For the first time since its founding in 1974, Cuyahoga Valley National Park has a female superintendent. The National Park Service(NPS) has selected Lisa Petit for the job. She has spent her two-decade long NPS career with CVNP.
With six months as acting superintendent under her belt, Petit is ready to take on the challenges and complexities of running Cuyahoga Valley National Park and pursuing the vision set forth for its future.
“One of the aspects of our next level is to fully mature into that national park experience and uniqueness that was kind of envisioned by the early founders of the national park.”
Petit says she is inspired by the uniqueness of CVNP and the hard work done by the park’s staff.
“We’re almost 50 years old, and that in itself is an exciting milestone, so I’m thrilled to be able to be at the helm to build off the past successes and lead us into the next 50 years.”
Petit appreciates the park's location between two major cities. She says her time as acting superintendent has prepared her well to take on the role on a permanent basis.
“I fully took on the challenge and opportunity to move the park forward as we had been moving and make sure we were still making progress and our goals, and it was very, very rewarding.”
Petit will oversee and make primary decisions for the National Park, as well as two National Historic Sites – the James A Garfield site in Mentor and First Ladies site in Canton.
