A 31-year veteran of the National Park Service is the new permanent superintendent of Golden Gate National Recreation Area surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area.
David Smith, a national winner of the Freeman Tilden Award for excellence in interpretation, will begin his new position in late January, a Jan. 9 news release said.
"David is a proven leader with many years of diverse experience across the National Park Service," Regional Director Frank Lands said in the release. "He has a solid reputation for relationship-building with park partners, local communities, Tribal governments and elected officials. These skills will be especially important as he leads one of the most urban and complex sites in the National Park System. The park will greatly benefit from having someone with his management and partnership experience at its helm."
Among his duties, Smith will oversee the recreation area’s 37 sites, “including Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site and Alcatraz Island,” the release said. Smith will manage 300 park employees and 82,000-acres of parklands within three counties.
“I am thrilled to work with the staff and partners at Golden Gate to help visitors and families in the Bay Area and beyond enjoy one of America's greatest and most unique park sites,” Smith said in the release. “It is especially gratifying to return to the park after two decades and see the incredibly positive changes made by staff and partners. I’m anxious to get my feet on the ground in the park’s 50th anniversary year.”
Smith was superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park in southern California since September 2014, according to the National Park Service website.
Smith has a bachelor’s degree in development studies-forestry from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in resource interpretation from Stephen F. Austin State University, according to his LinkedIn profile.
