Donald Leadbetter – U.S. National Park Service | Managing National Parks, creating experiences and understanding nature

Donald Leadbetter, the Tourism Program Manager at the National Park
Service (NPS) based in Washington D.C. joined us on the show and
talked us through his passion for national parks, tourism and
nature. Patrizia and Donald dove into the specific tasks that
Donald carries out as a Tourism Program Manager, which include
researching and creating memorable experiences for visitors, as
well as making strategic decisions for the NPS. The two of them
discussed the history of the NPS, which has been responsible for
managing lands, parks, historic sites and waters for over 100
years. Donald explained how he leads the development of new units
and communities within the NPS, as well as the challenge of
managing access to certain areas of national parks for tourists and
avoiding over-tourism in the process. Before he left, Donald shared
his wish for people to reflect on the importance of nature more
frequently and we couldn’t agree more. Enjoy the show!