Sarah Davis

JACKSON (WNE) — For the first time in its 147-year history, Yellowstone National Park has hired a woman as its permanent chief in charge of the ranger corps.

Yellowstone superintendent Cam Sholly announced last week that he has selected National Park Service veteran Sarah Davis as his next chief ranger.

She will lead a cadre of more than 275 Yellowstone employees, supervising the park’s law enforcement, EMS, search and rescue, firefighting, backcountry operations, dispatch and fee collection programs,
among others.

“Sarah is an outstanding leader with a track record of high performance, strategic thinking and collaboration,” Sholly said in a statement. “We’re lucky to have her join the Yellowstone team.”

Davis will assume her duties in Yellowstone in mid-December.

Previously, she worked as the chief ranger at Natchez Trace Parkway, a Park Service-managed scenic drive that crosses through three states in the Southeast. There, she managed a staff of 40 and a $3.5 million budget.

Davis has held past positions at Vicksburg and Guilford Courthouse National Military Parks, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Independence National Historic Park, Assateague Island National Seashore and Blue Ridge Parkway.

“I’m excited to join the Yellowstone team, and work together to protect our first national park and its visitors, and ensure the health, safety, and wellness of our employees,” Davis said in a statement.

Yellowstone has been without a chief ranger since spring, when Pete Webster departed to assume second-in-command duties as deputy superintendent of Glacier National Park. Leslie Reynolds held down the post on an acting basis through the summer. Park staff will help to fill in the gaps until Davis arrives in Mammoth in a few months, said park spokeswoman Linda Veress.