Perseverance and Caring:

Cornerstones of Success 

 

By Floy Westermeier

Vol. 23 Number 4,  2002

 

 

 

How does a person go from a job assisting the custodian in a public school to being one of the most respected Superintendents in the Midwest Region?  Through 29 years of perseverance and willingness to take opportunities whenever they occur, according to Dusty Shultz.

 

Shultz, Superintendent of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, was born in Pennsylvania and grew up as a coal miner’s daughter, the fourth girl in a family of ten children.  Her first work experience was assisting the custodian at a school in her hometown and was obtained through the Neighborhood Youth Corps (NYC), a program for disadvantaged families.  Shultz realized early that she wanted more in life and enrolled in business courses in high school.  Soon after, the NYC helped her obtain a job after school and during the summer with the National Park Service at nearby Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood National Memorial in Cresson, Pennsylvania.  Shortly after graduation, she was hired by the National Park Service (July 1973).

 

Shultz and her husband of 27 years married shortly after high school graduation and settled into jobs and family life—she worked as the Superintendent’s secretary and Ken was a seasonal employee.  But as Shultz gained more skills and expanded her knowledge of the park system, she found that she needed greater challenges. 

 

“My husband and I discussed the issues and he said, ‘Let’s go with your career.  I’ll get a job wherever we go.’”  So began the second phase of Shultz’s career.  She applied for and was selected as the Administrative Assistant at Andrew Johnson National Historic Site (April 1979) and later as Chief of Contracting (February 1981) in the Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta.  It was there that Shultz began to truly realize her potential, when the Assistant Regional Director said to her, “Dusty, I believe you could do any job in this region, even the Director’s!” 

 

“I had someone who believed in me and encouraged me before mentors were identified as mentors,” Shultz said.  “I’m fortunate that I’ve had several mentor figures throughout my career with the National Park Service.  They have made a difference for me.” 

 

While Shultz enjoyed her work in contracting, she found she missed working in the park and the quiet of small towns.  She and her family were tired of the hustle and bustle of city life.  So, she took to heart the words of the Assistant Regional Director and began applying for Superintendent positions.  Finally, exactly nine years to the day that she arrived in Atlanta she was selected as the first female Superintendent of Moores Creek National Battlefield in Currie, North Carolina.  Shultz says she was able to accomplish many things as Superintendent of Moores Creek NB, but the one she takes most pride in was the reconstruction of the historic Moores Creek Bridge through donated funding and volunteer labor.

 

From the picturesque swamps at Moores Creek NB, full of cypress trees with Spanish moss and hanging vines, Venus flytraps, black water, and snakes, the Superintendent moved to Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, the home of President Abraham Lincoln from the age of seven through twenty-one.  Moores Creek NB and Lincoln Boyhood NM are predominantly cultural resource parks, but the inter-relationship with the natural environment was critical to the successful management of both parks’ resources. 

 

Never one to fail to take up a new challenge, Shultz readily accepted her assignment as the first female Superintendent of Lincoln Boyhood NM and later as the supervisor of the Superintendent at George Rogers Clark National Historical Park in Vincennes, Indiana.  During her eight years of leadership at these parks, she created a strong partnership team between the parks and the local constituencies of Lincoln City, Indiana and the National Memorial. 

 

With her next career move, Shultz was the first female Superintendent in a given park for the third time in a row.  When she accepted the position at Sleeping Bear Dunes NL, she became its first female Superintendent and inherited an all-male Division staff.  When asked if this presented a problem for the petite Superintendent, Shultz said, “None at all.  There is always a nice way to handle things. . . . Good management is simply good management. . . . It does not have a gender.”

 

She firmly believes that leaders must lead by example, with open communication that flows in all directions.  She openly practices that on a daily basis.  In fact, her ability to listen, quickly grasp issues, and then help others understand issues is why she was named by Midwest Regional Director William Schenk to help establish the Conflict Resolution Program (CORE) for the region.  The CORE program is a relatively new program that seeks to help resolve issues between employees prior to escalating to the grievance level.  Shultz was the first CORE Specialist in the Midwest Region.  The program has been well received in the region and lends itself well to solving problems.

