National Parks

Speaker: Past President Bill Schenk
Presentation: National Parks

William W. “Bill” Schenk
Married to Julie Schenk, June 25, 1966
Three Children and Nine Grandchildren
Graduate of the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and History
 
Bill joined the National Park Service on July 3, 1966, as an Intake Ranger.  During his career, he served in a variety of supervisory and management positions at the Natchez Trace Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, Everglades National Park, Fire Island National Seashore, Grand Teton National Park, the Midwest Regional Office, and the Southeast Regional Office.  He was selected for the Senior Executive Service in 1994 and served as the Regional Director for the Midwest Region from 1994 to 2002.  Bill served as the Regional Director for the Southeast Region from late 2002, to July 2003 when he retired after a successful and fulfilling 37-year career.
 
During his tenure with the National Park Service, Bill participated in a wide variety of Task Force and planning activities including general management plans for Big Cypress, Fire Island, Tall Grass Prairie, and Voyageurs.  He served on the Grizzly Bear Recovery Task Force while at Grand Teton and worked with a variety of Bison management programs at Grand Teton, Badlands, and Theodore Roosevelt.  He served on the National Park Service Development Advisory Board from 1997-2003 and chaired the Board of Inquiry for the controversial Cerro Grande Fire.  In addition, he served on the Dayton Aviation Heritage Board, the Tall Grass Prairie Advisory Board, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Commission, and the I&M Canal Commission.  He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has undertaken additional college course work in criminal and civil law at American University and the University of Virginia.