Open the public, free admission, reception to follow
Robert G. Stanton, former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior and former Director of the National Park Service, is a Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a private consultant in natural and cultural resource preservation and park management. He is also a former member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. His international experience includes serving as an ambassador to the International Union for Conservation and Nature’s Fifth World Parks Congress in South Africa.
Mr. Stanton will present Preserving Sites of Our Heritage: A Noble Journey toward Gratitude, Justice and Dignity for All. He believes that, “in a real sense, the preservation of our heritage is more than the protection of structures, artifacts, and landscapes. Preservation demonstrates the values of diversity and community that honors and links us with the heritage of our predecessors and furthermore represents our individual and collective heritage to our successors.”
Beginning 35-year career with NPS in 1962 when he was appointed by Interior Secretary Stewart Udall as a seasonal park ranger, and later as a park superintendent, Regional Director and an Associate Director, Mr. Stanton has dedicated his life work to improving the preservation and management of the nation’s rich and diverse natural and cultural resources. In 1997, he was nominated by President Bill Clinton and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 15th Director of the National Park Service. He was the first African American to serve in this position.
As Director, Mr. Stanton had policy, planning and management responsibility for the National Park System’s 384 natural, cultural and recreational areas that encompassed 83 million acres and attracted 228 million visits each year. Mr. Stanton worked to increase youth participation in conservation and led major efforts to improve diversity and inclusion in the workforce and public programs. He supported the establishment of new park areas and programs that recognized the struggles, courage, leadership, and contributions of women and people of color in the collective history and development of our nation.
As Senior Advisor to the Interior Secretary from 2010-2014, Mr. Stanton served as a key senior analyst and provided advice and support to the Secretary on a wide range of environmental, educational, organizational and management challenges and opportunities, and worked to advance the Secretary and the President’s goals for the Department of the Interior.
Join us for an evening with Robert Stanton as he shares how “heritage sites are truly places of learning. They provide invaluable lessons in freedom, justice, diversity, equity and dignity for all.”