J. Tracy Stakely has been selected as the next superintendent of both Shenandoah National Park and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park.
A proven leader with 26-years of National Park Service experience, Stakely will begin his new assignment on October 7, 2024.
“Tracy brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to community engagement, resource protection and employee development to this position,” Northeast Deputy Regional Director Cinda Waldbuesser said. “Working in partnership with the park’s many dedicated supporters, partners and local communities, he will ensure the ongoing protection and enjoyment of this incredible national park.”
Stakely said he is thrilled about the new position.
“I look forward to engaging with the park’s staff, supporters and local communities and tapping into their expertise, skill and wisdom to help preserve, protect and share this magnificent park,” he said.
Stakely has served as the superintendent for Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park and Charles Pinckney National Historic Site in Charleston, South Carolina since 2018. Projects initiated under his leadership include a Great American Outdoors Act replacement of docks at Forts Sumter and Moultrie, rehabilitation of the historic Lifesaving Station on Sullivan’s Island for employee quarters, installing new interpretive exhibits at Charles Pinckney that provide a more inclusive history and planning for drainage infrastructure improvements at Fort Moultrie to address climate change impacts.
Stakely has held a variety of positions during his NPS career. Prior to his current superintendency, he served for five years as superintendent of Congaree National Park. For the 10 years prior to that, he led the Cultural Landscape Program for the NPS Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta. Stakely began his NPS career at the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation as a landscape architect. He has also served detail assignments as acting superintendent at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve and New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
Stakely, who holds a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Louisiana State University, and his wife, Cheri, who is a special education teacher, are originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee. They are the parents of two young adults, Bryson and Bella.
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Rebecca Barnabi
