Gay and Lesbian American contributions to the workforce of the National Park Service.

James R. Gasser, Program Analyst, Office of Policy, Washington, DC

James Gasser has worked as the principal events and meeting planner for the National Park Service (NPS) since 1997, when he returned to the NPS Headquarters from the Presidio, where he was Chief of Leasing and Concessions. Since becoming the focal point for the NPS events, meetings and conferences, Gasser has managed: Discovery 2000, the first large scale meeting of the Service; all meetings of the NPS National Leadership Council; the National Park System Advisory Council; and NPS national level meetings.

Gasser was especially requested and managed two White House Conferences: The White House Conference on Indian Education (1992); and the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation (2003). Gasser has also provided his event and meeting planning expertise to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service's Centennial Conference. He holds a B.A. from Stetson University in Deland, Florida. James Gasser previously established and staffed the Policy Committee on the Arts, Culture and Recreation for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

John Evans, Supervisory Park Ranger, Protection (Law Enforcement) Division, Grand Canyon National Park

John Evans, who has focused on law enforcement, was a member of the Western Region's Special Event and Tactics Team 1 and is now on the Grand Canyon National Park Special Response Team (SRT). He oversees Grand Canyon National Park Rangers working below the rim and supervises South Rim interpretation.

Evans has worked at Dinosaur National Monument, Canyonlands National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. He and David Smith, his partner of eighteen years, have worked together as Park Rangers since they returned from a cross-country road trip. They found beautiful places staffed with great people and decided to available in the parks and wanted their jobs to reflect this. Moving through the service as a couple has been challenging and rewarding.

Gayle Hazelwood, Superintendent, National Capital Parks-East

Gayle Hazelwood began her career as a seasonal ranger at Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (NRA) in 1983 and was hired permanently in 1985 with a Masters in Recreation Management. As a recreation specialist and district interpreter, Hazelwood developed the first in the Cuyahoga Valley NRA overnight experience for inner city youth in the Cleveland and Akron area. Of the program Hazelwood said, "I was 20 years old before I had any knowledge of the National Park Service. I want to do all I can to make sure that does not happen to the young generation today. All people young or old should have first hand knowledge and experience with their National Parks."

Hazelwood has had a varied career including: the Chief of Interpretation at Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site; Interpretation Specialist in the Southeast Regional Office; and Superintendent of the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park before moving to her present position in Washington DC. Hazelwood was also selected to speak to the Discovery 2000 audience on "Leadership and the National Park Service." In summarizing her thoughts on leadership she stated: "We all must find the voices, take the leadership, learn the skills, see the value, and seize the opportunity to share the importance of our work."

A.J. Legault, Law Enforcement Park Ranger, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

A.J. Legault grew up in Salem, Massachusetts, living literally next door to the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Said Legault, "I admired the Park Rangers working there. They saw my interest in the park's history, and allowed me to go on all the tours. After attending so many of the tours, I had all of them memorized. I told everyone I was going to be a Park Ranger someday."

After serving eight years in the U.S. Army, Legault moved to Arizona. His first National Park Service job was at the Grand Canyon National Park's Mather Campground. The seasonal job there turned into a permanent position at the front entrance station, then onto a position in the Backcountry Permit Office. Said Legault, "The Backcountry Permit Office was incredible. I could hardly believe that I was getting paid to hike and camp!"

In closing, Legault offered these words on working for the National Park Service: "I am proud to wear my Park Service uniform, hearing from people everyday, 'You have the best job.' The fact that I am living my childhood dream is surreal to me."

 

William P. O'Brien, Ph.D., Desert Southwest CESU Cultural Resource Specialist, Intermountain Region, Tucson, AZ

William P. O'Brien, Ph.D. has held positions in the public history field since 1977. He served as: Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Independence, Missouri (1977-1984); Research historian and project team leader for the NPS Intermountain Region and the Denver Service Center (1986 to 1994); Cultural Resource Supervisor for Planning, at the National Park Service's Denver Service Center (1995-1998); and Program Manager for Cultural Resources and National Register Programs,Intermountain Region, Santa Fe/Denver, National Park Service(1998-2001). O'Brien received his training in American history at: Central Missouri State University (BS-1968-1972); the University of Missouri at Kansas City (MA-1976-1979); and at the University of Colorado at Boulder (Ph.D.1986-1994).

