all over the country. Talking with people from parks is important, but if we are really going to change the landscape of leader...

After publishing an episode of the Park Leaders Show every week for 52 weeks, the microphone gets turned around. Jared Easley, host of Starve the Doubts , interviews Jody Maberry, the host of the Park Leaders Show. The usual host of the show answers questions about his career and what Park Leaders is all about.. Jared Easley helped Park Leaders get started by helping the host get started in podcas...

For several summers, with the help of a group of tremendous volunteers, I ran a summer concert series at a park I worked at. We delighted park visitors with between six and nine concerts each summer. Concerts are a great way to bring new visitors to the park, provide more to regular visitors, and bridge a connection between the park and the community. Hosting the concert series, I got to meet many...

Jack Hartt is deliberate about the experience people have at Deception Pass State Park . He feels a park experience should feel "Park-Like". Most parks have trees and trails, but it is the experience of the park that brings people back year after year. In this episode of the Park Leaders Show, Jack Hartt verbally walks us through a park and, area by area, explains what it takes to make a park look...

Jeff Goins returns to the Park Leaders Show to discuss his new book, The Art of Work. The Art of Work is a proven path to discovering what you were meant to do. It is about finding your calling and being who you were meant to be. The book is wonderful. In my opinion, the best work Jeff Goins has done so far. But I admit, I have a personal connection to this book. I was fortunate enough to have my...

As a young leader, one of the best ways to build yourself is to learn from established leaders. Someone has already made the mistakes you are going to make, wrestled with the decisions you struggle with, and found the success you are looking for. Bob Krumenaker is one of those established leaders you should get to know.  Bob has over 30 years with the National Park Service and currently serves as...

Outdoor recreation is not immune from the growing trend of technology. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all a part of recreation for many people. A new digital platform, Campstake , is focusing on the digital side of recreation. Brandon Painter, co-founder of Campstake, joins the Park Leaders Show to talk about how the digital side of outdoor recreation can benefit parks. If you are reading th...

If you have ever worked a night shift in a park, you have experienced the beauty of night sky. Away from lights, campfires, and digital screens, a night sky is one of the true wonders of many parks. Not many people get to experience a truly wondrous night sky, but Chad Moore looks at night skies for a living. Chad is the Program Manager for the National Park Service Night Sky Team . Even if you ar...

A common theme from the People of Parks Project  has been a frustration with communication between leadership, admin staff, and staff in the field. When I hear the same thing come up often I know we need to lean into it a little bit more. I know this isn't a problem I could properly address on my own, so I called in the help of some friends. Joining me for a special panel discussion episode of the...