Presidio, Texas, United States
Professionally, I have chosen to put my academic and non-academic skills and experience to use in the field as a park Superintendent with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The focus of my academic studies centers upon U.S, Texas, and Latin American history with a concentration on U.S environmental history. The environmental history of Texas and the U.S Southwest post-1865 and the history of Texas especially post-1836 are areas of particular interest. Archival research experience at repositories including the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Briscoe Center for American History (CAH) at the University of Texas, The Archives of the Big Bend at Sul Ross State University, The Southwest at Texas Tech State University, and the Texas State Library and Archives (TSLAC), among others. Writing experience includes book reviews for publication and originally researched thesis and dissertation manuscripts.
Under the direction of the Texas State Parks Region 1 Director, the Complex Superintendent of is responsible for the preservation, protection, safety, security, operation, and maintenance of Big Bend Ranch State Park and Chinati Mountains State Natural Area.
Under the direction of the Texas State Parks Region 3 Director, the Superintendent of is responsible for the preservation, protection, safety, security, operation, and maintenance of South Llano River State Park. Responsibilities include: cultural and natural resource stewardship; financial management, budget planning, preparation and monitoring; revenue management, human resources management; public safety programs; maintenance and repair of facilities, grounds and equipment; customer service, public relations, marketing and promotion; interpretation and education, special events and community outreach. The superintendent is also responsible for maintaining professional relationship with the Friends of South Llano River State Park in addition to overseeing volunteer development and the coordination of partnerships to assist with park operations and public outreach at the park level. Current imperatives include monitoring capital projects in conjunction with the TPWD Infrastructure Division. Capital projects at South Llano River State Park include the construction of a new park headquarters and bridge, the latter of which is located at the junction of Park Road 73 and the South Llano River. Future capital projects include the construction of a new water plant to include an electrical utilities upgrade, which is projected to begin in December of 2024. Other projects include facilitating the construction of a new amphitheater, a donated non-capital project, which began in August, 2023.
Under the direction of the Park Superintendent, the Assistant Superintendent performs highly complex (senior-level) site management work and is responsible for the preservation, protection, interpretation, operation and maintenance of Choke Canyon State Park. Responsibilities consist of: assisting with strategic and operational planning to include community engagement; developing, implementing and coordinating interpretive opportunities, environmental education and community outreach programs; marketing and promotion, organization of special events, customer service, public relations, volunteer development and coordination of partnerships. The Assistant Superintendent also supervises, trains, schedules, motivates and evaluates employees and park volunteers and oversees and conducts cultural and natural resource stewardship, financial management, budget planning, preparation and monitoring, revenue management, human resources management and security and safety programs. Oversees and performs maintenance and repairs of facilities, grounds and equipment. Assists in the enforcement of the rules and regulations, park and visitor safety and is required to work under limited supervision, with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. The primary focus of the Choke Canyon State Park management team included revitalizing Park operations and reestablishing relationships in the communities of Three Rivers and Tilden, Texas. To that end, the Assistant Superintendent was required to place a special emphasis on the management of park personnel to include the hiring of new employees and the supervision of team leads and their subordinate employees. The Assistant Superintendent played key roles in overseeing the revitalization of a comprehensive interpretive program and of maintenance operations with a special emphasis being placed on oversight of the park's water and wastewater systems.
The Visitor Use Assistant at Padre Island National Seashore was charged with serving as the first and frequently the only contact that the public has with uniformed personnel. As a front-line park ranger, the Visitor Use Assistant at Padre Island National Seashore maintains fee operations, communicates important safety and weather-related information to the public, and coordinates with emergency personnel entering into and exiting an extremely high visitation park. The application of knowledge and skills in areas such as natural and cultural resource stewardship, public relations, customer service, the enforcement of park rules and regulations, effectively managing and responding to complaints, emergencies, stressful situations and large groups of people, developing and maintaining financial systems, accountability of budgets, purchasing, revenue collections, inventories, and agency property, outreach programming and special events, grant writing, exhibit development and the ability to work with other state employees, volunteers, friends groups, community-based organizations, and outside interest groups are essential to the position. Responsibilities of the Visitor Use Assistant collecting entry fees, issuing boat ramp and beach camping permits, completing daily revenue reporting while also disseminating information detailing park rules, regulations, important communications, and the handling of complaints and emergencies in coordination with park law enforcement. Corollary responsibilities included the creation and maintenance of a boat ramp permit holder database, communicating with personnel at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and Naval Air Station Kingsville to schedule pass drives for active duty servicemen, servicewomen, and disabled veterans, and standing in as a front-end interpretive ranger Visitor Center where duties ranged from disseminating information about the park to answering questions to conducting formal and impromptu interpretive programs.
