| Robert G. Stanton | |
|---|---|
Robert G. Stanton |
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| Born | September 22, 1940 Fort Worth, Texas |
| Occupation | Director of the National Park Service |
Beginning as a seasonal ranger at Grand Teton National Park in 1962, Robert G. Stanton (born September 22, 1940)[1] served the NPS as a ranger, superintendent, deputy regional director, assistant director, and regional director of the National Capital Region before retiring in January 1997. That August the Clinton administration restored him to active duty, making him the first NPS careerist since Dickenson to head the bureau. Also its first African American director, Stanton has taken particular interest in increasing the diversity of the service's staff and public programs to better serve minority populations.[2]
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he grew-up in Mosier Valley, one of the oldest African American communities in Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1963, from Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, did graduate work at Boston University, and George Washington University, and has completed numerous programs in conservation, management, and executive leadership.[3]
Mr. Stanton began his Federal career as a seasonal park ranger at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, during the summers of 1962 and 1963. He took a full-time position with the National Park Service in 1966 as a personnel management and public information specialist in Washington, D.C. In 1969, he moved to National Capital Parks-Central, as a management assistant, and in 1970, became superintendent of National Capital Parks-East. A year later he was appointed superintendent of Virgin Islands National Park, St. Thomas, and in 1974, he became Deputy Regional Director of the Southeast Region in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1976, Mr. Stanton returned to Washington, D.C., as Assistant Director, Park Operations, and in 1978, went on to become Deputy Regional Director of the National Capital Region, a position he held for eight years. IN 1987, he returned to headquarters, as Associate Director for Operations and in 1988 became Regional Director of the National Capital Region where he served until retirement.[4]
Mr. Stanton is an executive professor in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University.
| Title | From | TO |
|---|---|---|
| Superintendent, National Capital Parks-East[5] | 8/23/1970 | 8/22/1971 |
| Superintendent, Virgin Islands National Park[5] | 8/22/1971 | 2/1/1974 |
| Dept. Reg. Dir., Southeast Region[5] | 4/28/1974 | 3/27/1976 |
| Asst Dir., Resource Mgnt[5] | 3/29/1976 | 5/15/1976 |
| Asst Dir., Park Operations[5] | 5/28/1977 | 12/31/1978 |
| Dep. Reg.Dir., National Capital Parks[5] | 5/28/1977 | 12/31/1978 |
| Assoc Dir., Park Operations[5] | 6/21/1987 | 12/17/1988 |
| Director | 8/4/1997 | 1/2001 |
| Preceded by Roger G. Kennedy |
Director of the National Park Service 1997 – 2001 |
Succeeded by Fran P. Mainella |
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