Park Leaders

After 37 years with South Carolina State Parks, Phil Gaines retired as Director. As Phil did during his entire career, he used his last day to lead by example. On August 2, 2018, exactly 13 years after becoming Director of South Carolina State Parks, and exactly 37 years after starting his career as a park […]

Podcasts with Park Rangers is a podcast featuring conversations with Park Rangers from National Parks around the country. Lucas and Sarah Villa-Kainec are the hosts of the podcast Podcasts with Park Rangers. We sat down together at a picnic table in Fort Worden State Park. In this episode, we discuss their podcast, traveling across the […]

Eben Sypitkowski is the Director of Baxter State Park in Maine. Baxter State Park is a unique park. Baxter is a state park in name, but not park of Maine State Parks. The park started as a gift in land and resources from Governor Baxter. Two more ways Baxter is a unique park; it is completely self-funded.  […]

As technology has changed around us, it has created a tremendous opportunity for interpretation. Brad Krey, Interpretation and Education Programs Manager for California State Parks, joins the Park Leaders Show to discuss how California is using technology to take the park to kids. One concern we have in parks is remaining relevant. People will protect […]

Wild Jobs are all around us, but often go unnoticed. John Griffith returns to the Park Leaders Show to tell us about his new show, Wild Jobs, on Animal Planet. Griffith uses the show to highlight conservation and the hard work done at wildlife sanctuaries and animal hospitals. Getting a show with Animal Plant started years […]

Dylan Mroszczyk-McDonald returns to the Park Leaders Show to continue the discussion about leadership and culture in parks. Dylan is a park ranger at Acadia National Park. In this episode, we discuss innovative leadership and the impact it can have on the culture of parks. To some degree, we are doing the same job park […]

Being a park ranger is an admirable job. Many people grow up dreaming of becoming a park ranger. Yet, too many people leave parks, and walk away from their dream, because of poor leadership or an unhealthy culture. Dylan Mroszczyk-McDonald, a park ranger at Acadia National Park, joins host Jody Maberry on the Park Leaders […]

Brennan McCauley returns to the Park Leaders Show to give an update on where he is in his park ranger career. Over the past two years, Brennan has been a guest on the show several times as he has moved through stages of his early park ranger career. Beginning when he was a student at […]

This episode of the Park Leaders Show digs into the audio vault and shares an audio file from the Ranger Rendezvous in 2015. I talk to 4 different park ranger about their experience with the National Park Service. One question I asked all the ranger is why they became a park ranger. It is inspiring […]

Dan Cockerell had a successful 26-year career with Disney, working his way from parking cars to the Vice President of the Magic Kingdom. Before his career at Disney, Dan spent a summer as a volunteer at Rocky Mountain National Park. Recently, Dan left Disney to make a transition into full time speaking and consulting. Like […]