The Oklahoma State University Doctoral Teaching Associate was entrusted with overseeing classroom operations for tenured professors and for creating and implementing undergraduate courses to include Pre-Civil War and Post-Civil War U.S history survey courses. Responsibilities of the doctoral teaching associate included the evaluation of undergraduate student coursework, holding regular office hours in order to assist students with additional interpretation or evaluation of course material, mentoring and supervising more junior graduate teaching assistants, and ensuring that students registered with the Oklahoma State University Office of Student Disability Accommodations received the appropriate classroom and testing accommodations in accordance with university, state, and federal mandates. The application of knowledge and skills in areas such as the use of personal computers to include skill in using MS Word, Excel and Outlook, skill in effective verbal and written communication, and skill in making independent, sound, and timely decisions in addition to a fundamental understanding of U.S, Mexican, and environmental history were paramount to the success of the Graduate Teaching Associate.
The Operations Intern at Eisenhower State Park was charged with becoming acquainted with all facets of park operations in the State Parks Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at Eisenhower State Park to include learning agency established methods of performing customer service, conducting maintenance on park grounds and facilities, conducting interpretive and outreach programming, and park-level law enforcement operations. Also entrusted with becoming acquainted with TPWD land management principles at the park level through participating in the park’s ongoing conservation mission of restoring and preserving Texas’ Blackland Prairies through the removal of invasive and non-indigenous flora from park prairieland. Day-to-day responsibilities of the Eisenhower State Park Operations Intern included conducting routine maintenance of park grounds and facilities to include mowing and weed eating campsites and day-use areas, sweeping, dusting and mopping park restrooms, shelters, and recreation halls; conducting interpretive programs and outreach events both on and offsite, and conducting prairie restoration to include tree felling, herbicide application, and invasive plant removal.
The Old Stories New Voices Intercultural Youth Camp Counselor and Waterfront Director was entrusted with introducing elementary school-aged minority populations to Texas’ historical and cultural infrastructure—cultural resources that the state’s minority populations have historically underutilized. In pursuing these objectives counselors were required to ensure the safety and well-being of young campers and to provide them with supplemental historical education as they participated in a week of hands-on learning activities in an operational setting modeled after a week in the life of a 19th century soldier at Fort McKavett State Historic Site and at historic sites located in the city of Menard, Texas. Primary responsibilities of the Camp Counselor and Waterfront Director included obtaining American Red Cross sanctioned lifeguard certification, supervision of subordinate lifeguards and counselors during aquatic activities, conducting camper swim tests, and generally supervising campers on trips to the local swimming pool in Menard, Texas and on canoe trips down the South Llano River at South Llano River State Park near Junction, Texas, and supervision of elementary school aged campers and historic infrastructure.
Under the supervision of the Texas State Historical Association Education Director, the Education Intern was trusted with the oversight and execution of the Texas History Day Quiz Show, a component of the larger Texas History Day, which is itself the regional component of National History Day, one nationwide program run by the National History Day non-profit, an education organization that conducts year-long academic and professional development programs aimed at improving historical education in the classroom. Primary responsibilities of the Education Intern included generating content for the Texas History Day Quiz Show, a fast-paced point-based question-and-answer game show for primary and middle school students with individual rounds, each of which focused upon a different aspect of Texas history. Further, the Education Intern was obligated to execute the Texas History Day Quiz Show at the local, regional, and state-level with the championship level round being broadcast live in front of a studio audience from the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History in Austin, Texas. Fulfillment of these obligations at the local, regional, and state levels required significant event and travel coordination with TSHA staff, with the Bob Bullock History Museum staff, with teachers and administrative staff at participating school districts, and with independently contracted videographers.