News & Events

Sunset at Lake Tahoe

STIHL Inc. Supports State Park Director’s Leadership School’s 10th Anniversary

America’s State Parks have been one of our nation’s natural treasures for more than 100 years, and that’s why, here at STIHL, we continue to support the men and women who attend the National Association of State Park Director’s (NASPD) Leadership School.

This year, we continued to provide student scholarships to the next generation of park professionals and remained the exclusive outdoor power equipment sponsor of the NASPD’s annual training program. This year marks the Leadership School’s 10th year of providing park personnel with the education, training, networks, and tools to prepare themselves, and their teams, to take on larger responsibilities in their park systems. “The partnership with STIHL Inc., who’s sponsorship has provided opportunities for those, where out of state travel restrictions would have otherwise limited participation, has been vital to its broad success,” said Lewis Ledford, school director and executive director of NASPD.

Over the past decade, more than 400 senior park leaders, from 44 states, have graduated from the program; while participation and enrollment continue to grow. Each student goes through a two-year training program which includes online education courses and hands-on training at the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, W. Va. The leadership program allows experienced park managers and students to interact, share experiences, and learn about a variety of topics, including state park planning, calculating budgets and technology trends in parks. The combination of the students’ passion and the park directors, who volunteer their time to teach, makes this leadership school both a unique and exciting program. Here at STIHL, knowing our company’s contributions, as a sponsor and a scholarship contributor, is both gratifying and rewarding for all of us.

We would like to congratulate this year’s scholarship recipients:

  • Carmino Paliotta Jr., Rhode Island
  • Micheal Mahoney, Rhode Island
  • Kendra Wallis, Missouri
  • Melissa Bueker, Missouri
  • Lesley Porter, Vermont
  • Amy Grout, Montana
  • David Bennetts, Montana
  • Adam Morris, Massachusetts
  • Erik Otto, Missouri