The Mountain Q&A

He grew up in the Appalachian Mountains, and his career with national parks spans nearly 40 years. Now he is leading America’s newest national park.

A true daughter of Southeast Kentucky, she grew up biking and “running the creeks” in rural Stearns. Today, she is the head of a growing nonprofit and leading the effort to make this 41-county region the state’s first National Heritage Area.

She grew up five minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway, and this 469-mile road has always been a part of her life. She now directs its official marketing partner: the Blue Ridge Parkway Association.

He’s NC Wildlife Federation’s 2022 Wildlife Conservationist of the Year and visionary ambassador for the Great Smoky Mountains Safe Passage Project.

Tracy Swartout, the Blue Ridge Parkway’s first female superintendent, was deputy superintendent at Mount Rainier National Park, superintendent at Congaree National Park and was the southeast region’s superintendent of the year in 2012.