 

Shultz’s first two parks were historical parks, but her current assignment is much more diverse.  Management issues involve the preservation and protection of the natural and cultural resources while providing recreational opportunities and an educational and memorable experience—all while leaving the lands unimpaired for future generations.  “It is a challenge I enjoy and look forward to,” she explained.  “I moved from a park with 12-16 full-time employees and 200 acres to a park with about 125 employees and 71,000 acres of land area.”  She credits her ability to work well with people for her latest opportunity and says that is one of the most critical parts of her job.

 

Sleeping Bear Dunes NL has 64 miles of shoreline and a diverse landscape filled with massive sand dunes, rivers, beaches, forests, lakes, and rugged bluffs that tower up to 460 feet above Lake Michigan.  In addition, two offshore islands and portions of the mainland are managed as wilderness areas.  The park offers ferry service, private boat travel, water recreation, snowshoeing, camping, cross-country skiing, birding, and a varied trail system throughout the mainland and the offshore islands. 

 

“We have a very active natural resources program that works closely with the local communities and the state to preserve endangered species and to identify other ecosystems,” Shultz said.  “We are predominantly a natural resources park.  The mainland is largely glacier formation residuals.  We also have numerous historic structures and landscapes that are in various states of preservation.  Some are completely restored, others are stabilized or rehabilitated, and still others are yet to be architecturally identified.”  Because the park is a fee park, it receives 80 percent of its fee assessment back for special projects and interpretive programs to enhance the visitor experience.

 

According to Shultz, the major problems currently encountered in the natural resources area of managing Sleeping Bear Dunes NL are those relating to invasive non-native plant and animal species, habitat fragmentation, watershed and water quality protection, wildlife corridors, and ecosystem integrity and diversity.  “Zebra muscles in particular are a threat to endangered water species and are threatening our inland lakes,” the superintendent explained.  “As in most other parks, the invasive plants create a major threat to the natural beauty of the park, and we have instituted a vigorous program, working with local and state agencies, to help eradicate them.”  Unlike most parks, Sleeping Bear Dunes NL also has active year-round hunting that includes bow and arrow as well as guns.  When Congress established the park in 1970, hunting and fishing were authorized by the enabling legislation.  The park must allow hunting and fishing in accordance with the applicable laws of the state of Michigan and the United States.  The park may designate zones where hunting is not allowed for reasons of public safety, administration, or public use and enjoyment, but hunting and fishing cannot be curtailed for long periods of time.

 

Dusty and Ken Shultz have two children, Kenneth Jr. and April Dawn.  “I have been doubly blessed,” she said.  “First, with opportunities for interesting and challenging assignments and second, the support of my family who is willing to move to different locations.” 

 

During Shultz’s career with the National Park Service, she has been the first female Superintendent of three parks; served on and chaired a variety of committees, panels and boards; taught numerous classes for the Service, at community colleges, and managed special programs; and worked with and has been part of community and civic organizations and associations. 

Shultz, like many women working in natural resource management in the past 25 years, counts herself fortunate to have been able to make a difference, however big or small, in the care and protection of our natural resources.  Shultz said she frequently reminds herself of the mission and purpose of the National Park Service, because it helps reiterates her feelings of being truly blessed as she serves the public while preserving and protecting very special places. 

 

When asked if she had any advice for women aspiring to expand their careers, Shultz said, “Success can be anything that you really want it to be.  Some of the qualities that insure success are dedication, a good attitude, ability to work on a team, and most of all, caring.  You have to care about everyone and everything as you go through your day.  It makes all the difference.”

 

 

 

A former journalist, Floy Westermeier served as a family editor of a newspaper, a public affairs specialist, a newscaster, and a magazine editor at two Air Force bases.   She has long been an advocate of natural resources protection and has edited numerous articles and pamphlets on environmental issues in Rolla, Missouri before joining the National Park Service as a Human Resources Specialist.