Head of Yosemite National Park’s top advocacy group to step down
One of the biggest advocates for Yosemite National Park will retire from his post as president and CEO of the Yosemite Conservancy this year.
Frank Dean, 70, who spent most of his career with the National Park Service, including eight years working in Yosemite, told the Chronicle that he’s stepping down as leader of the influential nonprofit because he’s done what he set out to do, which includes expanding the conservancy’s stewardship, research and visitor programs at the park.
“I just felt like it’s time,” said the Petaluma resident. “It’s been a pretty good run. I think it’s healthy for any organization to have fresh eyes on things.”
The donor-funded Yosemite Conservancy is among the country’s many groups at national parks that help with financing and operations when the federal government falls short. The Yosemite organization, with its vast support base, has consistently been one of the most effective of the groups, a boon for the park given its size and immense popularity.
Under Dean’s leadership, the conservancy is preparing to dole out $10 million in park grants just this year, for such efforts as habitat restoration, trail work and education programs. The conservancy also directly runs tours, classes and bookstores in the park.
Dean, who served as the superintendent of the Golden Gate National Recreation area before taking the job with the conservancy in 2015, said that the most pressing challenge that Yosemite hasn’t met during his tenure is the crowds.
“It’s pretty clear something has to be done there,” he said. “It just kind of overshadows everything if you have to wait for hours and hours to get in there and then have to wait to park.”
Dean’s work for the National Park Service at Yosemite included his careerchanging shift into management, when he was promoted to an assistant in the superintendent’s office. Prior to that, he had worked as a field ranger at the park.
“This is like being in Yankee Stadium for rangers,” he said. “We had all been rangers someplace else, and that’s how it felt.”
Dean plans to officially retire this summer. The conservancy’s Board of Trustees is planning a national search to hire the organization’s next top executive.
“Frank is an inspiring leader and a great friend,” Yosemite Superintendent Cicely Muldoon said in a statement. “I am so grateful to have served with him and am confident his legacy will continue in Yosemite National Park through the power of our partnership with Yosemite Conservancy.”