Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly will step down in late September
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (KIFI) — Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cameron “Cam” Sholly will step down in late September after nearly eight years leading the park, the Department of the Interior announced on Friday.
Sholly will conclude nearly three decades of federal service to join the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as chief operating officer.
Sholly has led Yellowstone since 2018, overseeing one of the National Park Service's largest and most complex operations. During his tenure, the park put over $1.5 billion to work in conservation and infrastructure projects funded through President Trump's Great American Outdoors Act and philanthropic support.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum praised Sholly's service to the park system. “Cam is an exceptional leader who delivered extraordinary results for Yellowstone National Park and the American people,” Burgum said. “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.”
Sholly reflected on his leadership of America's first national park. “Serving as superintendent of Yellowstone has been the greatest professional honor of my life,” Sholly said. “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.”
Under Sholly's leadership, Yellowstone made historic investments in native fisheries, wildlife conservation, expanded tribal bison transfers and launched one of the largest public-private employee housing initiatives in Park Service history. He also managed operations through record visitation, the COVID-19 pandemic and historic 2022 flooding, after which crews reopened 93% of the park within 20 days and restored northern entrance access in less than four months.
Sholly began his Park Service career as a seasonal employee in Yellowstone in 1990. Prior to leading Yellowstone, he served as regional director for the Midwest Region, where he oversaw 61 national parks in 13 states and helped lead a $380 million public-private renovation of Gateway Arch National Park.
Sholly also served as associate director for visitor and resource protection, superintendent of Natchez Trace Parkway and chief of ranger operations at Yosemite National Park. A U.S. Army veteran who deployed during Operation Desert Storm, Sholly received the Presidential Rank Award and the Department of the Interior's Meritorious Service Award during his career.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, where Sholly will serve as chief operating officer, was chartered by Congress in 1984 and operates as the nation's largest conservation foundation.
The National Park Service will announce an interim superintendent separately. The agency has begun the process of selecting Yellowstone's next permanent superintendent.
