Cumberland’s New Super

Gary Ingram was named superintendent of Cumberland Island last month after a four-month stint as acting superintendent. Gary was formerly the superintendent of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia. Prior to moving to Georgia with his wife and three children, Gary served as an assistant Regional Director in Washington, D. C., where he represented Alaska’s parks and Regional Office in dealing with the Department of Interior, NPS, Congress, and special interest groups.

Gary’s background is broad, his people skills honed, and he seems to care about Wilderness.  The Southeast Region of the National Park Service is reportedly considered the worst in the Agency (in morale? in-fighting? lowest achievement?), and of the parks in the Southeast, Cumberland Island has the worst reputation. From this park, political pressure can easily be bought/brought to bear on administrators not compliant with local wishes. In other words, coming to Cumberland is not a good career move for any aspiring employee, which explains much regarding NPS management problems on the island. However, Ingram seems motivated to make change and lead Cumberland in a new direction.