New Superintendent Named for Great Smoky Mountains National Park

National Park Service Southeast Regional Director Stan Austin earlier this week named Cassius Cash as the new superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“We are excited to have Cassius joining our Southeast Region leadership team,” Austin said. “He has a great reputation as a leader and has proven his ability to effectively work with partners, stakeholders and local communities. We know that he will be an excellent steward of the Smokies, one of the crown jewels of the Southeast Region.”

Cash has served as superintendent for Boston National Historical Park and Boston African American National Historic Site since 2010. He worked with the City of Boston in establishing the new Faneuil Hall visitor center that sees more than five million visitors per year. Working with several park partners, Cash secured $4 million to reopen the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill.

Before coming to work for the National Park Service, Cash spent 18 years with the U.S. Forest Service, starting as a wildlife biologist at Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest in 1991. He has held various positions during his career, including as an administrative officer in Nebraska, district ranger in Georgia, and a civil rights officer in Mississippi. Cash was the deputy forest supervisor at the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in southern Oregon before transferring to Boston. Cash served as the deputy regional director and chief of staff in the Northeast Regional Office earlier this year.

“Cash is an outstanding addition to the senior executive leadership at the National Park Service,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “He brings a depth of land management experience with the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, and his commitment to engaging local communities will support the great work that is happening at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”

Cassius Cash

Cash assumes his new post in February 2015. He and his family intend to live in the Gatlinburg area.

“I wholeheartedly look forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with and learning from a group of dedicated employees at the park who have the privilege of and responsibility for preserving and protecting some of the most precious natural and cultural resources in the country,” Cash said. “I also look forward to working with local communities, friends groups, and tribal communities on how the National Park Service can build on innovative ideas to create the next generation of stewards and supporters for this park. The timing for this is excellent because the park service will enter its second century of service to the nation when it observes its Centennial in 2016.”

Photo Credit: National Park Service