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Ronald H. Walker
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President Richard Nixon appointed Ronald H. Walker, an advance man on his staff, to replace George Hartzog in January 1973. Lacking park experience, Walker made Russell E. Dickenson, an NPS careerist, his deputy. Walker advocated a policy of “stabilization”, foreseeing that NPS funding and staffing would be inadequate for a continuing high influx of new parks and program responsibilities. Fourteen areas nevertheless joined the park system during his two years as director, including the first two national preserves.
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President Richard Nixon appointed Ronald H. Walker, an advance man on his staff, to replace George Hartzog in January 1973. Lacking park experience, Walker made Russell E. Dickenson, an NPS careerist, his deputy. Walker advocated a policy of “stabilization”, foreseeing that NPS funding and staffing would be inadequate for a continuing high influx of new parks and program responsibilities. Fourteen areas nevertheless joined the park system during his two years as director, including the first two national preserves. Nixon's resignation in August 1974 presaged Walker's replacement five months later.
At 36, Walker was the youngest Director to hold the office and the second appointed form outside NPS. A soft-spoken and affable young man, he had been President Nixon’s special assistant responsible for both domestic and international travel. Walker was born in Bryan, Tex., took a political science degree at the University of Arizona, served as an Army officer in Okinawa, and as an insurance and marketing executive. As Director, he realigned NPS regional boundaries and added North Atlantic and Rocky Mountain offices. Under Walker, the early planning was done for the Servicewide American Revolution Bicentennial activities. A senior partner of Korn/Ferry International, he is now managing director for their Washington, D.C., offices.
Restructuring Plan
The National Park Service established a plan to restructure organizationally in response to the diverse changes that have confronted it over the past several decades, to the National Performance Review, and to legally mandated personnel reductions. The resultant Restructuring Plan for the National Park Service built upon earlier efforts within the Service – the 21st Century Task Force Report, the VAIL AGENDA, the NPS STRATEGIC PLAN, and the Recommendations of the Reorganization Work Group –- all of which have proposed significant, substantive improvements in the organization.
The plan called for the reduction of central offices and the establishment of 16 ecological-cultural-geographical based clusters of 10-225 park units in seven regions. The first steps were taken in 1995 to begin the change. By 2000, the restructuring plan had been revised four times leaving seven regions, which were substantially smaller than before. Of the 16 ‘eco-clusters’ envisioned in the plan, only those clusters based on older regional offices, i.e., Boston (MID-ATLANTIC REGION), Seattle (PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION), and Santa Fe (SOUTHWEST REGION) exist.
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