National Park Service Chesapeake Office (NPS Chesapeake) is pleased to announce new capacity to support and serve partners in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Two new members of the NPS Chesapeake leadership team have joined the office based in Annapolis, Maryland, bringing a wealth of experience: Ian Austin, Director of Administration and Eddie Gonzalez, Director of Partnerships and Grants. Three additional NPS employees have joined NPS Chesapeake office to lead key projects: Brent Everitt, Communications and Visitor Experience Specialist; Aurelia Gracia, Outdoor Recreation Planner; and Cherri Espersen, Partnerships Coordinator.
NPS Chesapeake is a community assistance office that serves as a primary partner in the federal and multi-state Chesapeake Bay Program to restore, conserve and steward the Chesapeake Bay and its 41-million-acre watershed. NPS Chesapeake also manages Chesapeake Gateways, a technical and financial assistance program and a partnership network of places and partners, providing opportunities to enjoy, learn about and help conserve the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Included in the network are programmatic partners and hundreds of assorted natural, cultural, historical and recreational sites, trails, museums, parks, refuges and visitor facilities. These places, and the network as a whole, serve as entry points to experiencing the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Chesapeake Gateways provides authentic connections to treasured resources, and the people of the Chesapeake region in all their splendid diversity. NPS Chesapeake Gateways recently launched a new annual grant opportunity with a focus on inclusive storytelling and resilient communities.
“I’m thrilled to welcome our new directors, Ian Austin and Eddie Gonzalez, to the team and am grateful for the additional new staff who bring vast government and private sector experience to our office. Each person brings a set of skills, experiences and ideas that are exciting during this time of reinvestment for NPS Chesapeake,” said NPS Chesapeake Superintendent Wendy O’Sullivan. "Ian and Eddie will help bring more cohesion, structure and innovation to our office as we continue to refresh and improve upon the Gateways program and connecting people to the Chesapeake.”
Ian Austin, Director of Administration
Ian Austin’s 14-year career has encompassed work in three different national parks helping support and lead operations. He began his career at Zion National Park as a ‘student employee’ hire for the trail crew. Afterwards, Ian joined the Flagstaff Area National Monuments, beginning as the Facilities Operations Assistant, providing operational support for the Facilities Division and later, moved into Administrative Assistant and Budget Analyst roles. Ian took on a new opportunity at Grand Canyon National Park in 2019 as a supervisory Budget Analyst supporting the administrative division and managing park operational budgets.
Ian has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Finance from Northern Arizona University and an Associate of Arts in Business from Coconino Community College. Ian is originally from Silver Spring, MD. He enjoys spending time with family and going outdoors with his daughter, his fiancé and her daughter.
Ian will lead administrative and business operations of NPS Chesapeake, setting a standard for excellent park processes and ensuring accountability and effective management of budgets, information technology and all office business.
“I am excited to be a part of the NPS Chesapeake team and to be joining in the efforts to protect and restore the country’s largest estuary.”
Eddie Gonzalez, Director of Partnerships and Grants
Eddie Gonzalez has over 28 years of experience helping organizations achieve strategic impact. He has worked with a broad range of nonprofit organizations, such as the World Wildlife Fund, National Park Foundation, National Audubon Society and Living Oceans Foundation, working to fill critical program needs and revitalize their operations and administration.
Most recently, he served as senior Program Manager with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), working on STEM engagement, student and young professional cultivation and leadership development. Eddie is a regular reviewer for the National Environmental Education Foundation, Virginia Sea Grant and the EPA Office of Environmental Education grant programs. He has also served on the board of directors of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and the Public Lands Alliance (PLA).
Eddie holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from Regis University and a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Biology from Brown University. He currently resides in Annapolis, MD, with his daughter. In addition to professional work, he has a personal passion for marine conservation.
Eddie provides strategic direction and management of partnerships, technical assistance and grant opportunities, including the Chesapeake Gateways Network Grants, in support of the diversity of people, places and stories of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
“Water has always been a part of our existence. Ice captures our past. And oceans, bays, lakes and streams hold our future. I look forward to better understanding what future the Chesapeake watershed holds and the relationships needed to sustain it.”
