National Park Service (NPS) Acting Midwest Regional Director Patricia Trap announced that Denice Swanke will serve as acting superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial (Mount Rushmore) in South Dakota. Swanke is currently Deputy Superintendent of Denali National Park and Preserve (Denali). She will assume her new role June 2, 2019. Cheryl Schreier retires as superintendent of Mount Rushmore on May 31, 2019, with 40 years of service in the government.
Swanke began her federal career in 1990 at Zion National Park. In addition to serving as superintendent of Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana, she has held assignments in Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and as a National Park Service Legislative Affairs Specialist in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Swanke worked for the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, and holds a physical science degree from Western Oregon University and masters of public administration degree from the University of Montana.
“I am looking forward to spending time in the Black Hills and working with the staff, partners and neighbors of Mount Rushmore,” Swanke said about this opportunity.
“We have begun the process of recruiting for a permanent superintendent,” Trap said. “Denice’s collaborative and inclusive approach to land management, her support of park staff and her interest in having open dialog with partners, agencies and communities, will be a great asset during this transition of park leadership.”
