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Mary A. Bomar Director,
National Park Service
Mary A. Bomar became the 17th Director of the National Park Service on Oct. 17, 2006. She leads a team of 20,000 employees and 172,000 volunteers in administering 391 national park units and related cultural and natural heritage programs. The parks welcomed more than 275 million visitors in 2007.
“There are special places that unite us all as Americans,” she states, “and national parks are those places. From iconic parks like Yellowstone and Gettysburg to places like the African Burial Ground and Rosie the Riveter, our national parks truly reflect the soul of America.”
“The National Park Service is more than parks alone. We also provide assistance to communities working on restoring rivers, building trails, or making local parks flourish. We survey historic buildings, landscapes and roads to preserve their images for future generations, and we certify historic rehabilitation projects to qualify them for federal tax credits.”
Director Bomar has three overarching goals for the National Park Service:
- Re-engage the American people with their national parks
- Increase the capacity of the system
- Prepare the next generation of leaders for our parks.
As the first naturalized citizen to hold the position, Director Bomar was born and raised in England, and calls Leicestershire home. As a young girl, she traveled with her family and lived for a time in the United States, where her family visited many national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and the Statue of Liberty. “One of my earliest memories is sailing into the New York Harbor and watching the Statue of Liberty seem to rise from the water, little knowing I would one day have a role in her stewardship.”
A high-resolution digitized version of this photo may be downloaded here.
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