National Park Foundation Appoints Will Shafroth as President and CEO
WASHINGTON – The National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, today announced that its board of directors has named Will Shafroth as the organization’s president and chief executive officer.
As president and CEO, Shafroth will oversee the Foundation’s work, including its operations, philanthropic support through individual and foundation giving, corporate partnerships, and its promotion of the National Park Service Centennial celebration. Shafroth joins the Foundation on the heels of its launch of the Find Your Park movement – a public awareness and engagement campaign to inspire people to connect with, celebrate, and support America’s national parks.
“Will has a passion for public lands and the necessary experience to guide the Foundation into the future as the National Park Service celebrates its centennial next year,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. “I look forward to working with him as we deepen philanthropic support for the parks to preserve and enhance our nation’s most treasured natural, cultural and historical places while ensuring that all people, especially young people who represent the rich diversity of our country, feel welcome and engaged in their parks and public lands.”
“Will has dedicated his career to conservation and has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to the preservation of our country’s natural resources through the forging of public-private partnerships, the tradition upon which our national parks are based and the model to which we must look as we plan for the next 100 years of these national treasures,” said National Park Foundation board of directors vice chair, Ellen S. Alberding, “He will be an outstanding ally to the national parks and leader for the Foundation as together we work to protect these special places and forge deep connections to them for the next generation of park stewards.”
“Will is a proven leader, devoted to providing and improving outdoor recreational opportunities for everyone," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. "We will all benefit from his ability to connect supporters to national parks, especially as we approach the centennial of the National Park Service in 2016. I look forward to once again working closely with him."
Shafroth brings more than three decades of experience working to advance conservation and outdoor recreation. In his most recent appointment at the Department of the Interior, he served as Secretary Ken Salazar’s Counselor for America’s Great Outdoors. In that role, he was responsible for developing and executing a 21st-century conservation and recreation agenda for America’s land, water and wildlife. His leadership on the President’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative focused significantly on reconnecting people to the outdoors.
Shafroth served as acting assistant secretary and principal deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior. While at Interior, Shafroth worked closely with the National Park Service on a broad range of budget, policy and program initiatives, represented Secretary Salazar on the board of the National Park Foundation, and served as Acting Commissioner of the National Parks of New York Harbor. Prior to his work at Interior, Shafroth served as executive director of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund and the Colorado Conservation Trust and chairman of the Land Trust Alliance and Resources Legacy Fund.
“I am honored to join the National Park Foundation’s distinguished board of directors, passionate staff, and extensive network of supporters at such an exciting time for America’s national parks,” said Will Shafroth. “I look forward to working with partners all across the country to make our national parks, America’s best idea, even better for the next century and beyond.”
For more information about the National Park Foundation’s mission and work, please visit www.nationalparks.org. For more information on the Find Your Park movement, visit FindYourPark.com.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.