The Honorable Robert G. Stanton: NPS's First Black Director

The Honorable Robert G. Stanton received NAI’s 2025 President’s Award. As the fifteenth Director of the National Park Service, and its first African American leader, Mr. Stanton’s more than 40-year career has advanced interpretation, resource stewardship, and equitable public engagement nationwide. Beginning as a seasonal ranger at Grand Teton National Park in 1962, he rose through the ranks to lead the agency with vision, courage, and integrity.

His lifelong advocacy for inclusion and representation has profoundly shaped how the stories of America’s parks are told, broadening who sees themselves reflected in the nation’s natural and cultural heritage.

He joins NAI's Song Stott and Paul Caputo.