In 2001, O'Brien accepted a position with the National Park Service in the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) program as the cultural resource specialist for the Desert Southwest CESU in Tucson, Arizona, where he regularly coordinates a variety of cultural resource initiatives with universities and other partners. He serves on the adjunct faculty through the Southwest Center and Planning programs of the University of Arizona, where he is duty stationed. In addition to specific NPS projects for parks, he now coordinates and supports the Spanish Colonial Missions Initiative and the Warriors Project, research programs dealing with cultural resources in the American West.

 

David Smith, South Rim District Interpreter, Grand Canyon National Park.

David Smith and his partner, John Evans, have worked for the National Park Service for the past 15 years. During that period, Smith has served at a number of parks throughout the southwest. Although working primarily as an interpreter, Smith has also worked in Resource Management and Visitor Protection. His Federal Government service also includes work with the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (now the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services).

 

John Harlan Warren, Education Specialist, National Parks of New York Harbor Education Center

John Harlan Warren, a native of south Texas who began his career at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, indicated that he has grown from and appreciates his experience working with the National Park Service. Thanks to his previous park, Edison National Historic Site in New Jersey, Warren completed his Masters in education at Bank Street College in 2005. Now duty stationed at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, Warren says that "I love working with New York kids and I love designing education programs about New York Harbor. This city's ethnic diversity makes New Yorkers receptive to all forms of diversity."

 

Sändra J. Washington, Chief of Planning and Compliance, Midwest Regional Office

Sändra Washington has worked with the National Park Service (NPS) since 1990. During her tenure with the agency, Washington has been involved in numerous special resources studies, park planning and community conservation planning efforts. Her career has included positions as a Community Planner, Outdoor Recreation Planner, Superintendent and Training Manager. Washington's work with the NPS has provided her the opportunity to become involved in projects dealing with the preservation of cultural sites in rural and urban areas, and the crafting of management policy and wilderness studies. Washington volunteers with the local parks advisory board and the American Association for State and Local History.

 

Christopher Watts, Assistant to the Superintendent, National Capital Parks-East

Christopher Watts joined the National Park Service (NPS) in November 2005, after being inspired by trips to the Rocky Mountain National Park and a back-country camping trip at Yosemite National Park. Watts is now assigned to the Superintendent's Office at National Capital Parks-East, a collection of natural and historic sites in Washington, DC and one of the Nation's most diverse urban areas.

Watts's Fundamentals course at Albright was a life changing experience. That transforming moment and his subsequent work caused Watts to be very passionate about the NPS mission and the opportunities NPS offers to all its employees. Of the experience Watts says, "I'm proud to be part of the National Park Service. I'm eager to grow in my career...to embrace and promote the knowledge of our parks and its people and to proudly uphold our Core Values."

 

Rich Weideman, Chief of Public Affairs and Special Events, Golden Gate National Recreation Area

"I always dreamed of becoming a Park Ranger," said Rich Weideman. As a youth growing up in Montana, his family visited Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks almost every summer. During his senior year in high school Weideman "decided to definitely set my goal in life to become a National Park Ranger, " regardless of sexual orientation. In college, he worked for the concessions in Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks, respectively, while volunteering for the National Park Service (NPS). Between Weideman's college freshman and sophomore years, to ensure that he was competitive for a ranger job, he joined the U.S. Army on a two-year assignment in Germany. After serving in the Army, he used the GI Bill to finish paying for his college education.

Weideman's first NPS jobs involved work on a trail crew in Yellowstone during the summers of 1977 and 1978. He received his college degree at the University of Montana, School of Forestry, in June 1981. Two weeks after graduation, Weideman started as a Park Ranger in interpretation on Alcatraz Island. Weideman reflected on his long NPS career at Golden Gate National Recreation Area spanning over 25 years: "I have had six promotions here at Golden Gate and am now a Division Chief. The opportunities and responsibilities I have had here at Golden Gate have been incredible. My partner joined the agency six years ago and we are now a dual career couple. We are part of the NPS family now, and I hope for many years to come."

The History of the Stonewall Inn and its Designation as a National Historic Landmark (NHL)