WASHINGTON - Secretary of
the Interior Gale A. Norton today announced the appointment of four
new members to the National Park Foundation Board. The NPF is a congressionally
chartered nonprofit partner of the National Park Service and Secretary
Norton serves as its chairperson, working with Jim Maddy, the Foundation's
president.
"Our national parks
are special places that remind us of our heritage, our strength and
courage as a nation and the freedom that we share," Norton said.
"We look forward to utilizing the extraordinary talents and experiences
that these new board members bring to the National Park Foundation."
The newly appointed members
of the NPF Board are:
Bruce Benson, Denver,
Colo.
Bruce Benson, is the owner and president of Benson Mineral Group, Inc.,
an oil and gas production company. He also currently serves as President,
Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of United
States Exploration, Inc., and is on the Board of Directors of American
Land Lease Corporation. Benson's public service work currently includes
the serving as the Chairman of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel for
Higher Education for the 21st Century, Chairman of The Metropolitan
State College of Denver Board of Trustees, and Chairman of the Board
of Trustees for the Denver Public Schools Foundation. Additionally,
Benson serves on the Board of Trustees for the Coleman Colorado Foundation,
Denver Zoological Foundation and Boy Scouts of America Denver Area Council.
Spencer Fox Eccles, Salt
Lake City, Utah
Spencer Fox Eccles, currently serves as Chairman of the Intermountain
Banking Group for Wells Fargo. He also serves on the Boards of the Union
Pacific Corporation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Ski Team Foundation,
Intermountain Healthy Care and Primary Children's Medical Center Foundation
and was a major supporter of the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee.
He is President of the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation,
which provides funds for education, health, and preservation projects
throughout the state of Utah. His awards and honors include the University
of Utah Distinguished Alumnus Award, the National Conference of Christians
and Jews Brotherhood Award, and the Utah National Guard Minuteman Award.
Linda J. Fisher, Washington,
D.C.
Linda J. Fisher, served most recently as EPA's Acting Administrator.
For the first two years of the Bush Administration, she served as the
Deputy Administrator of the Agency where she was the senior managerial
and policy advisor for former Secretary Christie Todd Whitman. From
1995-2000, Fisher was Vice President and Corporate Officer at the Monsanto
Co., St. Louis, Mo. She also practices law with the Washington, D.C.,
law firm of Latham & Watkins. Fisher holds a law degree from Ohio
State University, an M.B.A. from George Washington University, and a
B.A. from Miami University of Ohio.
Regan Kimberlin Gammon,
Austin, Texas
Regan Kimberlin Gammon, is the Vice-President of the Kimberlin Family
Partnership in Austin, Texas, and has served as a community volunteer
and fundraiser for the last 25 years. She is founder and executive board
member of the Texas Book Festival, which has hosted more than 1,000
authors promoting literacy and reading in the state of Texas. Regan
currently serves on the advisory board of the South Texas Native Plant
Restoration Project, as the chair of the Laura W. Bush Endowment for
Art and Education for the Austin Museum of Art, and is a board member
of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. She is a trustee
on the All Saints' Episcopal Church Day School Board and on the advisory
board of the Austin Heritage Society.
"Now more than ever
national parks have an important role to play in the lives of Americans,"
said David Rockefeller, Jr., Vice Chairman of the National Park Foundation.
"These 388 special places can educate, inspire and soothe us. I
know that with the talent and creativity these new board members bring
to the table, the National Park Foundation will help more people find
common ground and a cause worthy of their support when they visit a
National Park."
The National Park Foundation,
chartered by Congress in 1967, strengthens the enduring connection between
the American people and their National Parks by raising private funds,
making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships and increasing
public awareness. Over the past six years, the Foundation has contributed
more than $130 million in grants and program support to National Parks
across the country.