Brent Everitt, Communications and Visitor Experience Specialist
Over Brent’s 15-year NPS career, he has led digital media, communications and interpretive programs at parks, programs and regional offices throughout the country. Throughout his career, Brent has worked on numerous interpretive media projects, including all new exhibits at visitor facilities at numerous parks and served as an incident information officer when major disasters impacted national parks. He most recently served as the Chief of Visitor Services at Cedar Breaks National Monument in southwestern Utah where he was responsible for interpretation/education, fee collection, campground operations, partnerships and agreements.
Brent grew up on the coast in Mount Pleasant, SC, where he developed a deep appreciation for the environment and the importance of outdoor recreation. Brent has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Clemson University and a Master of Business Administration from The Citadel. His wife is a registrar for the US Army at the Center of Military History. They enjoy visiting historic sites, hiking, camping and being near the water with their son Henry.
Brent manages the visual identity of NPS Chesapeake through digital platforms and interpretive media projects and provides technical assistance and project management services for communications and visitor experience projects supporting the Chesapeake Gateways network.
“I am so excited to join the NPS Chesapeake team supporting the important work of the program and partners during this critical juncture in its history.”
Aurelia Gracia, Outdoor Recreation Planner
Aurelia's NPS career began with the ProRanger Program, where she gained experience working with law enforcement, supporting public outreach and project planning through positions at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and San Juan National Historic Site. Her completion of the ProRanger Program led to a permanent position with NPS at George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) where she served as the park's Community Planner, working with various partners and stakeholders to further develop programs and project plans. Aurelia also served as a lead representative for GWMP’s Diversity Advisory Group, facilitated the park’s Great American Outdoors Act planning process and coordinated a relationship with the Arlington House descendant community.
Born and raised in South Texas, Aurelia attended Texas A&M University for her Master’s in Policy Resource Analysis and Bachelor’s in Parks and Conservation. While studying at Texas A&M, she developed a passion for public spaces, which led to her career at NPS. Aurelia serves as an Outdoor Recreation Planner for NPS Chesapeake and as the coordinator for the Protected Lands and Public Access Workgroups under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement funded by the Environmental Protection Agency – Chesapeake Office. Aurelia’s work includes project management for various efforts advancing exploration and research for the watershed and reporting and tracking protected lands and public access sites across the six watershed states and the District of Columbia.
“I'm so excited to support the NPS Chesapeake Gateway team strengthening partnerships that provide a connection to shared resources for all communities.”
Cherri Espersen, Partnerships Coordinator
Cherri Espersen started with the National Park Service in 1999 through the Student Career Experience Program. She worked as an Outdoor Recreation Planner with the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program in Washington, DC and became the program coordinator for the Department of the Interior’s National Recreation Trail program. In 2008, she joined the Land Resources Division as a Program Analyst, where in addition to federal land acquisition and budgetary responsibilities, she became the program’s communications lead and coordinated efforts for the broader Park Planning, Facilities and Lands (PPFL) Communications Work Group.
Cherri joins the NPS Chesapeake team after 10 years as a Program Analyst with the Park Planning and Special Studies Division. In addition to a role in program communications, she was the Washington Office liaison for planning projects in the Intermountain, Northeast and Southeast regions, and the division lead for Congressionally authorized studies and Reconnaissance Surveys. These studies look at a variety of possible designations, including new park units, national heritage areas, wild and scenic rivers, national historic trails and affiliated areas. Cherri lives in Annapolis, MD and is originally from the US Virgin Islands, where she worked as an Environmental Specialist for the Department of Planning and Natural Resources prior to graduate school. She has a Master’s in Community Planning from the University of Maryland: College Park and a Bachelor’s in Geography from the University of Texas: Austin.
As partnerships coordinator, Cherri will assist with growing the NPS Chesapeake Gateways network and cultivating relationships within the watershed, including developing agreements, evaluating outcomes and sharing successes.
“I’ve always loved being near the water, whether it’s an ocean, bay, river, or stream! As part of the NPS Chesapeake team, I look forward to working with a diversity of partners to positively impact this unique watershed that so many of us call ‘home’.”
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