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A senior National Park Service manager with more than 30 years of experience in the field and the Washington D.C. headquarters has been named superintendent of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
Rick Obernesser comes to America's largest national park after three years in Washington D.C. where he served as deputy chief of law enforcement and emergency services, and held temporary leadership positions in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division, including acting associate director.
"Rick has been a talented leader and manager in parks across the country and his work in the Washington Office really rounded out his experience. We're very pleased he is coming to Alaska," said NPS-Alaska Regional Director Sue Masica.
Prior to working in Washington D.C., Obernesser spent 10 years as chief ranger at Yellowstone National Park, where he led a team of 275 permanent and seasonal employees and managed a $13 million budget.
"My family and I are truly excited and humbled by the opportunity to come to Alaska and Wrangell-St. Elias," Obernesser said. "It's been a career dream to live and work in Alaska."
Earlier in his career, Obernesser served as chief ranger at Cape Cod National Seashore, as a district ranger at Yosemite National Park, and as a park ranger at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Petrified Forest National Park. He also served as a Department of the Interior incident commander in Alabama during the Gulf oil spill in 2010.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Resources from California State University - Sacramento, and an executive certificate in leadership and management from Notre Dame University. He expects to move to the Copper Center area in December with his wife, Pam, and their son and daughter.
Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest unit in the National Park System, encompassing more than 13 million acres. It was established as a national park and preserve in 1980 and sees about 60,000 visitors a year.
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