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Webinar with Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent October 12

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is providing an opportunity to learn more about the Parkway’s new top leader during an online presentation, A Conversation with Superintendent Tracy Swartout, Tuesday, October 12, at 11 a.m.

Superintendent Tracy Swartout

Foundation CEO Carolyn Ward and Swartout, who is the first woman to lead the Blue Ridge Parkway in its 86-year history, will discuss Swartout’s tenure with the National Park Service and her goals and vision for its most visited park unit. The 30-minute webinar is free to attend.

Swartout joined the Parkway team in May 2021 and is a 21-year veteran of the National Park Service. Most recently, Swartout served as the deputy superintendent at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. Prior to moving out west, Swartout served as the superintendent for Congaree National Park in South Carolina. She was recognized as the southeast region’s Superintendent of the Year.

Swartout, a Columbia, SC, native, holds a bachelor of arts degree in geography from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in environmental studies with an emphasis in natural resources from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. She has completed postgraduate work in environmental management and coastal geology at Duke University and completed the United States Department of Agriculture’s executive leadership program.

The Zoom webinar is the latest installment of the Insider’s Report series, which highlights the nonprofit’s projects and ways to enjoy the national park unit.

To register, visit BRPFoundation.org/events.

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