Bill Wade is a second-generation NPS careerist, reared in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, where his father spent nearly his entire career as Chief Park Ranger. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and biological sciences from Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO, in 1964. Following service in the U.S. Army, as an officer in the Corps of Engineers (including service in Viet Nam), he began his NPS career in 1967, as a park ranger in Mount Rainier NP, WA. Subsequent assignments took him to Yosemite NP, CA as a sub-district ranger; National Capital Parks, Central in Washington DC as a unit manager; and training specialist at the NPS Albright Training Center in Grand Canyon NP, AZ. In 1976-77, he spent one year in New Zealand on a Fulbright Scholarship assignment assisting with the development of a park ranger-training program at Lincoln College. He then served as Assistant Chief Ranger in Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN and NC. In 1981, he took another one-year overseas assignment in Trinidad and Tobago with the Organization of American States as a consultant to the government regarding National Parks and other protected areas. He returned to the NPS as Assistant Superintendent of Delaware Water Gap NRA, PA and NJ, followed by an assignment as Superintendent of the NPS Mather Training Center in Harpers Ferry, WV. He was assigned to the position of Superintendent, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, in 1988 and retired from that position in July 1997 after 34 years of Federal service. Since then, he has provided training and consultation to the National Park Service and other organizations and has been involved internationally in major consultations involving National Parks in Abu Dhabi and the Kingdom of Jordan. Bill lives in Tucson, Arizona. His current appointment ends on December 31, 2013. Contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .