Case Study: The National Park Service

The National Park Service (NPS) is a federal bureau which falls under the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). The NPS overseas 409 park units representing a total of 84 million acres across the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The agency is responsible for preserving twenty-three national scenic and historic trails, and 60 wild and scenic rivers, so all walks of life may be able to enjoy the educational and recreational opportunities it provides.

Mission

“The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National

The most recent was former NPS Director, Jonathan Jarvis, who retired on January 3, 2017. The low points of his directorship came from ignoring ethics regulations when he wrote a book about American values and national parks for a cooperating association, and the 15-year pattern of sexual harassment and workplace hostility from the Grand Canyon National Park and Cape Canaveral National Seashore (Hiar 2016, Repanshek 2016).

Dave Uberuaga, Superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park, sold his home for three times its assessed price to the head of a concession company operating in the park and failed to disclose the deal until the Interior Department inspector general uncovered the wrongdoing in 2008. Instead of a demotion, he was promoted to Superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park in 2011. In light of the sexual harassment scandal, he did little to fix the problem in the Grand Canyon and was offered a new position in Washington, D.C. Instead, he decided to retire after 31 years of service at the agency (Gilpin

In the FY 2017 Budget Justification, NPS reported they are actively involved in the government-wide effort of building a better government by supporting the President’s Management Agenda: to deliver continually improving results for the American people and renew their faith in the government. To achieve the agenda objectives within the workplace, NPS stated they will focus on its people and culture by recognizing the potential of its workforce and develop its future leaders. Leadership training at all levels of the organization is one such example of development.

National Park Service (NPS). NPS Essentials. https://www.nps.gov/training/essentials/html/Admin_IT_topic.html

“Workforce Management - as the US population continues to become more diverse, the makeup of NPS’ and park’s staff should also change in order to remain relevant and inclusive to a changing public. Effective recruitment and retention strategies are necessary to maintain a diverse and productive