Yellowstone Welcomes New Superintendent Daniel Wenk This Month

Wenk, a 35-year veteran of the National Park Service, is no stranger to Yellowstone. A landscape architect, he began his career with the National Park Service in 1975 at the Denver Service Center. In 1979, he landed his first job in a national park: Yellowstone. "To return as superintendent to where I first learned what it means to be responsible for our nation's treasures is a distinct honor," Wenk said. From 1985 to 2001, Wenk served as superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, overseeing development of natural and cultural resource management programs to ensure the long-term preservation of the sculpture and the surrounding forest. He returned to the Denver Service Center, serving as director, from 2001-2007, where he supervised the National Park Service's centralized planning, design, and construction services and provided parks and regional offices with such services as contract and project management. Most recently, he was deputy director of operations for the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., a position he had occupied since 2007.

Wenk is enthusiastic about his return to Yellowstone and the duties he is charged with. "Yellowstone is the iconic destination for more than three million visitors from across the globe every year. Its very existence speaks to the values that led Americans more than 100 years ago to start setting aside places of great natural beauty and historic importance for all to enjoy. Caring for these places is a privilege, and I look forward to working with the park's outstanding staff and network of supporters and advocates who love Yellowstone," said Wenk.

Wenk has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Meritorious Service Award, the second highest honor awarded by the Department of the Interior. He and his wife Barbara have three grown children.