Washington – The Department of the Interior today announced that Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cameron “Cam” Sholly will conclude nearly three decades of federal service and almost eight years leading America’s first national park.
Sholly will depart the National Park Service in late September and join the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) as chief operating officer. Chartered by Congress in 1984, NFWF is the nation’s largest conservation foundation, supporting projects nationwide and in U.S. territories.
“Cam is an exceptional leader who delivered extraordinary results for Yellowstone National Park and the American people,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “His dedicated leadership leaves Yellowstone stronger, safer and better prepared for the future. The Department thanks him for nearly 30 years of distinguished service to our treasured parks and country.”
Since 2018, Sholly has led one of the nation’s largest and most complex national park operations. During his tenure, Yellowstone put over $1.5 billion to work in conservation and major infrastructure projects, much of it through President Trump’s Great American Outdoors Act funding and record philanthropic support. The park made historic investments in native fisheries, wildlife conservation and infrastructure; expanded bison transfers to tribal nations; and launched one of the largest public-private employee housing initiatives in National Park Service history. Sholly also guided Yellowstone through the COVID-19 pandemic, record visitation and the historic floods of 2022. Following the floods, the park reopened 93 percent of Yellowstone within 20 days and restored access through the damaged northern entrance in less than four months.
“Serving as superintendent of Yellowstone has been the greatest professional honor of my life,”said Cam Sholly. “Everything we accomplished was made possible by an extraordinary team of employees and partners who care deeply about this park. I look forward to joining the NFWF team and continuing important conservation work on a national scale.”
Sholly began his NPS career as a seasonal employee in Yellowstone in 1990. Before his tenure in the park, Sholly directed the National Park Service’s Midwest Region, overseeing 61 national parks in 13 states and helping lead the $380 million public-private transformation of Gateway Arch National Park—one of the largest partnerships of its kind in National Park Service history. He previously served as the agency’s associate director for visitor and resource protection, superintendent of Natchez Trace Parkway, chief of ranger operations at Yosemite National Park and in several National Park Service headquarters leadership positions.
Sholly also served in the U.S. Army and deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm. Over his career, Sholly received the Presidential Rank Award, the federal government’s highest recognition for members of the Senior Executive Service. He also received the Department of the Interior’s Meritorious Service Award and multiple other partnership and leadership awards.
The National Park Service will announce an interim superintendent separately and has begun the process of selecting Yellowstone’s next permanent superintendent.
Photo: Cameron H. Sholly – Superintendent Yellowstone National Park, Jacob W Frank/NPS
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