The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, one of the country’s most visited national parks, will be under new leadership this month.
David Smith, 55, has 31 years of experience with the National Park service, most recently as superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park in southern California.
In his new post, Smith will oversee a park that spans 82,000 acres in Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties. Founded in 1972, the park draws more than 10 million visitors each year.
The park’s attractions include scenic wilderness, old-growth forests at Muir Woods National Monument, historic military sites spanning back to Spanish colonial times and up to the Cold War, Native American cultural sites, sprawling beaches and the former prison on Alcatraz Island.
Born in San Diego, Smith went to the University of California at Berkeley to study forestry. He said his studies brought him to the Marin Headlands for classes on owls and other wildlife.
“I’ve always felt a connection to the park, and a biological connection,” Smith said this week.
After joining the National Park Service, Smith worked on the Anza Trail between Mountain Lake and Fort Point in San Francisco. Smith and his husband John, who also worked as a park ranger, held their marriage ceremony at Fort Mason in San Francisco.
“It has been part of our lives now for the past 30 years,” Smith said.
Smith has been the superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park for the past eight years. Prior to that, he was the superintendent of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas.
Smith has also held various park service jobs ranging from interpretation to law enforcement at the Grand Canyon National Park, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, Cabrillo National Monument and the Arches and Canyonlands national parks, according to the park service.
The park service will pay Smith an annual salary of $183,500 in the new position.
The former Golden Gate National Recreation Area superintendent, Marin resident Laura Joss, held the post from 2017 to May 2022. Point Reyes National Seashore Superintendent Craig Kenkel was interim manager of the park during the search for Joss’ successor.
San Francisco resident Amy Meyer, who was one of the activists who convinced the federal government to create the park to prevent proposed development, said in a statement: “People here are engaged deeply in the enjoyment and care of the GGNRA. David Smith is reported to have worked well with park advocates and nearby communities. I look forward to his becoming our next superintendent.”
Coming from the desert to a park in one of the most densely populated areas of the state, Smith said he will be looking to learn as much as he can from stakeholders and staff. He said addressing the impacts of climate change on national parks will be a priority.
“They are at the cutting edge of working with diverse communities and creating an inclusive atmosphere so that folks can feel comfortable,” Smith said. “I’ve had a chance to work at parks around the United States and I’ve seen successes and failures. What Golden Gate National Recreation Area is doing is really top-notch stuff. My job is to continue hiring people and making sure parks are approachable to everyone.”
Frank Lands, director of the park service’s Pacific West region, said in a statement that Smith has been a “proven leader” during his time at the agency.
“He has a solid reputation for relationship-building with park partners, local communities, Tribal governments and elected officials,” Lands said. “These skills will be especially important as he leads one of the most urban and complex sites in the National Park System. The park will greatly benefit from having someone with his management and partnership experience at its helm.”
Jean Fraser, chief executive officer of the Presidio Trust, a federal agency that manages the Presidio, said it is “greatly looking forward to welcoming Superintendent Smith in the coming months.
“We hope to continue to bring national park experiences to urban audiences together, inspiring exploration of the broader GGNRA and other national parks as well,” Fraser wrote in a statement.
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