Introducing Sleeping Bear’s new leader
Q&A with superintendent-to-be Scott Tucker
By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor
Late last week the National Park Service (NPS) named Scott Tucker as the new superintendent of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. He will begin his assignment in mid-June. Tucker, a 19-year veteran of NPS, is currently the superintendent of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, which includes seven units along the Columbia River and the Pacific Coast from Long Beach, Wash., to Cannon Beach, Ore.
Sleeping Bear’s current deputy superintendent, Tom Ulrich, had been among the candidates considered for the job, but new executives are almost always brought in from a different Park, a recent NPS retiree with deep knowledge of the government organization confirmed to the Glen Arbor Sun. Ulrich says he thinks Tucker will be “great” for Sleeping Bear, and he plans to remain as deputy superintendent.
The Sun submitted the following questions to Scott Tucker. Here are his responses.
Glen Arbor Sun: Congratulations on being the new superintendent of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. What drew you to our area, and this job?
Scott Tucker: As anyone living in the area already knows, northern Michigan is a spectacular place not only to visit but also to live, raise a family, and work. The resources of Sleeping Bear Dunes were a draw for me as a tourist and as a National Park Service professional. Being able to work alongside a great team, in a community that values the resources, and a place my family holds dear makes this an ideal location for us.
Glen Arbor Sun: How much time have you spent in Northern Michigan? Do you have any favorite spots in, or qualities about our National Lakeshore?
Scott Tucker: I have spent several summer vacations in northern Michigan over the past 10 years. The University of Michigan alumni family camp on Walloon Lake has been our base for exploration of the area. Sleeping Bear Dunes, Torch Lake, Traverse City, and Mackinac Island, and other towns in between have all been destinations for my family. In particular, I fell in love with Sleeping Bear Dunes when hiking the Empire Bluffs trail in 2010.
Glen Arbor Sun: In the past decade Sleeping Bear Dunes has made an about-face and embraced recreational opportunities within the Park, such as creating and promoting the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail — a popular multi-use bike trail — while also preserving much of the Park as wilderness. What is your perspective on such recreational use, even when that means paving former footpaths and attracting more people to areas that were once less utilized?
Scott Tucker: I see one of my roles as a superintendent in the National Park Service as helping the public create connections to our resources in ways that are meaningful and useful to them. Helping to foster the next generation of stewards requires providing multiple opportunities for the public to interact with a park in their own way. I look forward to hearing from the community and the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes about the benefits and impacts of the increased recreational opportunities.
Glen Arbor Sun: In general, what are your goals and aspirations for Sleeping Bear Dunes under your watch?
Scott Tucker: My aspirations and goals may [or will likely] change over time. Once I am on the ground and discover the pulse of the staff, the park and the public, the park leadership team will work together in creating a joint vision. That being said, my philosophy as a manager is to put the park in an even better position for the future.
Glen Arbor Sun: You’re currently the superintendent at Lewis and Clark Historical Park in the Pacific Northwest. Before that you worked at President’s Park in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian Institute, the National Mall and the U.S. Holocaust Museum. These are urban Parks, compared to Sleeping Bear. What unique skillset does that give you, and how might your urban experience translate here in rural Northern Michigan?
Scott Tucker: I have been fortunate to work at a variety of natural and cultural sites of national significance. My current position in Astoria, Oregon, has me in a multi-dimensional park with wetlands, beaches, coastal dunes, coastal prairie, forest and recreational hiking trails–all centered on a story of exploration, science, and discovery. Lewis and Clark NHP is in a town with a population of 10,000 and a county of 30,000 residents, with the closest commercial airport nearly 100 miles away. The rural aspects of my current park directly translate to northern Michigan, minus the snow. The skill set I bring is one of communication, employee and community partnerships to lead the park in a collaborative direction.
Glen Arbor Sun: I imagine that managing cultural resources is crucial when working at historic parks in D.C. How do you parlay cultural resources into working with natural resources here in Sleeping Bear?
Scott Tucker: Every park I have worked at has had diverse natural and cultural resources. The skillset I bring to the table is one of collaborative communication and empowerment of park leadership to do their job. Parks are very complex operations, and Sleeping Bear Dunes NLS has a strong leadership team with individual expertise in areas specific to natural and cultural resources. My job is to remove the barriers so they can do their jobs, while ensuring NPS policy, regulations, and laws are followed.
Glen Arbor Sun: What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced while working for the National Park Service, and how did you resolve it?
Scott Tucker: My biggest challenge as a manager in the National Park Service has been managing expectations: the task of meeting visitor and community expectations while balancing the operational needs of the park, with limited resources. The hard decisions that have to be made, never fully satisfy everyone at the table. Knowledge, science, communication, partnerships, community participation, and a strong leadership team allow me the opportunity to make a sound decision that meets our primary mission to preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources for the next generation.
Glen Arbor Sun: How about your biggest joy while working for the National Park?
Scott Tucker: There are so many great experiences I have had in my NPS career, it is difficult to choose. In my top 5 list would be (1) leading interpretive programs for visitors at all of the parks I have worked at and seeing the moment when the story “clicks” for the visitor, (2) participating in the 2008 and 2012 Presidential Inauguration planning in President’s Park, (3) starting a “Park Prescription” program at Lewis and Clark NHP where doctors prescribe national park recreation as part of a healthy lifestyle to patients, (4) achieving the highest park employee job satisfaction survey results in the Pacific Northwest and (5) seeing a family spend their vacation and making lifetime memories in a national park.
Glen Arbor Sun: We understand your family has roots in Michigan. Where are you and your wife from? Care to mention your two young children?
Scott Tucker: I am a Colorado native, growing up in the suburbs of Denver. Both sides of my wife’s family go back generations in Michigan; she grew up in Lansing and graduated from the University of Michigan. She also spent her childhood summers in northern Michigan, including camp on the Leelanau Peninsula and 3 summers at the National Music Camp in Interlochen. Our 4-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son have loved visiting the state and look forward to the move and experiencing all that Michigan has to offer.
Glen Arbor Sun: It’s May, which is warmer than April, but it’s still not yet summer. Any idea when you’ll take your first dip in Lake Michigan?
Scott Tucker: If my daughter has anything to say about it, we will make the plunge 5 minutes after we arrive!
Glen Arbor Sun: Presently, Port Oneida is a vast and virtually undeveloped historical area within the Park. Do you have any special vision for this unique farming community?
Scott Tucker: I look forward to listening to the community and the Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear friends group for their direction and vision. I already have the Port Oneida Fair and the Port Oneida run on my calendar in August!
